NORTHSIDE GRIZZLIES AIMING HIGHER IN 2018

An invigorating run to end last season has the Northside Grizzlies thinking they will go even further in 2018. For much of 2017, a rebuilding Grizzlies squad had taken their lumps on the field. But they punched their ticket into the postseason by beating Southside in the regular season finale; then went up to Springdale and knocked off Har-Ber in the opening round of the 7A playoffs. Northside coach Mike Falleur is aware of the higher expectations which await his squad, and he offered some reasons why the Grizzlies may be able to meet those lofty goals. “I would say, number one, experienced players on both sides of the ball,” Falleur said. “I think on defense, we’ve got eight back that played a lot of football last year and a couple of them that got to play some, so the majority over there has got some experience. Offensively, the same thing; I think six or seven or maybe eight of them played a bunch. ... I would also say our skill guys are as good as we’ve had across the board. Then both of our lines, we’re not necessarily big but they’ve played. “Our weakness is depth, we can’t get anybody hurt. We’ve got to stay as healthy as we can stay and you don’t have a lot of control over that, that’s just what happens, but hopefully we’re going to be in great shape.” The Grizzlies will return their starting quarterback in senior Derrick “Deuce” Wise (5-foot-11, 190 pounds), who passed for nearly 1,400 yards while adding 957 yards on the ground. “I felt like last year, he learned a ton and as the season went on, you could see the improvement and the comfort that he saw from really not being a quarterback, being a quarterback moved to running back, to now where he’s really fluid and does a great job,” Falleur said. “I think you’re going to see really big things out of him.” Falleur added the Grizzlies have spent preseason workouts still deciding on a backup for Wise. Junior Matt Hollenbeck (5-11, 155) and sophomore Drey Norwood (6-0, 160) are vying for that spot. Northside also brings back senior tailback Eli Bolton (5-7, 170), who rushed for more than 600 yards as a junior. “Eli’s as tough a guy as we’ve got on our football team and we feel good about him,” Falleur said. Also expected to get snaps at tailback behind Bolton are junior Demarion Shepard (5-11, 180) and two sophomores, Rakaim Jackson and Dagan Moore. Jackson King (5-9, 185), a junior who shared tailback duties with Bolton, will now move over to a slot receiver position, though he may still get the chance to carry the ball at times. “He’s as good an all-around (player), catch the ball, run the ball, do all the different things you want him to do,” Falleur said. “He had a great sophomore season and we expect big things out of him.” Backing up King will be senior Jamal Norwood and junior Jeremy Maffei (5-11, 150), a couple of players that Falleur said can play at several positions. J.T. Thorne (5-9, 190), who was involved in several big plays for touchdowns a season ago, returns as a junior wideout. “He’s kind of like Jackson, he can do all kinds of things,” Falleur said. “We can play him anywhere we need to play him, offense or defense. He can throw the football, he just does a lot of good things.” Several other players are expected to see time at receiver, including senior Howard Dotson (5-11, 165), juniors Preston Baugh (6-3, 180) and Johnny Klein (5-7, 145) and sophomore Avonte Tucker. Another returning pass-catcher is junior tight end James Clayton (6-2, 215), who caught four TDs last season and a player Falleur said has improved physically and has become a better blocker. Senior Pierson Hurst (6-4, 220), a transfer from Southside prior to the 2017 season, may see time there as well. Up front, the offensive line will be anchored by senior right tackle Stevie Young (6-5, 291), who will be a three-year starter. Also returning are senior Josh Adkins (6-2, 300), who saw action last season at center but will now play right guard, and senior left tackle Alex Bustillo (5-11, 220), who started the last several weeks in 2017. Center will possibly be manned by junior Jacob Arnold (6-1, 215), while the projected starter at left guard is senior Zach Stephens (5-10, 270), who had played defense for two seasons. Other offensive linemen expected to get action include senior guard Axel Sedano (6-2, 280), senior center Alexis Madrigal (5-9, 240) and Sam Johnson, a sophomore who will be Young’s backup at right tackle. On the defensive line, senior end Raytel Rone (6-2, 220) returns, coming off a season where he made 38 tackles and four sacks. “We’ve been to several camps this summer and have yet to see anybody block him consistently,” Falleur said. “He is so explosive and fast, so we feel real good about him.” Khaden Washington (6-4, 245), a junior who is also a standout pitcher on Northside’s baseball team, will also see time at end. Senior Alex Nguyen (5-9, 220) is the top candidate at nose guard, and the Grizzlies will also bring in senior Aaron Fields (5-11, 225), senior Gustavo Ortiz (5-11, 225), junior Jay’len Coleman (6-2, 220) and even Young in the defensive line rotation. The linebacking corps is headed up by senior Anthony Travis (6-2, 215), who plays on the outside. Travis went out for the football team before his junior season and immediately made his presence felt, as he ended up leading the team in tackles with 130 along with recording seven sacks. “He led our team in tackles last year and made a lot of big plays,” Falleur said. “We’re expecting big, big, big things out of him.” Juniors Conley Bone (5-9, 150) and J.J. Mills (6-0, 175) are also expected to start at outside linebacker. The big question mark for the Grizzlies’ defense will be the inside linebacker roles, as they lost three seniors. Two juniors may be among the leading candidates in Stetson VanMatre (6-2, 220) and Glenn Brewer (6-0, 205), with senior Braiden Sharum (5-9, 215) and sophomore Chase Needham in the mix as well. There will be a wealth of experience returning in the secondary. They include senior cornerbacks Elijah Tabut (5-10, 185) and Tyriq Adams (5-10, 170), along with senior safety Greg Washington (6-1, 175), who made 102 tackles last season. “I feel really good about our secondary; we’ve got a lot of guys back that have played and as you well know, you’ve got to be solid back there,” Falleur said. “If you’re not, you’re in trouble.” The free safety position will be between a pair of juniors in Tumontay Parks (6-1, 180) and Skyler Mingboupha (5-10, 170). Senior Henry Hernandez (5-11, 195) will be the placekicker. Punting candidates include Thorne and Moore, while Clayton serves as the primary deep snapper. “I think for us to be a good football team, we have to have good defense; that’s how I’ve always wanted it and I want to start there,” Falleur said. “Offensively, we’ve got to get better; we have to protect the football and not turn it over and we’ve worked on that every day and we have to execute and just be sound in what we do, and that’s how we’re going to approach it.”

NORTHSIDE GRIZZLIES AIMING HIGHER IN 2018

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 8/26/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford