Foxborough, Mass. - Following a 23-20 Division 1 North semifinal victory at top-seeded Everett on Friday night, Central Catholic head coach Chuck Adamopoulos has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Under Adamopoulos' coaching, the fourth-seeded Raiders rallied back from a 20-7 deficit and connected on a 33-yard field goal with 57 seconds left to punch their ticket to the Division 1 sectional final game and knock off the two-time defending state champions. The victory was especially notable as it snapped Everett's 27-game win streak and marked the first time since October 2015 that Everett has lost at home. The Raiders opened the scoring but Everett responded with three straight scores to take a 20-7 advantage in the second quarter. Central Catholic responded with an 83-yard scoring drive to cut the deficit to 20-14 by halftime and was able to tie the game at 20-20 with just over two minutes remaining. After a late interception, kicker Nick Mazzie drilled a 33-yard field goal to seal the Raider victory.
Junior quarterback Jared Silverio proved a dual threat, as he threw for 128 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 102 yards and two more scores. Senior Michael LeFebre also had a strong showing on both sides of the ball, as he caught a 49-yard screen pass leading to the tying score and secured a late interception to set up the winning field goal. With the win, Central Catholic advances to the sectional final and will face St. John's Prep on Friday at 7 p.m.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, visited the Central Catholic players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the New England Patriots Foundation, in honor of Coach Adamopoulos. 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 23rd 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 2018 season marks the eighth year that Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that benefit from the program.
"What a thrilling victory by Coach Adamopoulos and the entire Central Catholic football program," Tippett said. "The whole team stepped up to pull off the upset victory at Everett and we wish them the best of luck in the sectional final against St. John's prep."
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 eighth 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 New England 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.
