Andrew Oropeza, Northside-Columbus head coach
Today’s interviewee is Northside (Columbus) coach Andrew Oropeza, whose team is 7-1 overall and leading Region 3-5A with a 2-0 record. Victories against Drew (0-7, 0-1) and McIntosh (4-4, 1-1) over the next two weeks would bring Northside’s first region championship. The school opened in 2004. Oropeza became coach in 2020. A Columbus native and Hardaway graduate, Oropeza had been an offensive coordinator at Harris County, Russell County in Alabama and Shaw.
1. For those who haven't seen you play, what would you say about your team and in particular about Malachi Hosley, your star running back? “I would say our team is one that plays hard for 48 minutes. We are a team that plays together and for each other. We have been able to do some good things in all three phases, and we hope to continue that going forward. Yes, Hosley is having a good season. He is a good football player and a good young man. It has been a team effort offensively. Our offense line has been tremendous. Quarterback play has been good, as well as our receivers catching the football and blocking on the edge. Defensively, we have done a good job running to the football, being physical and creating turnovers.” [Northside is seventh in Class 5A points per game at 33.8 and 12th in points allowed per game at 16.4. Hosley’s 1,488 rushing yards are second in 5A.]
2. I know you've got work to do to accomplish this, but what would it mean for Northside to win its first region title? “We are focused on playing Drew this Thursday in a region matchup. We look forward to competing this Thursday against Drew and taking it from there. A region title was not something we necessarily talked about going into the season. We try to take it one day or game at time and go from there. If we are fortunate enough to be in that position, it would mean a great deal to our school, players, parents and school community.”
3. What have you and your staff done in your three seasons at Northside that has been most important in improving the program? “We are fortunate that we have a great, cohesive coaching staff. The important thing for us the last three seasons was building a team that worked extremely hard in the weight room, classroom and on the field. We have also created an atmosphere where players have developed mental and physical toughness. This has translated onto the field. It was also important for us to increase participation. We roughly have over 105 players now. We were around 80-85 players the first two years. This has helped us create competition.”
4. What attracted you to the Northside job? “Northside has a great administration, faculty and student body. Northside has always had a school that cared about football and athletics in general. These were aspects that made Northside an appealing place to work.”