NORTH DIGHTON — For any young football team, growing pains are part of the process as players adjust to the pace and physicality of varsity competition.

That proved true Friday night for the newly formed Dighton-Rehoboth/Bristol Aggie co-op squad, which dropped its debut game 36-15 to Nauset.

The loss came with its fair share of teachable moments—miscues like multiple fumbles and a key miscue on an onside kick early in the second half highlighted areas that need sharpening.

“I was hoping we’d play a little better than we did,” said Falcons head coach Kevin Gousie. “The turnovers definitely hurt us. You can’t win a football game turning over the ball as many times as we did, it’s impossible, especially with us being a young football team.”

Still, despite the rough start, there were bright spots that point to a promising future—most notably the varsity debut of sophomore running back Cooper Benfeito, who scored both of the Falcons’ touchdowns and rushed for 22 yards on just four carries.

“He does an excellent job for us,” Gousie said. “He comes to practice, he works hard, and I’m glad that paid off for him with the two touchdowns.”

Trailing 16-0 late in the second quarter, Benfeito got D-R/Bristol Aggie on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run. A successful two-point conversion by sophomore Cole Gifford cut the deficit in half. Nauset responded with three unanswered touchdowns before Benfeito struck again, this time muscling his way into the end zone on a 22-yard run with just under two minutes left.

“It means a lot,” Benfeito said of scoring twice in his debut. “For my whole team too—I wouldn’t have done it without them.”

Despite the late score, the Falcons couldn’t overcome the early gap. Gousie said the offense showed flashes of promise, but lacked the consistency needed to sustain drives.

“At times I thought we looked pretty good, but we just weren’t consistent enough through the whole game,” he said.

Gousie also praised sophomore quarterback Christian Bielawski for his progression during his first varsity start. Bielawski completed 10 of 15 passes for 83 yards and added 29 yards on the ground.

“Christian did a good job for us,” Gousie said. “As the game went on, he was a little more accurate with his throws. He has huge potential. He’s a sophomore playing on a young team and he’s a hardworking kid. I’m happy to coach him and excited to see his development throughout the season.”