The Vikings have a new chieftain. 

After finishing the last two seasons with a negative record, Wareham High School’s football program is changing its leadership.

Incoming Head Coach Brandon Perry, formerly an assistant coach at Tabor Academy in Marion, is excited to steer a football program again. 

“I’m looking to really bring a passion to the team that I don’t think they’ve seen over the last decade,” Perry said. “A passion for not only the program and the game, but the athletes I serve.”

Perry has been coaching since 2011, working within different athletic programs throughout the South Coast and Cape Cod.

All of those programs, he said, will contribute to how he builds the new football team.

As a graduate of Mattapoisett’s Old Rochester Regional High School, and a longtime resident of that town, Perry said Wareham was a school he’s wanted to work with for years. 

“It’s a team that has a very rich history,” Perry said. “Not just the football team, but Wareham Athletics in general [has a history] of success.”

The new football team will be built around speed and athleticism, he said. A key part of that plan may be junior running back Ajay Lopes, who Perry is considering as a starting quarterback.

Perry’s system calls for a “smart, athletic quarterback” and Lopes “fits that bill perfectly — if he’s up for it.”

“I think he’s a perfect fit for our offensive system,” Perry said. 

“I’m for sure up for it,” Lopes said. “I feel like me being a point guard [on the Vikings basketball team] is like being a quarterback, because you need to see everything... I feel like I have those abilities.”

Lopes said that he supports Perry’s mission to “bring Wareham football back,” and hopes that a new coach and a more successful team will inspire more student athletes to try out football. 

“We haven’t been good in the past,” he said, “but I think this year will be different.” 

Perry also shouted out junior tight end Jayce Travers as a player he’s excited to work with this fall.

Coming off two lackluster seasons under then-Head Coach Fran Cass, Wareham has room to grow.

The team will be returning to the Mayflower Athletic Conference’s Small League this year, bringing some formidable opponents to the fore.

Perry said Old Colony High School in Rochester and Murdock High School in Winchedon will be the biggest challenges for Wareham.

Off the field, Perry said he wants the team to be a major part of the community. He not only wants each  game to be a “big family event,” but also wants the players to get involved in community projects such as fundraisers and cleanups. A former Wareham Tigers player himself, Perry’s interested in forming some connections with the youth football program too. 

“I’m looking to really build back and be a strong part of the community with not just me, but the whole team,” he said.