'There's no sport like it:' Sidwell father, son bond over football and facing each other

TAUNTON— For generations, football has been a focal point for the Sidwell family.

For 21 years, Steve Sidwell was an NFL assistant coach, orchestrating the New Orleans Saints' famed " Dome Patrol " defense as defensive coordinator from 1986-94. His son Brad followed in his footsteps, coaching Franklin High for 21 seasons, including a 2009 Hockomock League title, before taking charge of Taunton in 2016.

Despite that, the Brad Sidwell and his family remained in Franklin, and like their father and grandfather before them, his sons couldn't resist the allure of the gridiron.

"There’s no sport like it," Franklin senior running back/defensive back Cole Sidwell said. "The bond you make with teammates, even on the worst days of practice, are something you can’t replicate anywhere else."

With both the Tigers and Panthers in the Hockomock Kelley-Rex, that's meant an annual matchup between father and son every year since 2019, first with oldest son Luke , a 2023 Franklin High graduate, and now with middle son Cole. The youngest son, Jake, is currently an eighth grader.

"It’s definitely interesting," Brad Sidwell said of facing his sons. "When I took the Taunton job, all of my boys had not played football and they all decided to and that was a unique twist to it."

"(These matchups have been) pretty interesting because I get to look right to my right and there’s my dad," Cole Sidwell said. "But at the end of the day, it’s just a game and I play it like (any other) game."

As for the games themselves though, the Sidwell sons are undefeated against their father, a trend that continued Thursday as the Panthers (4-1, 1-0 Hockomock Kelley-Rex) capitalized on a third-quarter fumble recovery to take control and grind out a 28-9 win over the Tigers (2-3, 0-1 Hockomock Kelley-Rex)

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"I’m certainly not happy about losing to them, but just need to see how they enjoy it and it’s a great game," Brad Sidwell said. "(Football is) a true team game with lots of players involved and everybody needs to do their job and you kind of need to teach kids how to do that. When it’s your son, it’s even better."

Cole Sidwell thought he had the opening touchdown for Franklin after a 12-yard run, only for it to be taken back due to a penalty call against the Panthers. After that, fellow senior running back Andrew Fraulo took it in from 15 out then proceeded to run in two more in the second half. Senior quarterback Will Tirrell added one last touchdown off a 1-yard keeper late in the fourth, while sophomore kicker Owen Essam went a perfect 4-for-4 on point after attempts.

"Our team shows effort all the way throughout the game," Cole Sidwell said. "Everyone supports each other and it’s not about who gets in the end zone, but rather the score at the end of the game."

As for his dad, while he may not have liked the result, he couldn't help but appreciate his son's success.

"It’s been great (to watch Cole) and he’s handled it very well on both sides and I’m proud of him and that’s what it’s about," Brad Sidwell said.

As for the Tigers, Brad Sidwell noted improvements in the passing game, with junior quarterback Dylan Keenan connecting with senior wide receiver Johnny Escobalez for a 62 yard touchdown reception, and a solid overall showing by the defense against a tough Panther team.

"I’m proud of our guys, they fought hard," Brad Sidwell said. "We made some improvements. It may not show on the scoreboard there, but I’m proud of our guys for fighting and we’ll continue to get better."

Both teams return to Hockomock Kelley-Rex action next week, with Taunton travelling to defending Division 2 Super Bowl champions King Philip while Franklin hosts Attleboro.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: 'There's no sport like it:' Sidwell father, son bond over football and facing each other