Millbury High coach Ray Richards Jr. earns New England Patriots Coach of the Week honor

Millbury High School football coach Ray Richards Jr. has been named the New England Patriots Coach of the Week, an award recognizing coaches at the youth level for performance and leadership during the season. The honor follows a key victory for the Millbury Woolies, who held off West Boylston/Tahanto, 33-21.

The win was notable not only because of the score, but because of what it reversed in the recent head-to-head history. According to the Patriots’ announcement, Millbury earned its first win over West Boylston/Tahanto since 2019. A year earlier, Millbury had fallen to the Lions, 39-20, in a result Richards’ program now has flipped.

Richards’ coaching impact is reflected in the Woolies’ broader start as well. The announcement says Millbury entered the game off a 4-1 season record, suggesting the program has been competitive week to week rather than relying on a one-off performance. In that context, a divisional or regional-style matchup like the one against West Boylston/Tahanto carries extra weight, because it can separate teams in the standings and in the pecking order of who can handle the most demanding opponents.

The game itself produced a 33-21 final, a margin that indicates Millbury did not simply survive, but controlled enough phases to keep West Boylston/Tahanto at a distance. While the Patriots release does not break down play-by-play details, the result aligns with the idea behind coach-of-the-week selections: measured game management, preparation, and the ability to keep a team functioning under pressure.

For Richards, the award also comes as a form of validation for a program that has shown it can learn from recent defeats. The Patriots’ note that Millbury’s 2019 win was followed by a 39-20 loss a year earlier frames this latest triumph as more than a single-season breakthrough, it is a response to the last time the two programs met.

Coaches at the high school level often manage more than just tactics. They coordinate development, practice structure, and continuity across a roster that can vary from year to year. That makes the 4-1 start and the matchup reversal a meaningful snapshot of how Millbury is building its season, and why this kind of league-wide recognition resonates beyond one Friday night.

Looking ahead, Millbury’s immediate focus will be maintaining the momentum implied by a 4-1 record and using the West Boylston/Tahanto game as a reference point for execution. For West Boylston/Tahanto, the challenge will be turning the loss into a quick corrective response, especially with the matchup history now more contested than it was before.

Richards’ selection as New England Patriots Coach of the Week underscores the Patriots’ emphasis on recognizing leadership in the communities that surround the team. For Millbury, it is both an achievement and a standard-setting moment as the season continues, with future games likely to test whether the Woolies can keep translating preparation into results.