Foxborough, Mass. – Coming off a grueling 15-8 victory over undefeated Commonwealth Athletic Conference rival KIPP Academy on Saturday, Manchester Essex's Joe Grimes has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Grimes, currently in his first year as head coach of the Manchester Essex Regional High School football team, led the Hornets to their fifth straight win on Saturday afternoon on the road at Manning Field. With prior victories this season at Ipswich (21-8), vs. Nashoba Valley Tech (49-0), vs. Lynn Vocational Tech (32-22) and vs. Cathedral (43-13), the Manchester Essex Hornets improved to a perfect 5-0 record while handing the KIPP Academy Panthers their first loss of the 2021 season.
Lock-down defense and a dominant running game helped Manchester Essex come out on top of Saturday's battle of the unbeatens. Ben Hurd (two sacks) and Troy Flood (one sack) fueled the Hornets' defense while A.J. Pallazola and Brennan Twombly both came away with interceptions. In a combined effort on the ground, the Hornets ran the ball for a season-high 249 yards to help control the game and secure the victory.
Patriots, College, and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's Executive Director of Community Affairs, met with the Manchester Essex 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 Grimes. 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.
"It's remarkable the impact Coach Grimes has already had on this team in just his first year here," said Tippett. "Guiding the Hornets to a massive victory this past Saturday and to an undefeated season thus far, Coach Grimes is more than deserving of 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 Manchester-Essex Hornets will look to keep their perfect season alive as they host the Minuteman-Regional Mustangs at Hyland Field at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 15.
