If you’ve lived in New England as a Patriots fan over the last 20+ years, you’ve seen, heard or read coverage from Andy Hart, Mike Giardi and Paul Perillo. Their names – among others – are synonymous with excellent coverage of the dynasty that began in 2001.

Now, their sons’ names are also being heard and recognized around Massachusetts under Friday Night lights as each of their boys are significantly contributing to their respective high school football teams.

Hart’s son Jackson is a junior and the quarterback of a Dartmouth team that’s 6-0 heading into this weekend’s matchup against Bridgewater-Raynham. He’s put up some gaudy numbers this season too. Giardi’s son Beckett is a senior wideout and defensive back for Millis and just had a highlight-reel TD catch and run last week. Perillo’s son TJ is a junior playing center and defensive tackle for Bishop Fenwick.

Andy, Mike and Paul have all been covering the team and the league for over two decades now. Hart began as a member of the PR staff in 2000 and 2001 before moving to the media side, working for Patriots Football Weekly, Patriots.com and currently WEEI. Perillo left the Boston Herald in 1999 to work for Patriots.com and has been covering the team ever since. Giardi has been around the game at the pro level for 24 years, working for NFL Network, various iterations of what is now NBC Sports Boston and currently the Boston Sports Journal. Despite countless big games and Super Bowls, none of the cool experiences or memories they’ve gotten to write and talk about compare to watching their sons play and carry on the family name in a different way.

“Watching Jackson play sports has always been one of my favorite things to do as a dad,” Hart said recently. “But, when he started playing QB as a freshman, I realized this is a different beast. There is so much more anxiety than I expected. It’s so different watching him compete in other sports. To see the success the team has had this fall with him leading the huddle has been so much fun to watch. Having coached him in a variety of sports over the years, I’ve never doubted his athletic ability and competitive fire. To see it all come together and see how much fun he’s having makes me one proud dad.”

“It’s been awesome to see the growth,’ said Giardi. “He’s size challenged. Probably 140lbs., started off 150 this season, but he works so hard and it means a lot to him. You can kind of see the love for the game grow over the last few years. I just…he scores a touchdown last week and the amount of joy I had in that moment for him, knowing that he put in all this work, it’s nice to see some results. It’s fun. I’m going to be sad when it’s over because I know how much it means to him. If it means that much to him, obviously it means that much for me…our program is so small, there’s been a lot of moving parts. You’re this (position), you’re that (position), from week-to-week he’s played linebacker at times at 140lbs. Like, 130lbs. last year. There’s a nerve factor there, but he’s smart. I guess you want your kid to understand his limitations too and he understands that. Like, ‘hey, it doesn’t matter what the tackle looks like, just as long as you make the tackle. If you want to grab on, hold on until the Calvary comes,’ that’s fine. But, yeah, there’s nerves. There’s always nerves.”

“I loved watching both my kids play all sports, but there’s something extra special about watching football,” Perillo said. “I’ve really enjoyed TJ’s development over the years from a timid, inexperienced player to a confident leader today. There are players who are bigger and more athletic, but very few that work harder and it’s a pleasure for my wife and I to watch him grow as a person and football player every day.”

Growing up with a parent around the Patriots and getting to experience everything that comes with it is a dream for many kids. For Jackson, Beckett and TJ, having those opportunities helped boost their love for football more and more as they got older.

“It was a great experience growing up,” said Jackson. “Dad bringing me to family day and practice really got me loving the game. The older I got and the longer I was around it, the more and more I fell in love with it. Being able to go to my dad and talk about football and then go play in the backyard and get me into the game really made me fall in love with everything about it.”

“Going behind the scenes in training camp was very cool,” proclaimed Beckett. “I learned about the players and what the good ones did to achieve and sustain at that level. People would always talk to me about the inside scoop on the Patriots and what was happening. I’d relay what my dad said about them.”

“It was really beneficial for me improving, because after games and practices I would get to talk to someone who understands the game,” TJ said, who also said his first football memory was during his first practice in third grade, finding out he was “too big” to play running back and falling in love with the O-line from that point on. “My mom and dad are very supportive and it’s great to have them beside me at every game.”

On the other hand, having fathers around the Patriots and the NFL all the time doesn’t necessarily mean the kids were going to fall in love with the sport like they did. Thankfully for the elder guys, each son has grown fond of the game because of the impact dad had on them growing up. Now, it may even turn into a ‘family business’ type of situation if they choose to go that route.

“He’s been so influential on my career,” added Jackson, who said his first football memory is being able to stay up late and watch the Seahawks Super Bowl (feel old yet?). His first high school memory wasn’t as pleasant, throwing multiple pick sixes and fumbling multiple times in his first freshman game. “The overall high school experience has been absolutely amazing for me. It’s definitely been the best stretch of my life. If he never would have played or worked in football, who knows where I would be today. He has done everything to push me to be able to be the best player I can be and teach me a million things. There’s always a little competition trying to be a little better than he was in high school…I am definitely trying to follow in my dad’s footsteps because I definitely want to do something in sports, I just don’t quite know what I want to do yet.”

“He’s been pretty influential in how much I value football,” said Beckett, who’s first football memory came in kindergarten, scoring a flag football TD and going with a two-handed spike in the end zone. “I love watching it and I love playing it. Growing up, I always played flag and soccer. When flag was over, I stuck with soccer for a year, but I missed football. In my sophomore year, I started football. I’ve improved yearly and my dad helped me learn how to get open with my smaller size, He’s helped my motivation and drive in the offseason to improve after starting tackle football so late in my high school career. My high school experience has been very good. I have a good group of friends I’ve been close with since elementary school. I plan on going to college, my football career is probably done. When the season’s over I don’t know what I’ll do with myself, so I’ll still try and improve. I want to go into something that includes sports. Even though it’s a competitive business, it’s one thing I enjoy doing.”

“My parents are the most influential people in my life, but even more so for sports,” TJ said. Perillo also stated he’d like to head down South for college to study Marine Biology and doesn’t plan on playing football after high school, but never say never. “Overall, high school and high school football have been some of the best years of my life. My dad is not just supportive on the football field, but even lacrosse which he knows nothing about. He always makes an effort to go to al my games whether home or away, and after on the car ride home he tells me how I played. He always tells me how it is. If I didn’t play well, he tells me and when I do play well, he tells me. He usually still finds some small things I should work on, but the support I’ve gotten from my family is definitely a huge part of my success in football.”

If you see Andy, Mike and Paul out on sidelines or in the stands around Massachusetts on what should be a raw and rainy Friday night, try not to bother them with too many Pats questions, no one has any answers right now anyway.

More importantly, in that moment, they’ll be as content and happy watching their sons play as they were covering any of the six Super Bowls.

Perhaps, even more nervous too.