New coach hopes to continue winning tradition
Last year, Southside Batesville had a strong senior class who led the Southerners to a share of the 4A-2 Conference championship. First-year head coach Brian Reardon said even though he was a little disappointed that the season ended at home to Star City in the first round of the playoffs, “our seniors this year are extremely motivated to take the team much farther in the playoffs this year.”
Reardon had been the defensive coordinator at Southside for the past five years. He replaces former head coach Kenny Simpson, who left to take the head-coach position at Searcy High School.
Southside Batesville finished 7-4 overall and 5-2 last year and has four starters returning on offense and six returning from defense.
Reardon said Landen Haas is the team’s most explosive playmaker and has grown 3 inches and gained 25 pounds since last season, so “we are expecting huge things from him this season.” Seth Wojick, who is a returning all-state guard, has packed on another 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason and set the school record for power cleaner at 315 pounds, and the coach said Wojick will lead the charge in the running game.
“Alex Cooper started every game at tight end as a sophomore last season and won a state championship in wrestling last year in the 220 weight class,” Reardon said. “He is very strong but also athletic enough to be a serious threat in the passing game.”
Brendan Frazier started at safety for the Southerners as a sophomore and also got 6 to 8 touches a game at running back last year. Reardon said Frazier put on 10 to 15 pounds and picked up some speed this offseason, so the coach expects Frazier’s role on offense to increase tremendously this season.
Vern Derring is coming off an ACL surgery that shortened his junior season, but he has worked extremely hard in rehab and in the weight room to get ready for his senior season.
“We expect him to lead the way on the defensive line this year,” Reardon said. “Isaac Smith spent his summer at Army bootcamp and is one of our best all-around players and can play any skill position on either side of the ball and do it well.
“He will obviously be a team leader both on and off the field for us this season.”
Reardon said the biggest weakness for the Southerners this year will be the unproven skill players on both sides of the ball, but he said the Southerners expect to extend the team’s winning streak and playoff run to five years straight.
“One of our team goals this year is to make a deep playoff run,” Reardon said. “We would like to be practicing on Thanksgiving.
“Obviously, we expect to make the playoffs but would also like to still have a shot at the conference title going into weeks 9 and 10.”
Reardon believes the conference will be a lot like last year — very even across the board.
“So I can’t pinpoint any one game that is more important than any others,” Reardon said. “We will be scrapping and clawing each week and expect a lot of close games.”