FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The Foxboro Warriors edged their way to a 22-21 victory against Walpole behind the leadership of Head Coach Jack Martinelli, who reached 300 career wins in a nail-biting overtime victory to earn the New England Patriots Coach of the Week Award.
Trailing Walpole 14-6 in the fourth quarter, Foxboro scored a late touchdown and converted the 2-point attempt to tie the game at 14-14 and force overtime. After Walpole opened the extra time with a touchdown to take a 21-14 lead, the Warriors answered when RB Jack Taft broke through multiple defenders and scored to cut the deficit to just 1 point. Head Coach Jack Martinelli elected to go for the game-winning 2-point conversion, and QB Brayden Jones connected with WR Anthony Rego to secure the 22-21 victory under the Friday Night Lights.
NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, who presently holds the role of Executive Director of Community Affairs for the New England Patriots, had a meeting with the Warriors on Tuesday at Foxboro High School. During the meeting, he presented a generous donation of $1,000 to the football program on behalf of the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. The acknowledgment pays homage to Coach Martinelli commitment to the development of the next generation.
"Coach Jack Martinelli represents everything we want to recognize with our Coach of the Week program," Tippett explained. "His longevity and success at Foxborough speak for themselves, but what stands out most is the impact he continues to have on generations of student-athletes. Coach Martinelli has built a program based on consistency, preparation and doing things the right way. We're proud to recognize him, his staff and the entire Foxborough football program with this week's New England Patriots Coach of the Week award."
The visit and donation presentation will be showcased on the Patriots' weekly television program, "Patriots All Access." You can catch the episode on Friday night at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV in Boston, and it will also be available for immediate viewing on Patriots.com. The acknowledgment and support underscore the Patriots' dedication to community engagement and the recognition of exceptional individuals, exemplified by Coach Martinelli.
This is the 31st 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 2026 season marks the 16th year that Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that benefit from the program. 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 16th 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 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.
