Foxborough, Mass. – With a thrilling 18-15 win over Duxbury in the annual Thanksgiving Day game, Marshfield High School's Lou Silva concluded his 37-year career as the Rams' head coach and has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
The Rams' final game of the year came down to the wire as Duxbury surged back from an 18-7 deficit in the final three minutes of the game. The Dragons scored on a 1-yard run and completed a two-point conversion to narrow the score to 18-15 with 2:26 remaining. On Marshfield's next possession, Duxbury forced the Rams to go three-and-out and took over with one final chance to win the game. But, on fourth-and-4 from the Rams' 40-yard line, the Marshfield defense came up with a final stop to seal the Rams' fifth consecutive victory in the Thanksgiving Day series. With the win, Marshfield finished its season with a 6-4 record and gave Coach Silva his 242nd career win. In his 37-year tenure at Marshfield, Silva compiled a 242-148-7 mark with 13 league championships and five Super Bowl titles.
Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's executive director of community affairs, visited the Rams players and coaching staff Tuesday afternoon to present Marshfield High School's football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, in honor of Coach Silva. 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 22nd year in which the Patriots 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 2017 season marks the seventh year that Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that benefit from the program.
"Coach Silva has had a remarkable career at Marshfield, capped by a memorable Thanksgiving Day win last week," Tippett said. "He has been an ambassador for the game of football in New England with his passion, dedication and commitment, both to the game and to his players, and has made his community proud. It is an honor to present him with this award, and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."
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 seventh straight year, the Patriots are 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 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.
Gatorade, a proud partner of the Patriots, is proud to support local High School Athletics. Gatorade will provide each week the Patriots Coach of the Week with complimentary product to keep his team hydrated for the rest of the season.
