FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Following a dominating, 43-7, victory over Nashoba Valley Tech in the first round of playoffs, Cathedral/Matignon/Cristo Rey High School Co-Op football coach, Derrick Beasley, has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Coach Beasley was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL Draft. After the NFL, Coach Beasley spent many years working in law enforcement before turning to high school athletics. Coach Beasley, currently in his fourth year as head coach, led the Panthers to their fourth-straight win to improve to 6-2 on the season and advance to the quarterfinals in the Division 8 MIAA Football Tournament. The three small private Catholic schools joined together prior to this season to give their students the opportunity to play football. Without the co-op none of the schools would have enough players to fill a full roster. The newly formed football co-op has come together quickly this season, drastically improving from their 3-7 record last year.
Patriots, and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's Executive Director of Community Affairs, met with the Panthers football team and cheerleading squad Tuesday morning to present the football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Patriots Foundation in honor of Coach Beasley. 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.
"Congratulations to Coach Beasley and the Panthers on defeating Nashoba Valley Tech and advancing to the quarterfinals in the Division 8 playoff picture," said Tippett. "It takes grit, strong work ethic and resiliency to bring three small schools together and form a competitive program. We admire the dedication from Coach Beasley and his staff to give these students the opportunity to play the game. We are honored to present him with this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the week award.
Last week, the Panthers were led by junior running back, Andrew Hedgepeth, who ran for 111 yards and a touchdown. He also caught five passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. Hedgepeth was named on of the Boston Herald's High School Stars of the Week for his efforts. The game was also highlighted by junior running back, Mohamed Kaba, returning a blocked punt for a touchdown. Cathedral/Matignon/Cristo Rey will take on No.1 seed Hull (9-0) this Friday night for the chance to make it to the final four.
This is the 27th 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 2022 season marks the 11th year that the Patriots have sent Tippett to present the award to the coach at their school.
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.
Fans are encouraged to nominate any New England high school head coach who leads a team to an exceptional win, a record-breaking performance or reaches a personal career milestone by emailing 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 Patriots High School 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.
