Mike Ross of West Boylston and Jensen Shipp of Sutton High School won Coach of the Year awards for boys and girls teams, respectively, at the Central Mass High School Sports Awards on Wednesday, June 26, at the Hanover Theatre.
Other boys finalists were Tim Caouette of Oakmont Regional baseball and Al Pettway of North basketball. Other girls finalists were Roger Anderson of Westborough volleyball and Kelly Rosborough of Uxbridge field hockey.
For years Ross has proven that with a good scheme, and tough players, a winning football team can be crafted out of anything. Ross helped guide West Boylston to its second-straight Super Bowl title as the Lions wrapped up a 13-0 season with a win over Carver at Gillette Stadium to win the Division 8 state championship after taking the Division 7 title last year. Ross has won Super Bowl titles at North High, Grafton High and West Boylston, a remarkable accomplishment.
Shipp helped guide Sutton it its third straight state girls soccer championship as the Suzies defeated top-seeded South Hadley, 2-1, for the Division 4 state final. Sutton finished 17-4-2 and has now won 11 state championships in school history, including Division 5 championships in 2021 and 2022 under Shipp, that have Sutton established as one of the top soccer programs in the state every year.
