Foxborough, Mass. - Following a 28-26 win over Scituate in the Division 2A South Sectional quarterfinal to mark Silver Lake Regional High School's first playoff victory in 36 years, Lakers head coach Chris DiGiacomo has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Last Friday night's matchup was Silver Lake's third playoff appearance since 1980, but the Lakers weren't stopping there. After taking the team from a 4-7 record in 2015 to 7-1 this season in his just second year at the head of the program, DiGiacomo led Silver Lake to advance even further in the MIAA tournament with the quarterfinal victory. The Lakers will take on Westwood High School in the semifinal round this Friday, November 4.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, visited the Silver Lake players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the Lakers football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, in honor of Coach DiGiacomo. 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.
"The Lakers put forth their best effort all season to notch a hard-earned playoff spot for just the third time in 36 years," Tippett said. "We are excited to honor Coach DiGiacomo and the Lakers as they have continued to showcase hard work and dedication on the football field, and we wish them the best as they advance deeper into the playoffs."
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.
