Foxborough, Mass. (October 12, 2011) - East Bridgewater High School's Shawn Tarpey has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Football Coach of the Week in recognition of his team's 36-12 victory over Cohasset High School on Thursday, Oct. 6. A well-executed offensive game plan helped East Bridgewater avenge last year's loss to Cohasset. The win improves the Vikings to 5-0 and 2-0 in the South Shore League. The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation will donate $1,000 to East Bridgewater High School's football program in Tarpey's name in recognition of his Coach of the Week selection.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, the team's executive director of community affairs, visited Coach Tarpey and his team on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at East Bridgewater High School. The visit and check presentation will be featured on the team's weekly television magazine show, Patriots All Access, which airs at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 on WBZ-TV in Boston and later on Patriots.com.
This season marks the 16th 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. Tippett oversees the program as part of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation's commitment to youth football initiatives.
"It was truly an impressive win, with East Bridgewater relying on a balanced offensive attack and stifling defense against league rival Cohasset," said Tippett. "The Vikings were highly motivated and relied on a true team effort to improve to 5-0. I enjoyed visiting with Coach Tarpey and members of the East Bridgewater High School football team and am excited to present the program with this donation."
At the conclusion of the season, one high school coach will be named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Year and will receive an additional $2,000 contribution toward the school's football program.
In previous years, Tippett has invited the Coach of the Week and senior captains for a visit to Gillette Stadium, but decided to take the award on the road in 2011 so he could visit the schools that benefit from the program. This year is also the first year the Patriots will accept nominations for High School Coach of the Week. Anyone who knows a high school football coach in New England who has a great week or reaches a personal career milestone is encouraged to submit a nomination at nominatecoach@patriots.com.
The New England Patriots Charitable 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. For more information, visit www.patriots.com/community.
