Smith looking to be mentor like previous Nashua North football players were to him

With football practices officially getting underway Friday, Darius Smith knows what a lot of the freshmen showing up at Nashua High School North are going to be feeling.

Chances are, though, none of them will have a freshman season like the Titans senior captain had.

Smith was Division I All-Conference as a defensive lineman last season, and started on the offensive line as well, but as a freshman, he went through the preseason as a running back. With North in need of a center heading into the first game of the season, he suddenly saw his position change.

"I got thrown to the dogs," Smith said. "I got put on the line right before our first game and it was hard to learn a new position like that, because I was a running back before that. I just did my thing, went with the flow, and was happy to be on the field.

"First game was scary, one hundred percent, just because it’s the first time being on the field, but I got used to it as the game went on."

North coach Chad Zibolis, who was an assistant coach and worked with the line that year, remembers the switch had little to do with Smith's size, but more his athletic ability and how it fit into the Titans' offense.

"With Darius, we were trying to find someone who is athletic enough to snap the ball," the coach said. "It’s all about the timing. The way we do our zone reads, and when we have a kid in motion, and we’re running that tower power game that we do, that snap has to be perfect every time. That’s the most important part.

"An athletic center is huge. If you can snap the ball, get off that ball, and cover somebody up, it’s unbelievable."

It helped Smith to have a handful of teammates, most of whom were juniors at the time, who did their best to make sure he was understanding as much as he could. That included fellow linemen Toby Brown, Jr., Bryson Borromeo and Dionard Toplana.

"I felt pretty good because I had good guys surrounding me on the line, they helped me a lot," Smith said. "I was pretty confident most of the time. Having Bryson right next to me helped a lot. He was patient with me because he knew I was a younger guy and it could be tough. They were all pretty patient with me and that helped a lot."

The North coaches kept Smith as a starter just on offense that first year, mixing him in at times on defense, but trying not to put too much on his plate. But as a sophomore, the Titans found out that, while Smith was very good on offense, he was even better on defense.

"He’s a really good offensive lineman," Zibolis said. "He’s a better defensive player."

It's the side of the ball Smith enjoys more, as he's settled into a spot as a defensive end/outside linebacker in North's defense. On offense, the emergence of other linemen the last couple of years allowed the Titans to move him around before Smith settled in at guard.

While that's the spot on the offensive line he now prefers, Smith finds it beneficial to have learned how to play all three.

"I’d say guard is my favorite, just the pulling part," he said. "Knowing what it looks like from every position is nice. When people ask questions, I know what their position looks like, too."

This offseason, Smith has tried to share that knowledge - and more - with the younger players that are coming into the program. He still remembers how those older players helped him along as a freshman and he wants to pass that along throughout his senior season.

"I’ve just got to lead," he said. "It is different. I was following, but now that I’m a senior, I’m leading warmups. I’m showing them how to lift. It’s hard but I like it, I like helping them. When I learned it, it was like ‘oh wait that makes more sense now.’ When you pass it along and you get that, it’s rewarding."

Zibolis feels lucky that the Titans have Smith for another season and feels he's poised for a big year.

"When you have a four-year starter like that, it’s like 'oh I thought he was a senior last year and we’ve got him again?'" the coach said. "I hope he takes that lead like those kids did for him. He does it in the weight room. We’ve averaged probably about 45 kids, which has been really good. I hope he continues to lead the way he has been."