“It was the happiest day of my life!” said Deandre Gittens as he described his football team’s recent trip to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

On Aug. 29, Groton’s newly formed youth football team, the New London County Junior Nightmare, went to Gillette Stadium to play during halftime at a preseason game between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

The New London County Junior Nightmare is a youth football team that is only a year old. It was started by a Groton resident. Darryl Sebastian, who has been coaching football for 20 years. His experience includes being a coach for Fitch High School.

Sebastian first came up with the idea for the team as a way to expand the football program and give kids opportunities that the local league didn’t afford. Although it was not initially met with much support, he remained committed to the team and providing this new experience for the kids of New London County.

The team of 10-year-olds was privately funded, and through time and effort put in by Sebastian and team members, the New London County Junior Nightmare quickly rose to prominence in the area.

Pop Warner, the youth football organization which the Junior Nightmare was formed under, surprised the team by granting them the opportunity to play during halftime at Gillette.

The kids had an amazing time. During halftime, they played against another youth team from Oxford, Mass. Although it was a much bigger team, every member of the Junior Nightmare had an amazing time being there and being able to play in front of 35,000 people.

“It felt pretty good, like in front of all those crowds,” said team member Calvin Hill. “This is my first time ever playing on an NFL stadium.”

Even after the game, the fun didn’t stop. The team got to sit close to the field while the Patriots faced off against the Giants. The team members would occasionally drop by and take selfies with the kids. The team even got to be part of a commercial for Gifford’s new Patriots Ice Cream flavor.

Needless to say, each team member had the time of their lives.

“It was amazing. I mean, it was a once in a lifetime experience,” said Xavier Sebastian. The sentiment of the team is also shared by the coach, who was proud to see how far his team has come.

“We’re truly blessed to even have that opportunity,” Sebastian said. “But that’s why I did it … to give kids the opportunity to do stuff like that.”

Sebastian still has big plans for the team going forward. “Make it bigger, make it better,” he said.

There are plans to bring in a cheerleading squad for the Junior Nightmare, as well as much more. Whatever the case, Darryl Sebastian will be there to help the new team grow and expand.

“I just love the kids, and I’ll never stop coaching,” he said.

Paul Garrett is a Times intern studying at Mitchell College.