Foxborough, Mass. –An 18-15 victory over the Case Cardinals was the latest stop on Wareham High School's quest to prove that hard work and determination can tackle any challenge. After improving to 5-2 on the season last Saturday night, Vikings head coach Bob Lomp has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
With the win, Wareham also seized a share of the South Coast Conference/Small School Division Championship as the Vikings tied for first place with Case and Swansea High School. The 2016 season has been Lomp's first at the head of the Wareham football program after spending 14 years in the same role at Apponequet. When taking over a team that was coming off a 2015 record of 4-7, he set out with the goal of producing a winning season, rather than a rebuilding one, and led the Vikings to accomplish exactly that.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, visited the Wareham players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the Vikings football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, in honor of Coach Lomp. 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 Vikings have surely proven that hard work pays off," Tippett said. "We are excited to honor Coach Lomp and the team for sticking together and putting forth such a strong effort this season, and we wish them all the best of luck in 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.
