LONG TIME COMING FOR NORTHSIDE

It had indeed been a long time coming for the Northside Grizzlies football program. For the first time in more than a decade, a span of 11 games, mainly games in which they lost in frustrating fashion, the Grizzlies could now lay claim to being the best team in the city when they defeated cross-town rival Southside on Friday. And following the game, a swarm of Northside students and fans surrounded the field. They cheered when the Grizzlies hoisted the Battle of Rogers Avenue trophy. Several minutes and several songs on the public-address system later, they, along with many of the players, didn't want to leave the field. "You could tell, people were excited," Northside coach Mike Falleur said. "It's been a long time coming and I told our students Thursday night at our bonfire, that we've been all over the state playing at different places and everybody has a student section and I have yet to see one that comes close to what I've seen all year, but then to top it off with what they did Friday was unbelievable." Then on Monday, Falleur gave thanks to the students once more during the Monday announcements. "I told them at the announcements Monday morning that they're a big part of what we've done and what we're hopefully going to do, that we need you back here in two weeks (on Nov. 18, when Northside hosts a 7A playoff quarterfinal) and it was really, really fun to watch kids have a good time," he said. While Friday's win was important, it was just as important for Falleur and his staff to continue molding the team as one which would be feared not only across the area but the entire state. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the streak isn't something that bothers you as a coach or as a player because you would be telling a fib if you said that," Falleur said. "Honestly, since I've been back here, my focus hasn't been to break a streak, it's been to make our football program relevant again in this state and to make it when you play Northside High School, you better get ready to play because they're going to come, they're going to play hard, they're going to be well-coached and disciplined and their kids are going to play hard, all those kind of things. "So in my mindset, if we did that, then taking care of the streak would take care of itself." But at the same time, Falleur saw firsthand how agonizingly close Northside came to beating Southside, only to come up short. It happened his first season at the helm in 2013, and it happened again at Mayo-Thompson Stadium last season. "I've been here four years and I honestly feel like that two other years (against Southside), we should have won the football game, but because we hadn't really gotten to the point of getting out of our own way, not necessarily believing in all the things that were being said or not doing all the things that were being coached, then we beat ourselves," he said. "I'm not taking anything away from Southside. ... Any time you play Southside, you know the game's normally going to be close and you can't do what you do to make it easier (for Southside). "Friday, before we went out, I thought we had a better football team this time and I can't say that any of the other times. I told them, 'Guys, we should win the game, but if you do the things you've done two out of the last three years, you're going to give them the opportunity to be in it,' and fortunately, we didn't do that." While one hill was conquered, there are still many mountains left to climb for Falleur and the Grizzlies. They begin another ascent Nov. 18, when they begin the quest toward winning the program's first state title since 1999. "You can't get satisfied. ... Because guess what, next year when it starts, nobody cares what you did last year, so you've got to go to work, and that's what we've tried to do," Falleur said. "Hopefully, we've got folks that are proud again, and I'm not saying they weren't proud to say they were Northside Grizzlies, but I hope now that they can really stick their chest out a little bit and be proud to say it."

LONG TIME COMING FOR NORTHSIDE

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 11/9/2016

PHOTO CREDIT: Northside Athletics