Foxborough, Mass. - With a dominating 37-0 win over Chelmsford on Friday night, North Andover head coach John Dubzinski guided the Scarlet Knights to their fifth-straight win, remaining perfect on the season, and has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
North Andover stormed out to a 24-0 lead at halftime before cruising to the 37-0 victory. The Scarlet Knights controlled all three phases of the game as they blocked a punt leading to their first score, found the end zone five times and held Chelmsford to just 108 yards of total offense in the shutout. Senior standout Gabe DeSouza made five catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns and also handled kicking duties, making a 32-yard field goal. Junior running back Freddy Gabin led the rushing attack, carrying the ball for a game-high 141 yards and one touchdown on a 40-yard run. Senior quarterback Jake McElroy threw for 125 yards and a pair of scores. With the victory, the Scarlet Knights improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the MVC Division. North Andover is now ranked No. 4 in the state by the Boston Globe and the top team in Division 2 North by the Boston Herald. The Scarlet Knights will play undefeated Dracut at 7 p.m. Friday evening and with a win, will pass Dracut for first in the MVC Division.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, visited the North Andover players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the Scarlet Knights' football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the New England Patriots Foundation, in honor of Coach Dubzinski. 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 great victory for Coach Dubzinski and the North Andover football program over Chelmsford," Tippett said. "The Scarlet Knights dominated all three facets of the game and have gotten off to an impressive 5-0 start to the season. We wish them the best of luck in their important matchup against Dracut Friday night and for the rest of the year."
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.
