Dartmouth’s two newest winter coaches are themselves Dartmouth High grads and college buddies, and have already made a name for themselves in the town’s sports history. 

Mike Grandfield will take over for Jeff Caron as the school’s new boys varsity basketball coach, while John Breault will step into the role of boys track coach for outgoing coach Jeff Reed. The two were introduced to the community at a press conference at Dartmouth High School on October 30.

Those names probably ring a bell. Breault is a 2011 graduate of Dartmouth High and helped establish the school’s unified athletics program. Grandfield – whose brother is Quinn Elementary Principal Kyle Grandfield – graduated in 2010 and has served as freshman basketball coach for the past year.

“We feel very strongly that both John Breault and Michael Grandfield are that next generation of great coaches at Dartmouth High School,” said Dartmouth High Principal Ross Thibault. “In both cases, both basketball and winter track, there were some excellent applicants but at the end of the day it’s any time you can add products of your own school.”

Dartmouth High’s track coaches, including Reed, helped Breault find his passion for the sport. At Bridgewater State, he competed in indoor and outdoor track for four years and two seasons of cross country. Upon returning to Dartmouth High as a special education teacher, he started the unified track, and later basketball, programs.

“I just felt that this was kind of the next step, it was something I was ready for,” Breault said.

Grandfield has worked with the high school basketball team since he was 8 years old, videotaping games and traveling on the bus with his brother. He played basketball under Steve Gaspar from 2006 to 2010.

At Bridgewater State, he played on the varsity team for three out of his four years, and was captain his senior year. He volunteered with the Dartmouth High basketball program under Caron, served one year as junior varsity coach in Middleboro before returning to Dartmouth High last year as the freshmen basketball coach.

“There’s a lot of tradition that goes with it,” Grandfield said. “Coach Caron has done a great job, Mr. Gaspar has done a great job.”

He hopes to form one of the most prepared basketball teams rivals will face, and prefers a fast style while also slowing down other teams.