H.S. FOOTBALL: South Side settled in, ready to go

The season of change is complete for South Side High’s football team – hopefully.

The summer started with former head coach Jason Driggers and offensive coordinator Jay Taylor announcing their resignations to take assistant jobs at Trenton Peabody.

That was followed by three weeks of uncertainty while the school’s administration interviewed applicants for the position before ultimately going with long-time assistant coach Brian Moore.

The coaching staff went with a small crew for most of the summer with Moore joined by Tyler Reeder and Brent McNeal, who also had obligations with his girls’ basketball team at the school.

But the Hawks as a whole have made it through. Practices have started well, and Moore has managed to fill the coaching staff out with former Lambuth University quarterback Cory Hill and former Hawks players Jacob Barber and Holden Bennett.

“Our guys are doing well in practice and made it through the summer OK,” Moore said. “We might’ve lost a dozen guys during the interim, but honestly, maybe two of them were guys we needed on Friday nights.

“So if you’re losing guys but they’re not guys that are hurting you by leaving, then you’re OK.”

An obvious bright spot going into the season is the large senior class. Cade Willingham is at quarterback and hoping to have a healthier season after a season riddled with injuries in 2014.

There is about 20 kids on the team who are dedicated to making South Side football better than what it was last year, when it finished 1-9 with its one win over Fayette-Ware.

“We challenged them to work harder in the weight room, and they’ve done it,” Moore said. “We made a couple of small changes here and there in the game plan, and they’ve embraced them.

“In June when it was just a few coaches – if not one – working with them, those seniors stepped in to help in those leadership spots. Because it can be chaotic if you have one or two or three coaches working with 60 kids at one time. This class is being a great example to the players coming up behind them, and we hope we’ll put a better product on the field because of it.”

Brandon Shields, 425-9751