\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAs the New England Patriots gear up for the next round of the playoffs, it’s not just the players putting in the work.From the sidelines, the team’s cheerleaders are also preparing to put on a great show, and they’re led by a Londonderry native who is also breaking barriers.Driss Dallahi was one of the first male cheerleaders on the team, and now, he’s managing the squad.”Everybody at this organization is always working day in and day out to give the fans the best possible experience,” Dallahi said.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go <> PATRIOTS ON WMUR: Patriots to host Texans for next playoff game Sunday at 3 p.m. on WMUR-TV << Dallahi said preparing for a playoff game looks a lot like the regular season, just with more intensity.”Our squad performs more than any other NFL cheerleading team, so it’s great,” he said. “And I would never change it, but it’s definitely a lot of work for them.”For young cheerleaders like Cole Amatucci, that growing visibility of male cheerleaders and coaches like Dallahi across the NFL makes a huge difference. “Just being able to go in front of a lot of people and have everyone cheering for you just feels like it’s all paid off at the end,” Amatucci said.Amatucci is a sophomore on the varsity cheer team at Dover High School.”It’s a really cool feeling,” he said. “And I feel like a lot of people have made it more normalized and a lot more people are looking into it and seeing it as a cool thing, rather than a weird thing.”For Dallahi, being that role model is an honor and a responsibility.”Knowing that there are kids out there that look at me that way now, I think I use it as really like a North Star,” he said.Dallahi said all the extra playoff pressure will just add to the excitement on Sunday, when the Patriots take on the Houston Texans.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tFOXBOROUGH, Mass. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
As the New England Patriots gear up for the next round of the playoffs, it’s not just the players putting in the work.<\/p>\n
From the sidelines, the team’s cheerleaders are also preparing to put on a great show, and they’re led by a Londonderry native who is also breaking barriers.<\/p>\n
Driss Dallahi was one of the first male cheerleaders on the team, and now, he’s managing the squad.<\/p>\n
“Everybody at this organization is always working day in and day out to give the fans the best possible experience,” Dallahi said.<\/p>\n