SOUTH HADLEY — Just before the Tigers kicked off their 2026 football season, the South Hadley community gathered at the field to take time to remember and reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
Not only did an American flag hang high above the field from a fire truck ladder, but the players of the South Hadley football team each held a flag as well. The four captains carried individual flags that commemorated 9/11. The Tiger coaching staff wore camo shirts for the game.
The South Hadley Veterans Service had members serve as the color guard for the national anthem while the school band played a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the field.
For South Hadley head football coach Brain Couture, the ceremony gave his players a chance to see firsthand how impactful the tragic events are still to this day.
“None of them were alive. They’re learning all this in history classes,” Couture said. “It’s good for these young men to understand what it’s about and having them see it.”
Couture, who served in the military in the 1990s, had two family members who were in the Navy following 9/11, making the events a personal one.
“We knew he had family members in the service,” senior captain Noah Hambley said. He said players took the ceremonies very seriously and that “it brought everyone together.”
Currently, Couture serves as a first responder while assistant coach Tyler Mayer recently was hired as a firefighter in South Hadley. Between the ties to the first responder community and the yearly first responders game the team hosts each year, Couture said the police and fire departments know every kid on team.
“We’re all about community,” Couture said. “It’s a great way to give back to these guys.”
For a group of athletes who were not around in 2001, they were shown the significance of the events and how to properly honor those affected.
