Foxborough, Mass. – Following a 37-26 upset victory over Merrimack Valley Conference rival and seventh-ranked Andover High on Saturday, Lawrence High School's Rhandy Audate has been named this week's New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week.
Audate, currently in his fourth year as head coach of the Lawrence High School football team, led the Lancers to their first win over Andover High since 1984 on Saturday afternoon to improve to 3-0 on the season. Sophomore quarterback Jayden Abreu threw for 202 yards and connected with senior receiver Joenel Figueroa twice in the end zone to take down the Golden Warriors in Andover.
Coach Audate had his team ready to go from the opening kickoff as Abreu threw a perfect pass to Figueroa on the third play of the game for a 75-yard touchdown. Long carries from junior running back Jadiel Gomez and clutch plays by the Lancer defense helped Lawrence grind out the road upset.
Patriots, College, and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, now the team's Executive Director of Community Affairs, met with the Lawrence captains and coaching staff Tuesday morning to present the football program with a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Patriots Foundation, in honor of Coach Audate. 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 26th 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 2021 season marks the tenth year that Tippett has taken the award on the road to visit the schools that benefit from the program.
"Coach Audate had the boys ready to go right out of the gate on Saturday," said Tippett. "Leading the Lancers to a spirited and historic victory over Andover, Coach Audate was an easy choice for this week's Patriots Coach of the Week honor."
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 11th 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.
The Lawrence Lancers will look to keep their perfect season alive as they face off against Xaverian Brothers at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 2.
