Foxborough, Mass. – Following a thrilling 22-20, double-overtime victory over undefeated conference powerhouse St. Mary's (Lynn) on Friday night, Cardinal Spellman High School's Kahn Chace has been named the seventh New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week of the 2021 season.
Coach Chace, currently in his first year as head coach of the Cardinal Spellman football team, sought out revenge on Friday night after falling to the Spartans, 42-8, in the teams' first meeting on September 10. The gritty Cardinal Spellman team got their vengeance with a double-overtime win as they handed St. Mary's, the top seed in the Division 6 power rankings, their first loss of the fall 2021 season.
Cardinal Spellman was led by junior captain and quarterback Jack Duffy, who recorded three rushing touchdowns on the day. Duffy came up clutch with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter as he broke free for a 50-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 14 and force overtime. A loud and passionate fan section helped fuel the Cardinals on Friday evening to snap Catholic Central League leader St. Mary's six-game winning streak.
"The resilience and dedication Coach Chace has already shown in just his first year as head coach is outstanding," said Tippett. "Guiding the Cardinals to a program-changing win over unbeaten St. Mary's last Friday, Coach Chace is more than deserving of this week's Patriots Coach of the Week honor, and it might not be his last."
The Cardinals will look to build off Friday's monumental victory as they close out the regular season at Arlington Catholic on Friday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Patriots, College, and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's Executive Director of Community Affairs, met with the Cardinal Spellman captains and coaching staff Tuesday morning to present the football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Patriots Foundation in honor of Coach Chace. 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 26th 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 2021 season marks the tenth year that Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that benefit from the program.
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 11th 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 are 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.
