4A Football Tour: East’s Nick Mirich waited his turn to play

It also is a place where players can hone their skills.

“He wasn’t hiding in the back. If I ever needed a guy, he was always one of the first ones to step in there and mix it up with the varsity guys,” Goff said. “He wasn’t always that way as a junior, but he developed the confidence to be that way. By the end of the season, he wasn’t afraid to get into a little bit of a shoving match or call a guy out if he wasn’t doing his job.”

There are two types of scout team players, Goff added. There are players who compete hard and try to win more playing time and see their levels of play improve. Then there are players who think they shouldn’t be on the scout team and their level of play goes down.

“That scout team work is big for kids because they’re going against guys who the coaches think are better than you, and you’re having to battle every play,” Goff said. “(Mirich) was one of those guys who wanted to get better, so he worked as hard as he could on every rep, and that’s what happened.”

Mirich has gone from scout team to starter for the Thunderbirds, who finished 4-6 last season.

If the season started today, the 6-foot-3, 184-pounder would be lining up at defensive end for East’s No. 1 defense. He also would be seeing significant time as a tight end.

“He caught a couple of touchdowns last season, so he could play there this year,” Goff said. “He’s a big body, and he is getting pretty good at pass protection. As a defensive end, he’s pretty lanky, and he has gotten pretty good at knocking down passes.

“He has a weights class that he has worked hard in. He made it to our offseason workouts and offseason weights. He has been working hard, and it shows.”

Football ranks second behind basketball on Mirich’s list of favorite sports.

“I like competing in both sports, but I’ve always liked basketball a little bit better,” Mirich said. “I think it’s because I have always been better at basketball than I was at football.”

Mirich saw his role with the T-Birds basketball team grow throughout last winter. He finished his junior campaign averaging 6.8 points and 2.5 rebounds. Mirich also made a team-best 41 3-pointers.

The better he played on the basketball court, the more confident he became. Mirich has carried that confidence onto the football field.

“I got a lot of experience in basketball, and I got more comfortable,” Mirich said. “The more comfortable I got, the better I played. I am comfortable competing at a high level, and that translates to other sports, like football.”