The roster reads like an area all-star team, laden with dudes with Division I scholarship offers.
Maalik Moore. Derrion Goodwin. Caleb Kiengele. Janard Moore. Omarion Waites. Leslie Woodson. Jamarcus Martin. Sutton Yorko.
And that’s just in the senior class.
No team in northeast Indiana, not this year or in recent memory, has as much FBS-quality talent as North Side is set to enter the 2026 with.
On paper, the Legends are being talked about as a potential state contender in its new class – 4A after the off-season realignment – and a threat in the Summit Athletic Conference, especially without Carroll or Bishop Dwenger on the schedule.
But beyond all the hype on social media and around North Side lies a sobering fact. That this program has not won a postseason crown of any kind since Coach Dale Doerrfler’s Redskins hoisted a sectional trophy after a 26-7 victory over Snider on Nov. 2, 1990.
Thirty-six years and counting.
“We want to win the SAC,” said current coach Ben Johnson, who is 24-27 in five seasons at North Side, including 6-5 a year ago. “That is one of our goals every year. Winning hardware is more important in November, though.
“The (SAC Victory Bell) is special and we would love to win it. It hasn’t happened since 2013.”
That 2013 campaign did see North Side capture the SAC championship, but a 17-14 loss to Snider in overtime in the playoffs ended a 7-4 season.
Johnson’s 2022 team at North Side won eight games in the regular season, but fell to Snider 25-21 to open the postseason.
Last year, the Legends battled with sixth-ranked Concord in the sectional title game before losing, 34-29.
Time and time again, North Side has come close to ending the sectional skid. But while many are talking about the Legends’ athleticism at the skill positions, Johnson is eyeing his boys in the trenches that could be the true difference makers.
“Our 2022 roster (led by current Notre Dame safety and All-American candidate Tae Johnson) was pretty similar,” Johnson said. “We had great athletes, but we were not as deep as we are now in the trenches.
“That is the biggest difference in this year’s team, the depth and quality we have on the O-line and D-line.”
As mentioned above, North Side avoids playing the top two SAC heavyweights entering the 2026 campaign in Carroll and Bishop Dwenger. It’s regular-season slate is bookended by big showdowns on the road – Week 1 at East Noble and Week 9 at Snider. For Johnson, the opportunity is there to begin the campaign with a big dub and to beat a rival heading into the playoffs.
I’m happy we got the East Noble game with us going to 4A and they are a (potential) sectional opponent,” Johnson said. “Our kids need to know what the Kendallville environment is like and what better way to get practice on that than a Week 1 non-conference game that doesn’t have much weight on it?
“To end the season playing at Snider before the playoffs is huge. We are also looking forward to playing in their new stadium. We want to go into the playoffs with momentum, so that’s a huge week for us.”
While some would look at dropping down a class as a potential advantage when it comes to the road to postseason success, there are two big factors that make North Side’s path more difficult.
For one, there are no byes in the Class 4A playoffs. In years past, the Legends were able to enjoy a bye in Week 10 due to the four-team sectional format in 5A. For Johnson, that was a huge week to hit reset and get guys healthy. Two, the 4A playoffs in northeast Indiana are an absolute grind. Sectional 19 has threats abound with the likes of Columbia City, DeKalb, East Noble, Leo and Bishop Dwenger standing in the way of a sectional crown.
“We are probably in the best sectional talent-wise in the entire state,” Johnson said. “Our sectional will be a challenge for three weeks to win it.”
The doubters look at North Side and say, despite what the roster is, talent-rich Legends/Redskins teams have failed in the past to end the multi-decade sectional drought. Many of the skeptics point to being able to rattle and disrupt North mentally and emotionally. Challenge the Legends, put them in a position of adversity and watch them fold. That has been the game plan for plenty of their opponents.
What was so impressive about Northrop a year ago is that it seemed to thrive with its back against the wall. An early deficit or late-game pressure? The Bruins shined when hit with misfortune.
It is up to Johnson to have his team ready to better handle the ups and downs of a game, and a season. If North Side can do that, it has a shot to do something that the program hasn’t done in well over a quarter-century – hoist some playoff hardware.
“I put the team first,” Johnson said. “I don’t think about individuals’ goals because football is the ultimate team sport. I convey a message to our team that with team success, individual success will automatically come.
“Just do your job and what you want to accomplish will naturally happen.”
Be the first to comment