2026 Preseason Preview: Vernon Northside Indians

VERNON, Texas (KAUZ) - The Vernon Northside Indians are entering their second season under head coach Derek Schlieve after exceeding expectations during his first year at the helm.

Following a quick turnaround, the Indians are looking to build on last season’s success. While the progress has been encouraging, Schlieve says the focus is not on rushing the process, but on continuing to take the next step.

“It’s a process. If we viewed it as a destination, it would be miserable, but we view it as a set of stairs. We just keep climbing one at a time. And so our guys have embraced that and because of it, we’ve been able to improve little by little and cumulatively it stacks up and has given us some results that we have got to use as a basis for what we have moving forward.”

Vernon Northside returns plenty of talent and valuable experience this season, but the roster also features a strong group of young players. Senior running back Bryson Fry says he has already noticed significant growth across the team, especially from younger players who gained experience last season.

“A lot of growth, a lot of growth, muscle growth. And from the freshmen stepping up, we got a lot of freshmen this year and had a lot of freshmen last year. They got better. In practice, I’ve already seen it, day two or three, whatever it is. I’ve seen them get much better since last year. I think that’ll help a lot.”

After surprising plenty of people a season ago, the Indians believe they are in an even better position this fall. With another year in Schlieve’s system and a roster that is older, stronger and more experienced, Vernon Northside has its sights set on competing for a district championship.

“When our opponents see film, they see a team that will play hard, a team that will play together, a team that will play and represent the school, the community and the area with class.”