Last year was a pretty good year for the Northside High School football team. Their 6-5 season record (4-3 region) included a third consecutive trip to the playoffs and drew attention to several key Patriots players who were 2016 college prospects.
Northside is the newest and largest of the eight Columbus high schools in the Muscogee County School District. Their first football team was fielded in 2004 and Morgan Ingram took over the reins of the football program in time for the 2012 season.
Although athletic talent is spread out among the many high schools in the Columbus Valley area, Northside had some very notable players last season. Carson Parker was the team’s 2016 leading rusher while David Apiag and Cordale Scott both scored six touchdowns for the Patriots during the season. Their contributions aided the Patriots’ success as did the kicking prowess of Nathan Robertson. These players were among the 22 seniors, including 17 starters, who graduated at the end of the 2016-17 school year and whose positions will need to be replaced this fall.
Some shining stars will be returning this season and are figured to be key players for Ingram’s 2017 team. One such athlete sure to make an impact is wide receiver Quincy Brown. A top college prospect for Northside, Brown is 5’11” and 175 lbs. of action. He runs the 40 Yard Dash in 4.6 seconds and had 26 receptions last fall for a total of 658 yards.
There is a lot of talk about returning starter Caleb Johnson (DL/LB), who at 6’4” and 245 lbs. was Northside’s leading tackler with 113 on the season and two interceptions. Johnson, listed on several recruiting websites, has been scouted by many teams in the ACC and SEC, but had not made a commitment prior to football season. The impressive two-sport athlete had a breakout season last year and is looking to be a game changer for the Patriots in 2017.
Other top prospects include Talon Gamble (DL), 6’2” and 275 lbs., Ka’Shawn Robinson (LB), 5’10” and 245 lbs., and Delray Stephens (DB), 5’10” and 170 lbs. Stephens also made the list of Northside’s top academic players with a 4.0 Grade Point Average. Frederick Davis (RB) is listed as having a 4.25 GPA, but the honor of having the highest GPA on the team goes to Martell Robinson (WR) with a 4.3 GPA.
Rounding out the list of returning starters is Jason Webb (OL), 6’1” and 270 lbs., and Jimmy Randazza (TE), 6’3” and 245 lbs.
Losing so many seniors who provided leadership and ability is difficult. Experience may be the greatest weakness for 2017 season, but the Patriots try to combat that issue proactively.
“We felt like last year was very successful,” said Ingram. “We were able to play a lot of younger kids to give us experience going into this year.”
One of those younger athletes, Chandler Blanton, will be stepping up to take over the role of starting quarterback. It was a late substitution for the Patriots, but the coaching staff has a lot of confidence in the sophomore player who quarterbacked the junior varsity team last year.
After a few seasons, Ingram hasn’t changed his philosophy of coaching. He likes a high tempo offense and a high pressure defense. Ingram’s goals for the season pretty much stay the same, too. He wants his players to play as a true team, contend for a region championship and make a playoff run.
Teamwork isn’t a cliché for Ingram. The Northside coach feels a working team is key for success.
“We have designed our off season workout to improve leadership and to learn to work with the team concept,” he said. “That has been our message since early January.”
There will be one less coach on Ingram’s staff this fall. Longtime coach John Drew retired from coaching and Ingram has not named anyone to succeed him. Northside’s coach has worked on a staffing formula as intently as any game plan. Now in his fifth season as head of the Patriots, Ingram thinks he has got the right mix to help lead Northside to success.
“The biggest and best difference since I took over is the football coaching staff,” he said. “We have a very strong staff, and I have been able to delegate a lot of duties, because I trust they will be done the way I want. This has allowed me the time to focus on other areas of our overall program.”
The Patriots open their season against Kendrick High School.
Columbus Valley/Fall football preview/August 2017
Northside High School
Columbus, Georgia
By Beth Welch
Patriots Looking For 4th Playoff Trip
