Former Waltham Hawk shares spotlight with Pat’s QB Drake Maye 

You may remember that former Hawk and Waltham resident Luke France was named the grand prize winner of Papa Gino’s “Share a Slice with Drake Maye Sweepstakes” in March.

France was selected among thousands of online sweepstakes entries and won the opportunity to meet the Pats QB – and be in a commercial.

It’s show time. 

The “Luke France commercial with Drake Maye” (as we call it at the Times) is out and will run throughout New England through Labor Day. It promotes the launch of Papa Gino’s new stuffed crust pizza.

France made Maye look good in our opinion, catching the pizza dough pass like a pro. Take note, A.J. Brown.

Born and raised in Waltham, France describes himself as a pizza lover and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. He played football at Waltham High School, where he was a lineman for the Hawks, and he served as an assistant coach for the team after graduation. He played tight end on the Salve Regina University football team in Newport, Rhode Island.

For France, what started as a simple sweepstakes entry turned into a memorable experience with one of New England’s biggest sports stars. Maye “was a very nice guy” at the shoot, France said. “I felt like I was talking to one of my friends by the end of it.