Changing the culture

In his first season at the helm, Brock Roberts has North Oldham believing in big things

By John Herndon, 110forChrist.com

GOSHEN, Ky. – What’s happening at North Oldham is undoubtedly one of Kentucky’s best high school football stories in the fall of 2023.

To someone just looking in from a distance, the Mustangs’ 3-2 record won’t turn a lot of heads. After all, North was at 2-3 at the same point of the 2022 season. The Mustangs’ two losses – to Tates Creek and South Oldham – were one-sided.

But a trip to North Oldham for last Friday’s district matchup with Shelby County just felt different. Much different. 

It certainly didn’t have the feel of a program that has not had a winning season since the 2014 edition recorded five consecutive shutouts at one point and advanced all the way to the Class 4A state semifinals. It wasn’t a place where opponents knew they would likely go home with a win.

It was a happening.

There’s a brand-new turf field which features the aqua color featured on the North Oldham jerseys. The stands were full and the student section was rocking as Shelby came to town boasting an explosive attack and featuring one of the state’s best juniors, running back Gianni Hunter.

After spotting the Rockets a couple of quick touchdowns, North dominated, rolling to a 49-21 victory. Prior to kickoff, the outcome had been considered a tossup. In reality, the final score might not have captured just how thoroughly North Oldham had beaten its district rival.

Quarterback Jace Bullock threw for 423 yards and five touchdowns, completing 29 of 43 passes. Defensive back Mack Pyle was in on nine tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown late in the first quarter. The pick-six appeared to be the spark that ignited North’s romp.

While Hunter scored on a 70-yard jaunt on the game’s first play and added another long run midway through the first quarter, the North defense limited the stellar junior to 150 total yards, well below his 196 average. When one considers that 150 of Hunter’s yards came in the first six minutes, he gets some idea of how dominant North Oldham was.

“We felt good coming into the game with our defensive game plan,” Roberts said. “They scored on the very first play from scrimmage, but we knew that over the course of the game, for 48 minutes, it was going to be hard for them to run the ball consistently on us. We have played against some pretty good backs, so we were prepared.”

Prior to the season, North Oldham was picked to finish fifth in a six-team district created by a realignment that went into effect this year. In Kentucky, that means the Mustangs were picked to miss the playoffs despite making the postseason and claiming their first playoff win in eight years last fall. The win over Shelby was huge and another district win would be enormous in North’s quest for the state playoffs.

Since being hired at North Oldham in March, Roberts has believed in his team’s potential. In Bullock, a senior, he has one of Kentucky’s best-kept secrets. Bullock’s size will keep him from being on the major college radar but he was already North’s career passing yardage leader and has thrown for 1,130 through five games this year.

And when one watches the Mustangs, it’s readily apparent they believe in themselves and in their coach.

I have known Brock Roberts for several years and know him to be one who wears his Christian faith on his sleeve. He doesn’t preach. He just lives a life of loving the young men in his charge.

“You know, it is one of those deals where we are trying to change the culture,” said Roberts, who was head coach at Eminence High School for two years and has served as an assistant coach at Collins High. “When you are dealing with teenagers, my motto is they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

“My first thing in March, when I got this Job, was tell them, ‘I am going to care about you. I am going to truly care about you on and off the field. I am going to give you everything I’ve got.’”

And halfway through Roberts’ first season at North Oldham, that approach appears to be working much better than anyone – anyone, that is, other than Brock Roberts – ever imagined.