Sandwich QB Brady Behringer was a 6-year-old superfan the last time Indians made the playoffs

SANDWICH – Brady Behringer remembers running up and down the Sandwich practice field at 6 years old as the Indians got ready for their fifth playoff appearance in six years.

A decade later, Sandwich is back in the playoffs, and Brady is taking snaps from under center.

His dad, Dusty Behringer, was head coach of the program the last time it made the playoffs in 2013. Dusty is back on the sidelines today, this time as an assistant, watching his son lead the Indians offense.

“It’s pretty fun,” Brady said about having his dad on the sidelines. “Having him as a coach helps build relationships with the other coaches, because I’ve been around all of them for so long.”

Dusty has been a mainstay in the community for the past 25 years, coaching at the high school for 21 of those years, bouncing between football, track and field and now baseball.

This isn’t the first time Brady’s being coached by his dad, but it is the first time the two have teamed up at the varsity level.

And that’s something special.

“Isn’t it great?” Dusty said. “Me being a coach by nature, I coached Brady and my other kids, whether it be soccer or baseball or anything growing up.”

Family runs deep in the program, and it is something head coach Kris Cassie is extremely proud of.

“Family is a word we break out on all the time in our football program,” Cassie said. “That’s one of the pillars we work so hard on as a foundation of the program. We are a tight-knit group.”

The Behringers are not the only father-son duo in the program. Linebacker and fullback Parker Anderson’s dad, Chad Anderson, also is an assistant coach. Oh, and Cassie’s got two kids involved with the team. His son Jake got called up from JV for the playoff push, and his daughter Ashley is a manager.

“It’s an awesome time to be a part of it,” Cassie said. “It means everything.”

Brady is a true student of the game. He started playing in sixth grade, as has been the rule with all of Dusty’s kids, but hung up the pads after only one season. However, at the start of his freshman year, Brady decided to don the helmet once more, effectively making this the third season of his football career. He’s carried on the Behringer legacy ever since.

“Everybody knows my name, but I just try to play my game,” Brady said. “I just try to be the best I can be.”

Brady’s cool demeanor has helped immensely this season. The sophomore quarterback has led the Indians’ wing-T offense to seven wins, including a thrilling playoff victory Oct. 27 against Ridgewood.

“If you think of a prototypical coach’s kid, that was Brady,” Dusty said. “He’s a big, athletic kid that’s smart, and he’s coachable.”

Watching from the sidelines on Friday nights has given Dusty the best seat in the house to watch his son excel.

“It’s a proud moment being a father of a kid that’s on the team that’s doing so well,” Dusty said.

The pair are all business on the field, but try to keep the football talk to a minimum when off the the field.

“We separate it pretty good. I don’t wear my whistle inside the house,” Dusty said. “My wife wears the whistle in the house.”

Coach Behringer will be wearing the whistle Saturday for the Indians’ second-round matchup against Dyett in Chicago.

“We’ll see what happens,” Dusty said. “Let’s go to Chicago and get a win.”

It has been a heck of a ride for Brady and his teammates, and they aren’t ready to give it up.

“I just try to do my job and get the ball to my playmakers,” Brady said. “It’s a cool experience.”