Foxborough, Mass. – After a 35-12 win over South Shore Tech on Friday, West Bridgewater High School's Justin Kogler has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
The Wildcats maintained their undefeated season on Friday night, winning their second straight Division 8 South Sectional championship and improving their record to 10-0. West Bridgewater took a commanding lead early in the game, scoring on each of their first three possessions and ending the first half with a 21-0 advantage. Senior quarterback Matt Lavoie went 7-for-7 for 128 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown pass to Aiden Baker in the second quarter. He also added 38 yards on the ground and scored two rushing touchdowns in the second half. Running back Devin Georgantas rounded out the Wildcats' scoring drives with two rushing touchdowns of his own.
For the second year in a row, West Bridgewater will advance to the state semifinal round. In 2018, the Wildcats were eliminated in the semifinals by Pope John of Everett, 31-14. The team looks to stay undefeated this week against KIPP Academy of Lynn, with an opportunity to advance to the state championship game at Gillette Stadium on the line.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, met with the West Bridgewater players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present the football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Patriots Foundation, in honor of Coach Kogler. 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 24th 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. The 2019 season marks the ninth year that Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that benefit from the program.
"In Coach Kogler's first year with the program, he has pushed the Wildcats to an incredible 10-0 season," said Tippett. "The team's dominance was put on display against South Shore Tech last Friday, and we look forward to seeing how the Wildcats perform against KIPP Academy of Lynn with the chance to advance to the state championship game."
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 an additional $2,000 contribution towards the school's football program.
For the ninth 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. All nominations must be submitted following a team's Friday night or Saturday afternoon game to be considered for that week's Coach of the Week award.
The Patriots 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.
