HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Scituate's Herb Devine named Patriots Coach of the Week
Coming off his 100th win as head coach to help secure his team a spot in the semifinals of the Division 4 state tournament, Scituate High School’s Herb Devine has been named the 10th New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week of the 2021 season.
Coach Devine, currently in his 13th season as head coach of the Scituate football team, guided the top-seeded Sailors to the Final Four on Friday night with a thrilling 21-14 victory over Ashland at Scituate High School. Winners of eight in a row, the Scituate Sailors are red hot at the right time.
The Sailors were led by Andrew Bossey, back on the field for the first time in three weeks due to a sports hernia, who rushed 19 times for 134 yards and a touchdown. Scituate’s Keegan Sullivan secured the victory with an interception in the final few minutes of play, but that was not the last time he would touch the ball. Sullivan presented the game ball to Coach Devine in honor of his 100th victory at the school, and the team erupted in cheers.
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“Coach Devine’s leadership is unmatched, and his coaching record speaks for itself,” said former Patriots great Andre Tippett. “One hundred wins as a head coach is a remarkable feat. Coach Devine has developed an excellent culture and winning tradition within this football program, and we wish him and the Scituate Sailors the best of luck in their playoff run.”
The Sailors will look to ride their momentum into the weekend as they take on fourth-ranked Grafton (10-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Brockton's Marciano Stadium with a trip to Gillette Stadium for the state championship game on the line.
Tippett, a Patriots, College, and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker who is now the team’s Executive Director of Community Affairs, met with the Scituate 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 Devine. 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.
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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 10th 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 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 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.