Foxborough, Mass. – Following a 22-12 win over Foxborough on Thanksgiving Day in the 89th rivalry showdown between the teams, Mansfield High School's Mike Redding has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
The Hornets capitalized on advantageous field position on each of their three scoring drives in the first half, securing the ball in Warriors territory on each of those possessions. After taking the initial lead on a bad snap from Foxborough that resulted in a safety, Mansfield's opportunistic offense found the end zone for another score, this time on a 44-yard touchdown connection from Nick Marciano to Danny Rapoza on a halfback pass. From there, Vinnie Holmes starred for the Hornets, scoring on a 46-yard touchdown run and recording a pair of sacks on the defensive side of the ball.
With the win, Mansfield improved to 10-1 on the season and advanced to the Division 2 Super Bowl in the MIAA Playoffs. The Hornets will look to extend their impressive nine-game winning streak and take home a Super Bowl Championship when they take on the 8-3 Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors on Friday night at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, met with the Mansfield captains and coaching staff Wednesday morning following the MIAA Super Bowl Breakfast at Gillette Stadium to present the football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Patriots Foundation, in honor of Coach Redding. 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 24th 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 2019 season marks the ninth year that Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that benefit from the program.
"Coach Redding had his team prepared to play, and it showed in their game against Foxborough," said Tippett. "The Hornets took advantage of every opportunity to jump out to an early lead in the game and kept the pressure on the Warriors throughout the contest. We wish them luck as they look to capture a Division 2 Super Bowl Championship at Gillette Stadium on Friday night."
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 ninth 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 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.
