The Giants Foundation and Gatorade to contribute $2,000 to the football program
East Rutherford, NJ – The New York Giants and Gatorade have selected Mr. Kevin Freeman of Carteret High School (Carteret, NJ) as the Lou Rettino High School Coach of the Week for Week 3 of the 2023 season. The Carteret Ramblers are off to their first 3-0 start since 2016, and have scored 40-plus points in three consecutive games for the first time in 23 years. The defense has been equally as impressive as the offense, only allowing 26 points in those three games, for a combined margin of victory of 124-26.
The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week Award is part of the Giants' continuing effort to support local high school football programs. The Giants elected to name the award in memory of former Union High School (NJ) coach, Lou Rettino, for his fine commitment to the game of football, his community and the betterment of his athletes' lives. Each week during the high school football season, the Giants selected one area high school head coach as the Coach of the Week winner. The selection is based on the coach's continuing commitment towards promoting youth football, developing motivated student-athletes and contributing overall to their community.
In recognition of Coach Freeman's selection as Coach of the Week, a $2,000 check will be granted to the school's football program from The Giants Foundation and Gatorade. He will also receive a certificate of recognition signed by Giants head coach Brian Daboll, and will be honored at a dinner following the season, as well as a 2024 pre-season home game.
Coach Freeman took over as Carteret's head football coach in the spring of 2021, after serving as an assistant coach at Carteret, Elizabeth and Lakewood. An alum of Carteret, and a three sport athlete in high school, Freeman went on to play football as a defensive lineman at West Virginia as a scholarship athlete. He helped the Ramblers win a sectional title as a junior in 1996, and his focus since taking over has been growing participation on the team, and support from the community after Carteret suspended all athletic programming due to the pandemic during the 2020-2021 school year. His efforts are showing impressive results in his third year in the role, as his team's record improved from 3-8 in 2021 to 7-4 with a playoff victory over Robbinsville in 2022.
"We want to dominate on and off the field here at Carteret High School," said Freeman. "Our coaching staff has preached from Day 1 to our student-athletes about how academic success creates more opportunities. We push our core values and principles on our players, and its showing up in their academic and athletic performance."
