Winner of Clean Up Foxboro Day Raffle Soaks in Patriots' AFC East Championship-Clinching Win vs Miami

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Patriots fans left Gillette Stadium in high spirits on Sunday, Dec. 14, as the team defeated the Miami Dolphins, 41-13, to capture the franchise’s sixth straight AFC East championship and 14th since Robert Kraft purchased the club in 1994.

Among those in attendance Sunday were Foxborough residents Jon Loewen and his older brother, Bruce, who enjoyed the game as special guests of the Kraft organization after Jon won a Patriots game day package donated by the Kraft Group for a raffle at the second annual Clean Up Foxboro Day. More than 300 volunteers participated in the event this past May, which was organized by Foxborough residents A.J. Dooley, of Dooley Disposal Services, and Jack Authelet, the town’s historian.

“Participating in the Clean Up Foxboro Day was important to me because it is a great way to keep the community clean and have a great time with your friends while doing it,” said Jon, 16. “I want to thank A.J. Dooley for organizing the whole thing.”

As the event’s raffle winner, Jon, a junior at Foxborough High School, received two tickets to Sunday’s game vs. the Miami Dolphins with free VIP parking, two pre-game tailgate passes to the Dana-Farber Field House and two pre-game field passes to watch players warm-up before kickoff.

“When I won the raffle in May, I honestly almost had a heart attack,” said Jon. “I didn’t think it was possible to win a raffle like that. It almost seemed like it wasn’t real; almost like I was dreaming, but I was so excited to win Patriots tickets and be able to share this experience with my brother.”

Jon said he chose his brother as his guest to attend Sunday’s game because they are both huge Patriots fans and have a standing tradition of watching games together.

“We used to watch every game together,” Jon said. “We haven’t been able to do that much this season because he went to college, so this was a great chance for the both of us to get back together and watch the game. I don’t think watching a game with him could get any better than how we watched it on Sunday.”

Jon and Bruce started their game day experience with a pre-game visit to the Patriots tailgate party at the Dana-Farber Field House, where they enjoyed food served to satisfy the appetite of any football fan.

“The pre-game tailgate party was awesome,” said Jon. “There was a ton of food and it was all very good. My favorite part of the tailgate party was when the Patriots drum line came inside the bubble and performed for everyone.”

From there, the Loewens made their way to the game field where they received two pre-game passes to watch the Patriots warm-up.

“The pre-game sideline visit was incredible,” Jon said. “We could see everyone warming up, which was absolutely amazing. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, some of the players ran by and gave high-fives on their way to the locker room. I got to high-five Shane Vereen, which was definitely my favorite part.”

They also got the chance to meet some of the Patriots cheerleaders.

“Some of the cheerleaders were handing out candy canes, so we got to meet them, also,” Jon said. “It was an incredible experience.”

It didn’t take long after kickoff for Jon and Bruce to jump out of their seats in excitement from the corner of the south end zone, as Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins blocked a Miami Dolphins field goal attempt on the game’s opening drive and cornerback Kyle Arrington scooped up the ball and returned it 62 yards for a Patriots touchdown and an early 7-0 lead.

“Our seats were awesome,” Jon said. “My favorite part of the game was definitely being able to watch Kyle Arrington return a blocked field goal for a touchdown on the first drive of the game because he returned it to the end zone where we were sitting!”

After taking a 14-13 lead into halftime, the Patriots scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to send the Loewens and Patriots Nation home happy.

“What’s better than watching the Patriots dominate the Dolphins to win the division? The game was just, overall, such a great experience and my brother and I had a blast together,” Jon said. “It will probably be a day we will never forget and I want to thank everyone who helped make this experience possible.”