Fort Smith Northside Football Growing into 2026 | Varsity Vibe

The 2025 season was a tough one for the Fort Smith Northside Grizzlies and first year head coach Dom Mirocke. However, they are carrying motivation and growth into a 2026 year they believe will prove who they are on the football field. In addition to a handful of players that will be big contributors on the field, Mirocke believes this upcoming season will be better than 2025. 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_02 3:21

I learned a lot from it because I came from the college environment and moving to high school, and it was really a whole year of learning curve for me. And it was beneficial for it. You know, you you got to teach the kids differently, you gotta instruct them differently. And I thought just that whole year was just a really big learning curve for me. I had a great staff that helped me out with it, guys with a whole lot of experience, and they really kept me up to speed and they they did a great of helping me, you know. And I think that coming out of that season, the one thing that I learned was, you know, here at Northside is that our kids didn't give up. You know, even as as hard as that season was, and as hard and challenging that the the season was, the you know, for 10 games, they still showed up and played. Until the very last whistle, the very last game, there was no quit, there was no give up. And they were relentless all year, and it didn't go the way we wanted. We all recognize that, we all acknowledge that, but the willingness to compete and the willingness to to be to to be competitive week in, week out, at least our kids showed up with bad mentality, and a lot of the credit goes to the kids and it goes to the coaching staff.

SPEAKER_05 4:30

Yeah, I was gonna ask why is that and does that is that because of the buy-in to the process more than the buy-in to the results?

SPEAKER_02 4:39

I would say it would a buy-in to the process because obviously the results weren't there. So if it's a talking about results, it's like what are you buying into? Right. You know, but I think for the process, uh for what they were buying into, knowing that it you can't flip it overnight. And if you flip it overnight, it's not gonna sustain. It's gonna crumble and fold. And I think the kids, they they bought into each other, the kids that we had here, they bought into each other, they bought into the the long, the long game, the objective of it, which is build it from the ground up, and you have to do that by learning how to compete. And when I got here that March, and meaning into that season, it was this is what we're gonna do to compete. This is how we compete, and we had no other choice but to compete. And we were not shy about telling the kids like you're either gonna do it or not, you are gonna compete day in and day out, or you're not gonna be out there on the field, and then they they recognize that that was how it had to be.

SPEAKER_05 5:38

Now that you're in year two, this time right now, uh getting ready for the next season, uh what what's gotten easier or what have you changed maybe into your approach because of last year and saying, okay, from college to high school, it's a lot easier to kind of look at it this way than maybe at a different way.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

I think I learned a lot more from failing. Okay. For the honest. Yeah. You know, there were things that from a practice schedule or or an organizational thing, or maybe a a day in and day out, or a period in the calendar, some of the things that I felt work last year, they may not work this year. We have a little different team. And some of the things that failed last year, you go back, you self-scout, it you look at what you could have done better, what what could I have done better to put these kids in a better position to be successful and and learn from your failures. And you either change or you're gonna fail again. And so, you know, we didn't necessarily wholesale change, we just evolved what our outlook was, how we looked at it, and how we want to implement it, and what do we have to do for the kids that we have on our team for this year, and what's gonna be ultimately best for them. That's the difference, and I think the year before is you know, I got here in March at 25. I didn't have I got four extra, five extra months with these kids in the calendar. Right. And so there was no catch-up game to it. It was I'm comfortable with with where we're at, I like the trajectory of where we're going, you know, and I'm excited for this season because of it.

SPEAKER_05 7:08

Yeah, I was about to say it's so because of all of that, just where is that excitement level, that that that fire in your belly to get it all going again?

SPEAKER_02 7:16

It is, and you know, I think our fire right now is what do we have to do right now in July to set ourselves up for August, you know, on our calendar. We get 18 days in July until you count exclude the weekends. I'm talking 18 work days that we would get with our kids. And every day is valuable. And while we want to look forward to, you know, the the first Monday of August, right now we gotta look at what do we gotta do going into day three of July to set us up for day four and day five.

SPEAKER_05 7:46

Yeah, yeah. So with that being said, when you look at right now in July, what does this team look like? And how different is this team from a season?

SPEAKER_02 7:55

We had we have a lot more experience right now than what we had last year. You know, we return a lot of players from last year. You return a lot of kids that that started gangs, we returned a lot of kids that played as backups, were role players, maybe they were on special teams. But we returned a lot of experience, we returned a lot of starters, and the biggest thing to me is that we're gonna have a lot of older kids on our team. You know, last year we had 22 seniors, and not every single one of them had playing experience. Some of them didn't end their career with very little playing experience. And the tw in the 25, 26 seniors that we had this year, a lot of them had a lot of experience from being in gang as starters, and not only you know, one year as a starter, it might be two or three years they're gonna be a starter this year. And just the amount of experience that we have coming back, I'm excited for a lot of experience for coming from last year's team. Yeah, and we have a really exciting younger coming up, yeah, you know, or freshmen or ninth graders who are becoming soccer this year, then a really good ninth grade season. A lot of those kids are gonna be on the field. We go out to play our benefit game, and ultimately we go out and compete in our first game of the year.

SPEAKER_05 9:04

One thing we've talked about when you say experience, when you look at the 7A West, the conversation revolves around the quarterback position. Because a lot of schools in the conference are looking to replace a couple guys uh in that quarterback position who were starters a year ago, and you got a new addition in uh J C or Posey who came over Bacola, but he's not new necessarily because he'd been here before. And so what does he add back into that locker room now his senior season wanted to come play for the Chryslies?

SPEAKER_02 9:33

Biggest thing is he has experience. Yeah. You know, he he's a north side kid. He was here in Northside, he ended up transferring, spending two years at Bacola. We're talking about a kid who, you know, two years as a starter threw 75 touchdowns. You know, he was one of the top leading passers, I just ain't Oklahoma. But as a sophomore in the nation, one of the top, you know, wasn't the number one, but he was in the top, he was up there. And, you know, it doesn't matter what level you're playing at over there or even over here. That's a game day experience. And for a kid that has his experience, um not only just operating an offense and going out and playing, but it's the situations that you sometimes can't be prepared for. When a play breaks down, he has the experience of of being comfortable and knowing what to do. Uh and so it's a lot of those things that you only gain from playing the game. And he's played a lot of football, he was extremely successful, a really good team over there. And and you know, when he came over here in January, we've been we've been extremely excited to have the conversation, him wanting to come back, what was his why and wanting to come back? I'd say that for those kids, you know, then the and the the north side kids that are coming back, is they see the value in what we're doing. Yeah. And you know, you look at obviously what we had as our first year record and what our future can be, is that those kids see the value in what we're doing? Their parents see the value in what we're doing. Not only that is it's more than just wins and losses, even though it's what we're all judged on. That is more than that. That it's can we help prepare him for college? Can we help prepare him to you know to go through the recruiting process? Can we help prepare him to grow as a young man that when he graduates high school, whatever his future holds, or these kids' futures hold, whether it's college or a two-year degree, four-year degree, the military workforce, it doesn't matter that what we're preparing them for, that they're gonna be ready for. And I think that the kid, the pu the the kids and the parents see the value in what our our program can give them.

SPEAKER_05 11:39

Yeah, all about the buy-in and the all-around athlete. Uh going through Springball, uh, what did you learn about your guys? Kind of what were some things you wanted to see through Springball, and now you've gotten a couple summer camps and seven-on-seven camps on your belt as well.

SPEAKER_02 11:52

I think even with Springball, it was, you know, how much can we throw at them and how much can they retain and go out and execute? You know, and because we we have a lot of new faces, you know, from a grand new quarterback to just some different skill kids and different position players, you know, but ultimately is if they showed up on that first day, did they get better from day one to day two? And did they get better from day two to day three? And the common quote around this place is outwork the day before. You know, and so when our season ended, we were in the weight loom on Tuesday. We had no choice. I mean, that's what we're gonna do. And so us it was we're competing right then and there. And building that competitive desire, building that competitive attitude with them, that started less than four days after our season ended. Um you know, and just getting into spring ball with seeing the kids get better, seeing them involve, see them compete, you know, to battle out for positions. And as we go through spring ball in your summer camps to our team camps in seven on seven, this is the same thing. You know, nobody wins a seven-on-seven in a team camp. But at the end of the minute, you might do a little trophy or a medal, and that's something to be proud of. But to us, it was we're gonna do what we do and go out there and compete and get better at it. Because when we leave a seven-on-seven and we leave a team camp, when that whistle blows and it's all said no, we want to be better than what we were when we showed up.

SPEAKER_05 13:19

Yeah, and you've seen growth and development over the last couple months.

SPEAKER_02 13:23

Yeah, we have. I mean, from from all of our players, from our our seniors to our juniors and our sophomores, all at growing as players and individuals.

SPEAKER_05 13:32

Yeah. What's what's your hope as you head into 2026 um that that people learn about north side football that maybe they didn't know if they'd have followed La Cisa?

SPEAKER_02 13:44

That we are I would say resilient, competitive, and that you know, we we have a chip on our shoulder. Yeah, I mean, you ask these kids around here what's it what's it like being at the north side or asking one nine about it, is we got chip on our shoulder. You know, and I think our kids are they've used that fuel when you mentioned like what they maybe not have known about us last year and going into this year, is uh you know, we have we have a mission to prove to to prove we have an objective that we want to hit, we have goals that we want to do, and we gotta play with the chip on our shoulder. We have to be relentless, we have to play a north side style of football. And I want them when they come and watch us, I want them to know that this is exciting. Yeah, you know, they're gonna compete, they're gonna represent Northside to the best of their ability, be proud of that load that they had on their chest, and they're gonna do what it takes to go out and win ball games.

SPEAKER_05 14:38

Yeah, you say north side football. Does that encompass what you just said, all of those things?

SPEAKER_02 14:42

I think I from my short time here and going into year two, I think that's what my definition of Northside football is, is to be relentless, to have the chip on your shoulder, to to know that you have you have to prove people that believe in you they were right to do so and not really care what the people that that didn't what they have to say. You know, and I think that having the pride and and knowing that, you know, it's not uh us against the world mentality, but it's like we are in this together, and we need to go out there and play a relentless style of football that represents Northside is and has to be relentless and compete and do whatever it takes to win.

SPEAKER_05 15:24

There's a lot of time now between though it'll fly by between right now and and the start of the season. Uh, but how excited are you to finally take that field again in 2026?

SPEAKER_02 15:34

I'm excited, you know, and and you know you see a lot of growth hopefully from year one to year two, and and I think our kids are doing that. They're showing that and and I'm excited for it, you know. And as we sit here on July the 7th, it seems like it's so far away, but it's not. It'll be here in a blink of an eye. We'll be, you know, we'll be getting ready to line up and take the field and go play that first game on Friday night.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Yeah. Well, I'm excited to see it, coach. Thanks so much for the time. Yeah, thanks for it. I appreciate you. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 16:03

Thanks so much for joining us on this episode of Varsity Vibe. And if you've missed any of the conversations that we've had throughout the summer, just go over to our YouTube page or wherever you get your podcast and listen to some of these great conversations that I've had with coaches and athletes. We love to share them with you. And so I hope you give those a listen. And while you're at it, make sure to like our YouTube and our podcast pages as well as our social media pages. That is Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook. You can subscribe over there and follow all of our great content throughout the summer with football picking up, for example. We've been to a ton of seven-on-seven uh camps and team camps, bringing you that coverage there for you on our social media pages. And also want to remind you to subscribe to our newsletter that is varsityvibearkansal.com. You just put in your email and you'll get it in your inbox twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, keeping you in the know with everything happening in high school athletics around the state. Once again, thank you so much for joining us here on VarsityVi. I'm your host, Alyssa Orange, and we'll see you.

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