Foxborough, Mass. – After leading St. Mary's of Lynn to a resounding 40-12 victory over Taconic this past weekend and improving to 3-0 on the season, head coach Matt Durgin has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Junior Calvin Johnson turned in a four-touchdown performance last Saturday to help the Spartans to their third straight win of the year and remain unbeaten in the Catholic Central League's Large Conference. St. Mary's was also off to a strong start in the previous two weeks of the season, posting a 42-6 victory over Dorchester in the opening contest before trumping Lynn English, 38-12 a week later. The 2016 campaign marks Durgin's ninth year as head coach of the Spartans football team.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, visited the St. Mary's players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the Spartans football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, in honor of Coach Durgin. The visit and check presentation will be featured on the Patriots weekly television show, "Patriots All Access," which airs on Wednesday 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 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 will oversee the program as part of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation's commitment to youth football initiatives.
"We are happy to honor and congratulate Coach Durgin and the St. Mary's football team this week as the Spartans put forth three tremendous efforts to get their season off to an undefeated start," Tippett said. "Best of luck through the rest of the year and keep up the hard work."
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 is encouraged to send submissions to 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.
