New Era, New Energy: Fall Sports

It feels like Seekonk baseball just claimed a state championship to conclude the 2025-26 school year. But here we are already in the new school year for the 2026-27 era. After what felt like such a short summer for students following numerous snow days due to the crazy blizzard last winter, students are all ready to rock for the fall sports season.

Seekonk’s first year head coach Brendan Costa has brought a unique kind of energy and mentality to this Warriors football team as a young, yet experienced coach.

“Since I was hired in February, our staff has strived to instill accountability, work ethic, and attention to detail in our student athletes, and they have responded in a fantastic way,” Costa said.

“Going into training camp this year, our energy felt different and our focus was collectively on team success. It’s really easy as a head coach when your team is player-driven and your team members want it just as much as you do. Our senior leaders have done a fantastic job so far during this season showing our young guys the attitude we must adopt each day to build upon the last,” Costa said.

Costa spoke about how his coaching staff’s focus is not just about a player’s performance on the field—it’s about working their best to develop the character of the players both on and off the field.

“Our staff is doing a fantastic job at coaching the person just as much as they do the player, because the lessons learned in football have the ability to transcend into everyday life. If our players learn how to be accountable to themselves, as well as their team—they become better people because of it. Then, we have done our job as coaches,” Costa said.

“I can truly say that our program as a whole, coaches to players, have all adopted the same mentality that is based on team success rather than individual accolades. Our athletes bring laser focus to everything they do and that is a tribute to them working as hard as they did this offseason, and not getting complacent when the season began. They know every football season is a marathon, and they must be physically and mentally strong to thrive under the demands of this game. They have done a phenomenal job so far and I could not be prouder of them as a team,” Costa added.

Even though Costa is in his first year as a head coach, he has plenty of coaching experience at both the high school and Division III college level of football. 

“I have been extremely lucky to coach under great leaders in my career. My first season coaching was under my high school Head Coach Anthony Palladino at Joseph Case. That season allowed me to observe Coach Palladino’s process through a coaching lens and gave me a greater appreciation for what he did for me as a player in his program. Coach Palladino’s ability to coach his team hard while also inspiring team unity is something I always admired about him. He taught me many things while playing for him and then being able to coach alongside him only amplified my understanding of his program vision,” Costa said.

Costa attributes his coaching ability and experience to several other coaches he’s worked alongside with. He also believes working as an assistant and position coach led him to understand that he can effectively connect with his players one-on-one.

“When I was at Williams College as the RBs/TEs coach, being able to learn and observe under Coach Mark Raymond was a privilege and the lessons I learned through that experience are things I still carry and use today. His ability to hold the team accountable but connect with them on a deeper level than football was something I always admired about him,” Costa said.

Costa also learned how to slow down and analyze plays on film in order to find the specific improvements needed for his team to tune up in practice.

“Offensive Coordinator Nick Hennessey was also someone who taught me the process on how to prepare for an opponent effectively and what to look for during film breakdown. His formula for alignment drawing, script writing, and practice structure are things I still use years later and they have proved to be successful,” Costa said.

“My first seasons as the offensive coordinator at Seekonk is really where I took things a step further, and I attribute that to former Head Coach Jason Azulay and Defensive Coordinator Joe Teixeira for their teachings in scheme and how to create a full system that can be effective. They have years of experience at both the high school and collegiate levels, and they understand what it takes to win games but also bring out the best in their players. They set a standard and did whatever it took to help our players reach their potential, resulting in many student athletes at Seekonk going on to play at the next level. Their collaboration with myself and our willingness to hold each other accountable resulted in an environment where every coach improved and worked as a cohesive unit,” Costa said.

“I am the coach I am today because of the leaders I was lucky to be around. I believe that every aspiring coach should do whatever it takes to learn as much as possible from the coaches they learn under, and create their own identity from those lessons. During my time as an assistant, I tried to be a sponge and soak in all of the strategies that my leaders would put forward, and they have molded my coaching style today. I am forever grateful for the coaches I have learned from,” Costa added.

Costa dove further into how his connection is with starting quarterback Lucas Escaler and how he relates to him as a former Division 3 college quarterback and quarterbacks coach himself.

“Coaching Lucas Escaler is easy because he wants to be coached hard and learn as much as possible. Lucas is the type of kid that asks everyday what he can improve in and gives intensive effort to fix his daily mistakes, that’s what makes him so effective on the field. Instead of pointing the finger outward, Lucas always looks within to what he can control and improve on, and for a 16 year old student athlete—that is honorable. I have had the privilege of coaching Lucas since he was a freshman student at Seekonk and his leadership capabilities were evident very early. He is a natural leader by example and is a vocal presence in our locker room. I’m a very lucky first year head coach to have Lucas as my first quarterback. He’s an amazing player, but an even better person,” Costa said.

Costa also spoke further upon how crucial it is to also understand a quarterback as a human being, rather than solely a player playing the game on the field.

“During my career coaching quarterbacks, it’s extremely important to understand the person wearing the helmet as well as the player—how much they can handle to ensure they are successful on the field and what style of coaching would benefit them specifically. Some quarterbacks—you can give them a ton of responsibility and extra duties on the field, and some you may have to work them up to that level of field general. It is our job as coaches to put our athletes in the best position possible to feel confident and not overwhelmed with information, especially at the quarterback position,” Costa said.

It’s substantially different for student athletes when they have a young coach that not only understands the game so well, but has also gone through the trials and tribulations of what it was like being a player themselves not too long ago like Costa—somebody like him knows what it’s like to be in the player’s shoes.

“As a player, there have been times where I felt overwhelmed and lost in the offense because I was given a massive amount of responsibility that I wasn’t prepared for at that time. I strive everyday to make sure my quarterbacks do not feel that way. I try to give responsibility in sections and add on more once they feel confident in what they currently have to evaluate on the field. This is the key to improving as a quarterback daily, rather than unravel due to the coaching not understanding the person first,” Costa said.

“From my playing experience as a quarterback, I can directly relate to the stress and pressure that comes along with that title. Playing quarterback is a unique position because it does not go away when practice or a game ends. The way you carry yourself off the field is equally if not more important than how you do it on the field. Your teammates have to see you doing the right things in the classroom, community, and socially in order for you to max out your potential. When my quarterbacks encounter a new experience, odds are I have been through the same thing at some point in my playing career, so being able to relate directly to them is extremely helpful,” Costa added.

Costa discussed how he went through many emotions through the trials and tribulations, ups and downs he once endured as a quarterback; You have to move on as a quarterback no matter what happens or how you perform for any given game.

“During my time playing, I have been benched, promoted, thrown 4 interceptions, thrown 4 touchdowns, lost games for my team, help win games for my team, fumbled snaps, make bad reads, make great reads that lead to scores, fail during 2 minute, thrive during 2 minute, and with this laundry list of experiences comes all the emotions that come with it and how to handle it to move on to the next play, drive, quarter, or game. It is of the utmost importance that quarterbacks have a short memory for mistakes because they will absolutely happen, and learning to accept that is the first step. Quarterbacks must be confident, calm, and collected at all times during a practice or game because at the end of the day, the team looks to you to lead them and they need to see that energy coming out of you at all times,” Costa said.

“I understand what it is like to receive a lot of praise for winning, but also a ton of criticism for losing. The spotlight is on them [quarterbacks] a lot of the time, so helping them navigate how to handle that is something I enjoy very much,” Costa added.

Coach Costa isn’t the only Seekonk head coach looking to make a statement leading their team this 2026 fall season. Long-time Seekonk High field hockey Head Coach Kimberly Pellerin is also pushing for a successful season with the strong chemistry group of girls she has on her team.

“I have been impressed by how much they are interested in learning. It has been a long time since I've had a group of ladies who ask a large number of questions with far reaching answers that affect the game as a whole. They are becoming big thinkers instead of being narrow minded and it has helped them see the big picture. They are doing their best to try and read the game on their own, and this is the first group that I have had in a long time that have expressed interest in that phase of the game. It allows me to be less of a traffic controller and I can put more effort into our schemes,” Pellerin said.

“This is also a very tight knit group. This is something innate to the field hockey team and it is something that I try to foster in my girls. If they think more about others than themselves, it allows us to give more of themselves to the team aspect of the game. This is truly a wonderful group of young ladies led by our captains Ava Queenan and Evelyn Crane,” Pellerin added.

With this season officially being Pellerin’s fourth straight decade coaching field hockey at Seekonk, she has taken in and cherished an incredible amount of moments and learning experiences as a head coach.

“This is my 40th year coaching field hockey at Seekonk High and it has given me memories and relationships that will stand the test of time; I've learned that your coaching style needs to be fluid. There is no way that I could coach these girls the way that I coached ladies from 1986. My expectations have not changed, but the way I go about getting results has definitely changed over the years,” Pellerin said.

“Being a coach is also not just about coaching the x's and o's of the game. I focus on working with each of the girls as individuals and hope that they learn life lessons during the time that they are part of the program. In the grand scheme of things, they won't remember the wins and the losses. But they will remember if they felt heard or if they were held accountable for their actions. They will remember the smiles and the laughter and the team camaraderie. Coaching is so rewarding and that is why I have been doing it all of these years,” Pellerin added.

As the Lady Warriors field hockey team is in such a competitive league, Pellerin’s main focus as head coach is having her players improve on analyzing the game more sharply, and being in the right place at the right time.

“We need to focus our energies on reading the game—we are working hard on that every day. If they can read it, then they will know positionally where they need to be on the field and that is key to having a strong offense and defense. This game is a game in motion. So, if you stand still, it will be played around you. We are working on cutting and moving to make things happen for ourselves and not relying on the other team to make mistakes. My ladies take this game very seriously and we hope to make the right adjustments so when all is said and done, it will get us into the state tournament,” Pellerin said.

Seekonk’s field hockey team also battled out a draw recently with Apponequet Regional, ending in a 2-2 final on Tuesday, September 22nd. Evelyn Crane scored both clutch goals for Seekonk, starting the game in the first and with a goal, then tacking on another goal in the fourth quarter. Following the draw, the Lady Warriors also took down Case High 3-2 in a close battle. Head Coach Pellerin has been impressed with the team’s resilient and tough effort through the kickstart of the season thus far.

Additionally, Seekonk girls soccer won at home under the lights against the Greater New Bedford Bears in their second home game of the season. Seekonk’s golf team defeated Bourne with captain Aidan Connell leading the charge with a score of 35. While their track team also defeated ORR at home on senior night with all senior athletes snagging PR’s on a beautiful day at home. Nonetheless, a solid start to the fall season for Seekonk High sports.

Rehoboth Sports Preview
Flipping the page over to Dighton-Rehoboth’s side, their football team also looks to make a statement to this region. D-R’s well-experienced head coach Kevin Gousie said that there is one significant improvement for his team that he’s currently focusing on.

“The biggest thing we wanted to improve was our consistency and execution. We wanted to be more disciplined with the little things—assignments, technique, communication and taking care of the football. It wasn’t about reinventing what we do. It was about getting better at our fundamentals and putting our players in positions where they can be successful,” Gousie said.

Through the first month of the season since training camp started, Gousie thinks this 2026 squad has listened and bonded well with one another so far.

“Every team has its own personality, so I don’t really like comparing one group to another. But what has stood out about this group is their willingness to work and how well they’ve come together. They enjoy being around each other, they compete, and they’ve been very coachable. We’ve had some really good groups here over the years, and this team is starting to develop its own personality and chemistry,” Gousie said.

Gousie believes this year’s team identity is not only about being resilient, but also about playing for the logo on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back of the jersey.

“Right now, I think our identity is a tough, hard-working football team that plays for each other. We talk a lot about ‘grit’, ‘family’ and ‘tradition’, and we want those words to show up in how we play, not just be something we say. As the season goes on, I want us to become a disciplined, physical and dependable team—a team that plays together, handles adversity and gets better every week. We want to represent our school, our families and everyone who has been part of this program the right way.

In addition to the football squad, other D-R fall sports teams such as the girls soccer team are already making an impact on the season.

The Lady Falcons (2-0-1) took down Greater New Bedford 3-1 in an SCC showdown to start the beginning of the season, including Cassidy Hassenfratz scoring two and Ava Jeserski adding another goal to the stat sheet for the Falcons dub. Hasenfratz and Jeserski have been a dynamic duo so far this season, coming up big in a 8-2 win against cross-town rivals Dighton-Rehoboth on September 29th. Hasenfratz scored six goals and Jeserski had two for the Falcons. Kaia Goulart, Leah Hyder, Hasenfratz and Maeve Santoseach had an assist as well while Lyla Lewandowski also tallying two assists.

Not forgetting to mention, a key member of the Dighton-Rehoboth boys lacrosse team is taking his talents to the Carolinas in 2027. On Saturday, September 26th, Falcons senior attacker/midfielder and captain Jack Horrocks announced via Instagram his commitment to continue his academic/lacrosse career at Belmont Abbey College, an NCAA Division 2 program in Belmont, North Carolina.