Austin Prep 14, East Boston 8

The Cougars handed coach Bill Maradei his 237th victory yesterday with Austin Prep' 14-8 win over visiting East Boston. Maradei, already a member of the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, became the winngest Catholic high school coach in state history, surpassing the late Jim Cotter of BC High. Maradei said it has been a priviledge to coach for three decades. "To be mentioned in the same breath as someone like Mr. Cotter is an honor," Maradei said. "I really treasure every win because there's such a fine line between winning and losing. It makes me a happy guy to see the kids work so hard." Ryan Burke and Nick Vitale each scored rushing touchdowns for the Cougars, who improved to 2-3 this season. The 58-year-old Maradei began his coaching career in 1979 at Dom Savio Prep in East Boston, where he won 100 games. After 14 seasons there, he moved on to Austin Prep, where he has compiled a record of 137-41. He is one of only two coaches in state history to win at least 100 games at two schools. A three time Super Bowl champion, Maradei said his coaching mentor was Stan Bondelevitch, who is ninth in Mass. history with 251 wins as a high school coach. "He was the guy," Maradei said. "When I was a young man he took me under his wing while he was coaching at Swampscott. You don't forget guys who were nice to you. I remember looking at his career record and thinking, 'Oh my God, forget about that.' But years later, I'm still coaching." Although his team is young and inexperienced, Maradei said he has been pleasantly surprised the way his team has played and battled in each game. With the effort present in his players, Maradei said he expects to remain coaching for a long time. "I love this, I'm not giving it up. The fire still burns, the intensity is still there. They'll have to take me kicking and screaming from the sidelines before I ever leave."