Foxborough, Mass. - Following a 44-0 shutout win over Braintree on Saturday, Barnstable High School's head coach Ross Jatkola has been named the first New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week of the 2019 season.
The Red Raiders cruised to their second win of the season, scoring on six of seven offensive drives and mounting a staunch defensive effort. Senior wingback Brian Frieh led the team on the ground, rushing for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. He was aided by sophomore fullback Eugene Jordan, who tallied 61 yards and two touchdowns, as well. Senior quarterback Nick Wilson was 3-of-4 for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Junior wingback Colin Marczely jumpstarted the scoring in the first quarter with a 64-yard run. Wilson connected with senior wingback Luke Locasio in the second quarter for a 28-yard touchdown reception, and Frieh added a 65-yard score before halftime to give the Red Raiders a 22-0 lead at the break. Barnstable continued the domination in the second half with two scores from Jordan and a second by Frieh, all on the ground. By shutting out Braintree, the Red Raiders defense has now kept opponents scoreless in seven of eight quarters to start the season.
With the win, Barnstable is now ranked No. 6 by the Boston Globe and No. 7 by the Boston Herald in the MIAA rankings. The program is off to its first 2-0 start since 2012, when the Red Raiders last advanced to the state championship game. Jatkola is in his second year directing the Red Raiders program, and this is first Coach of the Week honor.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, met with the Barnstable players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Patriots Foundation, in honor of Coach Jatkola. The visit and check presentation will be featured on the Patriots weekly television show, "Patriots All Access," which airs on Friday night at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV in Boston and will be available immediately after on Patriots.com.
This is the 24th year in which the Patriots have joined the National Football League in conducting the High School Coach of the Week program, which recognizes outstanding high school coaches and promotes youth football throughout New England. The 2019 season marks the ninth year that Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that benefit from the program.
"What a commanding win by Coach Jatkola and the Red Raiders on Saturday," Tippett said. "They are off to a great start this season and playing complementary, team football with high effort and intensity. We wish the program the best in the remainder of their 2019 season."
At the conclusion of the fall, one of the weekly winners will be named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Year and will receive an additional $2,000 contribution towards the school's football program.
For the ninth straight year, the Patriots will also be accepting nominations for High School Coach of the Week honors. Those who wish to nominate a high school football coach in New England who leads a team to an exceptional weekly performance or reaches a personal career milestone is encouraged to send submissions to nominatecoach@patriots.com. All nominations must be submitted following a team's Friday night or Saturday afternoon game to be considered for that week's Coach of the Week award.
The Patriots Foundation is the non-profit through which the Patriots support charitable and philanthropic organizations throughout New England. This support comes in the form of direct grants, in-kind donations and player appearances. The foundation assists a variety of charitable organizations and programs throughout New England by supporting their educational, family and health initiatives.
