Foxborough, Mass. – Coming off a historic 28-10 upset victory over seventh-ranked Mansfield High School on Friday night, Franklin High School's Eian Bain has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Bain, currently in his sixth year as head coach of the Franklin High School football team, led the Panthers to their first victory over the Mansfield Hornets since 2009 to improve to a perfect 4-0 record on the season. Franklin quarterback Jared Arone threw four touchdown passes to help the Panthers snap the Hornets' 19-game win streak.
For the first time ever, Franklin is now ranked in the High School Football America Massachusetts Top 10, powered by NFL Play Football. The Panthers currently sit at number 10 in the rankings while Mansfield, previously ranked number seven, fell out of the top 10. With wins over Wachusett (37-21), Brockton (37-7), Duxbury (27-14) and now Mansfield (28-10), Coach Bain and the Franklin Panthers have proven many doubters wrong.
Patriots, College, and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's Executive Director of Community Affairs, met with the Franklin 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 Bain. 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.
"Coach Bain's advanced game planning and leadership have been on full display this season," said Tippett. "Guiding the Panthers to a historic win on Friday night under the lights, Coach Bain was an easy choice for this week's Patriots Coach of the Week honor."
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.
The Franklin Panthers will look to keep their perfect season alive as they host Taunton at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 10.
