SOUTHSIDE − It was already going to be an offseason of change for Southside football coming out of a record-setting 2023 season.
The Panthers broke through the region to take the crown and made a third straight playoff appearance, although they did fall again in the first round. They were going to lose their All-State running back and a quarterback that was their starter for three years, but who missed most of his senior year, along with the core group of seniors that got them to the level where they were. Add onto to all of that was an impending move to Class 6A football.
Then in mid-February the offseason of change turned into a complete overhaul as Miles Holcomb stepped down to take the Tuscaloosa County job. Slowly good news started rolling in for the Panthers, starting with Holcomb’s suggested replacement getting the head-coaching job. Within a month, Ben Stewart was named the next head coach of the Southside football program, with a task to keep the momentum going and go for more in Class 6A.
Between Holcomb and his own father who lives on the banks of the Coosa River in Rainbow City, Stewart had an idea of what type of kids were in the program. It was a perfect match for the former offensive line coach, finding a group of fighters.
“I have always known that Southside is hard-nose kids that want to fight,” Stewart said. “No matter what the score is or what the game is, they’re going to fight, so that’s one thing you look for when you take a coaching job, is kids who will go out and fight no matter what.”
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/plenty-faces-southside-football-ready-210022594.html
Author : The Gadsden Times
Publish date : 2024-07-24 21:00:22
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