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High Country Grizzlies Gearing Up for the 2018 season; Team Striving To Impact the Community

 

By Nathan Ham

The High Country Grizzlies held its annual Media Day on Thursday evening at the Sofield Family Practice Facility on the campus of Appalachian State University. There will be several new faces and a few familiar ones on the sidelines as the Grizzlies open the season on Saturday, March 17 against the Richmond Roughriders.

Scott Meserve takes over as the head coach this season after last year’s head coach Josh Resignalo accepted the offensive coordinator position with the Atlanta Havoc.

Meserve, who commutes from Smithfield to Boone to coach this team, coached the Grizzlies’ defensive and offensive lines last season and will be entering his 27th year as a football coach and his fourth year coaching indoor football. Meserve spent five years at King’s College in Pennsylvania followed by spots at Springfield College in Massachusetts and Colgate University in New York. He has also been the head coach and defensive coordinator at Smithfield Selma High School and Southeast Raleigh High School.

For the Grizzlies, Coach Meserve expects his team to come out and play at a high level every week.

“One week at a time, every week is a championship game, we’ll just go from there,” he said.

Being a part of the High Country Grizzlies is more than just arena football for Coach Meserve and his players. It’s about family and taking on an important leadership role in the community.

“It’s exciting, it’s fast paced, I tell everyone that it’s a family function and all of a sudden, a football game breaks out. We’re here for the fans,” Meserve said.

The coaches and players have already started spending time in the area schools hanging out with children and getting them excited about Grizzlies football.

“We want to start a mentoring program with the schools. All of these kids need role models and that’s what I want, I want my guys to be role models for these kids,” said Meserve. “I’m trying to change the atmosphere from last year. That’s why we’re doing so much in the schools. I want us to be a bigger influence in the community. App State is phenomenal in football. That’s in the fall. We’re going to take the spring so you can have football year-round here in Boone and the High Country.”

The Grizzlies players and coaches will be out and about this Saturday to meet the public. The team will be holding merchandise launches from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. at Walmart and Sports Fanatics in the mall. The Grizzlies will also be hosting a meet and greet session at AutoStar Nissan from 3:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. Fans will get a chance to meet the players, get some autographs and also have a chance to win some free prizes.

High Country Grizzlies schedule

Week 1 (March 17) vs. Richmond Roughriders

Week 2 (March 24) vs. Florida Tarpons

Week 3 (March 31) at Cape Fear

Week 4 Off

Week 5 (April 14) at Carolina Energy

Week 6 (April 22) vs. Triangle Torch

Week 7 Off

Week 8 (May 5) vs. Atlanta Havoc

Week 9 Off

Week 10 (May 19) vs. Vermont Bucks

Week 11 (May 26) vs. Georgia Doom

Week 12 (June 2) at Richmond Roughriders

Week 13 (June 9) at Upstate Dragons

 

 

PROFILES

Scott Meserve

Head Coach

Coach Scott Meserve has spent 27 years coaching at all levels of football from high school through the arena league. Meserve coached the offensive and defensive lines for the High Country Grizzlies last season. This is his first year as the team’s head coach. 

Alex Coleman

Wide Receiver / Kick Returner

Alex Coleman played last season for the Grizzlies and scored two touchdowns in his first game. Coleman played college football at Capital University, an NCAA Division III team. Coleman is no stranger to indoor football. He has made stops with the Nashville Venom, Lehigh Valley Steelhawks and the Corpus Christi Rage. “I’m here for my second season in Boone and I’m just trying to embrace the community.”

Edward Victorian III

Wide Receiver / Kick Returner

This is Edward Victorian’s first season in Boone. Victorian played his college ball at Northeastern State University and has spent time playing for the Baltimore Brigade. His brother Josh is also on the Grizzlies and the two played together in Baltimore as well. 

Josh Victorian

Safety

Josh Victorian played at Louisiana Tech University and spent parts of four seasons playing in the NFL. Victorian was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011 by the Baltimore Ravens. He also spent time with the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and New York Giants. During his indoor football career so far, Victorian has played for the New Orleans VooDoo, Los Angeles KISS and most recently, the Baltimore Brigade. Victorian earned second team All-Arena League honors in 2017. This will be his first year in Boone and will get to play alongside his brother Edward.

Khreem Smith

DE/OLB

Khreem Smith may be the most decorated member of the High Country Grizzlies. The 38-year-old football lifer graduated from Oklahoma State in 2004 and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent. Smith’s arena league career started in 2005 with the Memphis Xplorers before joining the Chicago Rush in 2006. The Rush went on to win ArenaBowl XX. Smith recorded eight sacks that season. Smith then made the move back to the NFL, signing with the Minnesota Vikings. After a year in Minnesota, Smith moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs and then eventually back to the indoor leagues where he played with the Chicago Rush again in 2008 and the Chicago Slaughter of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2009. He jumped back to the AFL and spent parts of the next two seasons on the Milwaukee Iron, Spokane Shock and Utah Blaze. From 2011-2015, Smith played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the BC Lions. He was a member of the 2011 team that hoisted the Grey Cup as the CFL Champion. Smith returned to the Arena League once again with the Jacksonville Sharks in 2016. Last season in his 14th year of professional football, Smith signed with the Baltimore Brigade and had a terrific season,  finishing with nine sacks and two forced fumbles, earning the AFL Defensive Lineman of the Year Award and was a first-team All-Arena League selection. This will be his first season in Boone. 

Darren Daniel

Quarterback

QB Darren Daniel is starting his first season with the Grizzlies. Daniel played college football at Stanford under coach Jim Harbaugh before transferring to Itawamba Community College and eventually to Alabama State. Daniel also spent a year playing basketball at Columbus State. Daniel spent one season playing indoor football with the Columbus Lions.