Barnstable High football honors the life of Sam Needham during season opener vs. Brockton
BARNSTABLE On June 11, Sam Needham graduated from Barnstable High School. On Aug. 27, he was laid to rest by family and friends.
Less than a month after his 18th birthday, the Centerville resident's life was ended tragically after being struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding his motorcycle on Aug. 16. Needham planned on attending Massachusetts Maritime Academy to pursue a career on the water. He had plans for the future to start his own charter company.
On Friday night, Needham's family gathered together on the same turf that he played on during his sophomore year. Before the Barnstable High football team's home opener against Brockton on Friday, the team held a moment of silence.
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"The Needham family is an unbelievable family to this community and they have done so much," Barnstable head coach Ross Jatkola said. "I think the kids played with heart and they gave everything. Everyone that was connected to him loved Sam, whether it was for a minute or growing up their whole lives. He was a really special human being with a huge heart and it meant a lot for us to have his family out here tonight and for our kids to represent him and play as hard as they did."
The Turco Show
On the field, defense was the story of this game.
All the points were scored in the first quarter in a 13-6 Brockton victory.
Matthew Turco played a starring role.
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Barnstable's quarterback Jake Mooney's favorite target on the night was Turco. The only problem was that he played for Brockton. In his debut game at cornerback, Turco finished the game with three interceptions, which included a pick that sealed the Boxer win.
"I was just reading the ball pretty well and stepped up to make plays," Turco said. "I think this win is going to be good for us. We're going to take that momentum going into next game. We are just tough players and no game like this is going to stop us."
Brockton coach Peter Colombo credited his defense and the play of Turco.
"He's a senior and has been starting for three years now and he had a big night, and I was really glad he did," Colombo said.
SWEET REVENGE
Last season, these two teams faced off to start their seasons with Barnstable winning 52-35 on the road. The Boxers did not forget about that loss, as they got a win this time around.
"They dropped 52 on us and everybody was talking about 52 points, 52 points, so we had to shut them down," Brockton CB Mathew Turco said. "Six points is great. What else can you do?"
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The Red Hawks started the game with a forced fumble and recovery on the first play of the game. That led to a rushing touchdown by Chevaunie Shakespeare. After a missed extra point, the Red Hawks were in good shape with a 6-0 lead 31 seconds into the game.
The Boxers responded right back with a touchdown 33 seconds later when Brockton quarterback Joey Cappiello threw a touchdown to junior wide receiver Cameron Monteiro
"Our defense stepped up and held them so six," Monteiro said. "Other than that missed kick return, I don't think they would have scored those six points so our defense definitely did a great job today."
The touchdown by Monteiro gave them their first lead of the night at 7-6. A lead they never lost.
"I was really proud of our kids for hanging in and getting a win after we handed them a touchdown," Colombo said. "I like the way we responded."
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Colombo said he has a lot of respect for Barnstable's program and that they put a whooping on them last season.
"You have to win these type of games if you're going to have a good season," Colombo said. "The last few years, we didn't win these, so it feels very good."
THE ROAD AHEAD
For the Red Hawks on an emotional night, this was their first season-opening loss since 2017.
"Shooting ourselves in the foot is the probably the understatement of the century," Jatkola said. "I don't think I've ever left the field feeling like we gave someone a game more than we did tonight. The defense played awesome, which is a huge takeaway for the night. I think we started nine sophomores and juniors on defense so the future looks bright."
Next up for the Red Hawks is a home game against Reading Memorial on Sept. 16. Jatkola said he knows exactly what the team needs to do in order to win.
"Hold on to the football, don't make mental mistakes, don't have constant penalties in the scoring areas and we will be just fine."
Contact Courtney Jacobs at cjacobs@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @CJ_Journalist.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Barnstable High football team loses to Brockton in Week 1
