As a team, Old Rochester Regional football players take tough hits, train hard, and endure injuries for a shot at victory. At season’s end, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say they consider themselves family.

For Hayden and Nolan Bergeron, that’s actually the case.

Twin brothers, the two are among 14 senior students who make up a talented and experienced squad, said Coach Henry Quinlan.

The Old Rochester Regional Bulldogs football team will have its first game Sept. 7, when they face off against Lee High School at ORR. The Bulldogs will take the field at 1 p.m.

With Nolan in the quarterback position, and Hayden playing both tight end and middle linebacker, Quinlan said they are prepared to lead.

“You don’t usually call eighteen or nineteen year olds young men. They’re still boys at that age. These two are young men,” Quinlan said.

Now in his tenth year as head coach, Quinlan said he was optimistic the Bulldogs will make the playoffs this year. For this season, the adopted motto is “Team First” to remind players that everyone has a role, even if it’s not on the field.

“Not every player is going to start. It’s important for the kids to believe in a ‘team first’ mentality,” Quinlan said.

Last year, the Bulldogs won five games and lost six. Quinlan was quick to note that five of those losses came at a margin of six points or less and two games were lost in overtime.

All senior students started games last year as juniors. The extra year of experience and playing together will help the team, Quinlan said.

Also, player camaraderie is high.

“This is a really fun group to be around,” he said.

Nolan agreed.

“We had a tough run last year, but now we feel like this is a lot of friends playing together,” he said. “It’s going to be a good year.”

Nolan, a four-year veteran, said playing with his brother during that time has only helped the two on the field: “It’s good to have him out there.”

Playing together for so long, along with the 14 other senior players, has strengthened the team, Hayden said.

This year, the Bulldogs plan to reach the playoffs through a mixture of toughness and grit.

Hayden said: “We’re going to grind teams down, really wear them out by the fourth quarter, and then finish them off.”