UPTON — After capturing the Central Mass C Division title a year ago, Nipmuc Regional High School enters the 2026 football season with a new challenge: staying on top.
Head coach James Royster returns for his fourth season leading the now Coyotes, and while the team graduated several standout seniors, he believes this year’s squad is uniquely positioned for success. Nearly every player on the roster has developed entirely within the program under his coaching staff, creating continuity and chemistry that Royster hopes will pay dividends this fall.
“The beauty about this program is it’s all fresh,” Royster said. “These athletes are truly my players. They’ve only been coached by me, and our JV coaches have done a great job preparing them.”
Despite losing key contributors including quarterback Josh Giancola, wide receiver Johnny Desmond, running back Eben Consigli, and kicker Sean Burchard, the Warriors return a talented, junior-heavy roster ready to step into larger roles.
Among the key returners is running back and safety Sam Mozer, a three-year starter expected to anchor both sides of the ball. Wide receiver and cornerback Ryan Zanke also returns after establishing himself as one of the team’s top playmakers, while Jake Risanti enters another season as a three-year starter. Royster also highlighted Tyler Rainbow, who is competing for the starting quarterback job and is expected to serve as one of the team’s leaders.
While replacing experienced seniors is never easy, Royster credits his coaching staff and the program’s player development for preparing the next wave of contributors.
“Our coaches do an extremely good job identifying talent and expanding on it,” Royster said. “Now we know what we have in our program.”
This offseason has looked a little different for the Coyotes. With Nipmuc’s weight room temporarily unavailable during school renovations, the team has taken its strength training outdoors, turning a trailer near the practice field into a makeshift gym.
“We’ve been kind of going Rocky-style,” Royster joked. “But the camaraderie has been incredible. They’re high-fiving each other, pumping each other up, and it’s carried over into our seven-on-seven work.”
That team chemistry could prove important as Nipmuc opens the season with four of its first five games on the road, beginning Friday, Sept. 4, at Ashland.
Rather than worrying about where games are played, Royster wants his team focused on itself.
“The opponent doesn’t matter. Where we play doesn’t matter,” he said. “All that matters is who we’re looking at in the mirror.”
After going undefeated in Central Mass C Division play last season against Montachusett, Burncoat and Nashoba Valley, Nipmuc enters 2026 as the team everyone else is chasing.
“We like being at the top,” Royster said. “We want to stay there. It just makes us work harder.”
The coach believes the biggest step his team must take this season isn’t physical, but mental.
“What we need to be is mentally tough,” Royster said. “If we can handle adversity and stay mentally strong when things aren’t going our way, I don’t think anyone can beat us.”
Outside of league play, Nipmuc will also be tested against a challenging non-league schedule that includes Uxbridge, Northbridge and Clinton before closing the regular season with one of the area’s best Thanksgiving traditions against nearby Blackstone Valley Tech.
Royster knows the rivalry well, having spent five years coaching at BVT before taking over at Nipmuc.
“We’re great friends off the field,” Royster said of BVT’s coaching staff. “But for those two hours, we hate each other. When the game ends, it’s all hugs and love again. That’s the beauty of sports.”
The Coyotes’ goals remain the same as they have been since Royster arrived in Upton: compete for another league championship, earn a playoff berth and make a deep postseason run.
With a veteran junior class, growing chemistry and another demanding schedule ahead, Nipmuc believes it has the pieces to remain among Central Massachusetts’ top football programs in 2026.
For the full interview with Nipmuc Football Head Coach, James Royster, click here: The Zone – Nipmuc Football HC, James Royster
