Foxborough, Mass. - After leading the Colonials to post a convincing 42-12 victory over Westfield in the State Semifinal of the 2016 MIAA Tournament and advance to the Division 2 Super Bowl Championship, Shrewsbury High School head coach John Aloisi has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Shrewsbury will now take on Duxbury High School in its quest for the school's first state title since 2007, and third in over 40 seasons. The Colonials also notched playoff wins over Algonquin Regional and St. John's of Shrewsbury on their way to a spot in the Super Bowl, set to take place on December 3 at Gillette Stadium, after suffering losses to both teams during the regular season. The team's success comes in Coach Aloisi's third year at the helm of the Shrewsbury High football program following head coaching stints at Worcester Academy and Nantucket, his alma mater.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, visited the Shrewsbury players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the Colonials football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, in honor of Coach Aloisi. 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 21st year in which the Patriots join the National Football League in honoring local schools and coaches in the High School Coach of the Week program, which recognizes outstanding performances and promotes a strong foundation for youth football across New England. The 2016 season marks the sixth year Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that are honored each week as part of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation's commitment to youth football initiatives.
"Congratulations to Coach Aloisi and the Colonials on earning the opportunity to contend for a Super Bowl Championship here at Gillette Stadium," Tippett said. "We are excited to honor this team during what must be such an exciting time for the Shrewsbury High School community and wish you all the best of luck in Foxborough."
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 a $2,000 contribution towards the school's football program.
For the sixth 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 right after teams have played their games on Friday or Saturday to nominatecoach@patriots.com. Only nominations submitted after each game will be considered.
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.
