Published in the February 7, 2017 edition.
WAKEFIELD — The New England Patriots took their victory lap today and hundreds of Wakefield residents headed into Boston to join them for a rolling rally through the streets of the city.
As early as 8 a.m. this morning, rally-goers easily outnumbered everyday commuters on the platforms at the the North Avenue and Greenwood commuter rail stations.
Giddy fans wearing Patriots garb were streaming into the city from all over the region early Tuesday despite a messy forecast of rain and possibly some snow.
While no one could confirm the number of students absent from Wakefield Memorial High today, the Daily Item was told as many as 315 of the 1,030 kids at the school were out sick this morning.
MVP quarterback Tom Brady and his teammates and coaches were paraded through Boston this morning following the team’s come-from-behind 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The parade route was Dalton Street to Boylston Street to Tremont Street to Cambridge Street to Sudbury Street to Congress Street to City Hall Plaza.
At 10:45 a.m. today, people lined up as many as 25 deep along the route to see the newly-crowned NFL champs.
In typical Boston fashion, players and other team officials rode in duck boats, the World War II-era amphibious vehicles that are popular with tourists.
It’s still not expected to be as bad as two years ago, when the Patriots victory parade was delayed a day as the region gritted through a season of historic levels of snow.
This is the Patriots’ fifth championship.
The AP contributed to this report.