For their past two season openers, the Northside Grizzlies couldn’t have scripted things any better.

A year ago in the opener against Rogers Heritage, the Grizzlies scored two defensive touchdowns before even getting a snap on offense as Northside eventually rolled to a 69-0 win.

In the rematch last Friday at Rogers, Northside (1-0) crossed the end zone the first three plays the Grizzlies were on offense. Because of that, the Grizzlies built a 22-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 36-7 win in their season opener.

On Northside’s first play, set up by an interception from Skyler Mingboupha, Grizzly quarterback Dreyden Norwood took a keeper and dashed 28 yards into the end zone.

Then the next time the Grizzlies touched the ball after forcing a punt, Norwood connected with Jackson King for a 38-yard TD. On Northside’s third play from scrimmage, one play after William Releford picked off a pass, Norwood ran it in from 61 yards out.

“I didn’t think it would be anything like it was a year ago, and it wasn’t,” Northside coach Mike Falleur said. “Obviously, we didn’t score defensively; we went out there and did our job and stopped them and got us the ball, and the fact that we scored three times in a row on the first play was kind of a little bit shocking.

“But Dreyden can do that to you, and they missed a tackle and once that happened, if he gets a step on you, you’re not going to catch him.”

Because of the quick strikes the Grizzly offense employed, they ran just 19 plays in the first half despite taking a 29-0 lead at the break.

“It just kind of left you with a weird feeling of really, where are you; you know there’s lots of things we’ve got to work on and you know that and you’re not getting very many plays,” Falleur said. “But at the same time, I didn’t want the score to get out of hand, so we played a lot of people that probably hurts us in the long run as far as this coming week (when Northside travels to Greenwood), we didn’t get a bunch of reps but it is what it is and there isn’t anything we can do about it, so we move on.”


Northside did end up with 408 yards of total offense. The Grizzlies also had 10 players carry the ball while eight different receivers caught passes.

Defense

Northside’s defense forced three first-half turnovers and held Heritage to 56 yards of total offense in that span last week.

“In the first quarter, we had great field position. ... Defensively, we did a good job overall; we missed some tackles, which the first game of the year you’re going to do, but we’ve just got to get better,” Falleur said.

“I didn’t feel like we played with a lot of intensity, and I understand that to a degree, but we’ve got to understand that it can’t happen very often. I thought they came out and played efficient, but we lacked the intensity and the enthusiasm, whatever you want to call it, that we’re going to have to have to have a chance against good teams.”

The Grizzlies’ leading tackler was senior linebacker J.J. Mills, who registered 12 stops. He had three tackles for loss along with a sack.

“J.J. played probably as good a game as he’s played since he’s been here at Northside,” Falleur said. “He did a great job on containment, a good job on tackling, a good job on the stunts that they ran with him. He played good, he really did.”


Another senior linebacker, Stetson Van Matre, finished with 10 tackles, half of those solo stops. Defensive lineman Khaden Washington recorded two of the team’s five sacks.

Injury Update

One of the players the Grizzlies were heavily counting on offensively, tailback Demarion Shepard, won’t get the chance to play his senior season.

Shepard, who got significant experience rushing last season, will miss the entire season due to a severe knee injury suffered in preseason practice last month. Falleur said Shepard will soon be undergoing surgery.

“It hurts because he’s a good running back and he was having such a great fall; I mean in June, July and August he was doing everything right,” Falleur said. “I guess it’s one of those cruel things in sports you have no control over and you just hate it.”

Sophomores Ty Massey and Seth Fields had the bulk of the carries last week, with Massey running for 74 yards, including scoring the Grizzlies’ final touchdown.
