Foxborough, Mass. - Following a 22-0 shutout win over Westfield in the Western Massachusetts Division III Championship game on Friday night, Central head coach Valdamar Brower has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Both teams traded punts throughout the first half before junior running back Kwame Kyles took a handoff 46 yards to the end zone with under five minutes remaining in the half. Kyles scored again from 1 yard out to end the half with a 13-0 advantage for the Golden Eagles. Central maintained the lead throughout the second half and cruised to the 22-0 victory. The Golden Eagles controlled all three facets of the game, holding Westfield to just 83 yards of offense and dominating special teams with a blocked punt and forced safety.
Kyles controlled the game from the ground, rushing for 188 yards and a pair of scores on 26 carries (7.2 average). Senior wide receiver Cqari Bacote also caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Mahari Miller for the lone touchdown of the second half.
The win marked the second straight Western Massachusetts Division III title for the 9-1 Golden Eagles. They advance to the state semifinals against St. Johns - Shrewsbury on Saturday with the winner moving on to Gillette Stadium for the MIAA Division III State Championship games.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, visited the Central 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 Brower. 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.
"Congratulations to Coach Brower and the Central football program on winning their second straight Western Massachusetts Division III title," Tippett said. "What a dominating effort by the whole team and we wish them luck in the state semifinals."
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.
