A Wizard's Path: Brennan Tesseyman

It's an exciting time for Washingtonville High School football, and senior quarterback Brennan Tesseyman is making the most of it.

The Wizards are enjoying one of their strongest seasons in decades, with their sights set on a sectional championship. There's plenty of talent on the roster, but Brennan believes another important part of their success comes from how well the players know one another, along with the support they've received from their coaches.

“Everyone's really close together,” he said, noting that many of his teammates have played alongside one another since childhood. “Our coaches as well, they really care about us. They care about the program.”

Brennan is closing out an impressive high school athletic career that has kept him busy year-round. In addition to football, he plays varsity basketball and baseball and has served as a captain across all three sports.

Among his accomplishments, Brennan helped lead the basketball team to the Section IX Class AA championship game in 2025 and earned OCIAA All-Star recognition.

Baseball has always held a special place in Brennan's life, a love he shares with his father, who played the sport in college. After batting an impressive .429 last season, Brennan hopes to follow in his father's footsteps by playing baseball at the collegiate level. He knows reaching that goal will require just as much dedication in the classroom as on the field.

Brennan is a member of the National Honor Society and Business Honor Society, participates in Wizards Against Cancer and has challenged himself with honors and college-level courses.

His family has always emphasized the importance of education.

"They always said academics matter the most," he explained. "My family, my parents always told me that. So I try to harp on that a lot, keep the grades up and then everything else will follow."

Brennan hopes to study business or finance in college.

His senior year, however, comes after an unexpected challenge that changed his perspective on both sports and everyday life.

After dealing with back pain for several years, Brennan learned he had a tumor on his spinal cord and underwent surgery in April. His recovery kept him away from school for the remainder of the year and temporarily sidelined him from athletics.

For someone accustomed to playing sports year-round, the experience was difficult, particularly as he worked to regain his strength and endurance.

"The hardest part was just the mental," he said.

Throughout his recovery, Brennan leaned on encouragement from his family, particularly his parents, who reminded him of his strength and work ethic.

"They kept saying, 'You're strong, it'll all come back,'" he recalled. Keeping those words in mind helped him stay positive as he worked toward returning to sports.

Brennan was back on the football field in time for his senior season, carrying an important lesson from the experience.

"Never give up," he said. "You can always come back from tough things at the end of the day."

Having played on varsity teams since his freshman year, Brennan remembers looking up to older teammates and the example they set. Now, in his final year, he's realizing how much influence he has on the players following in his footsteps.

"A lot of people do look up to you," he said. "Whatever you do, they really take that to heart, and whatever you say."

Brennan is also becoming more aware of how quickly his own high school years have passed.

While he has plenty of memories from big games and playoff appearances, it's the everyday moments, like practices and spending time with teammates, that have become especially meaningful. With many of his closest friends graduating last year, he's begun to appreciate those experiences even more.

After everything he's experienced, Brennan is determined to make the most of his remaining time at Washingtonville, both on and off the field.

"Just appreciate all of it, because it doesn't last very long," he said. "So soak it all in and enjoy the moments."

Brennan also expressed his gratitude to his coaches and especially his parents for the time, support and sacrifices they've made throughout his athletic career.

Catch Brennan and the Wizards in action this Saturday, Oct. 17, as they take on Minisink Valley in Washingtonville's Homecoming game. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. on the athletic field. Go Wizards!