Southside Sharks
2022 Record: 11-2
District: 3-5A
Head Coach: Josh Fontenot
Note: Went undefeated in District 3-5A action
2022 was a magical year for Southside. In only year 4 as a varsity program, the Sharks went 11-2, went undefeated in a tough district 3-5A and made a run to the Division I Non-Select quarterfinals.
"It was amazing," Southside Right Tackle Joseph Edmonds exclaimed. "It felt great that everything we worked on and put together, it had the success to show for it."
"I never really put a timeframe on it," Southside Head Coach Josh Fontenot said about the Sharks' early success. "We haven't done that from the beginning. When we were JV, we never treated ourselves as a JV program. When we were varsity, we tried to never treat ourselves as a new one. I don't know if it was earlier than predicted. I keep getting that from people, so maybe it was. That's not anything we worried about."
Southside will now look to build on that success with a younger squad, as only 7 starters returning. The defense should be a strength though, as 5 come back on that side. Southside will have to replace All District quarterback Landon Baptiste, who helped the Sharks to average 34 points a game. For this Sharks team though, they're looking forward to making their own mark.
"You don't want to live in the shadows of what was done before, whether good or bad," Fontenot explained. "We don't talk about last year with these guys. Right now, we talk about getting ready for week 1. That's Notre Dame, and all the steps it takes to get to that point."
"This year's team is very focused. We have amazing guys that are playing with a chip on their shoulders," Southside fullback Vernel Joseph added. "Everybody fighting for a position. Everybody had fire in their heart. Everybody just wants to go get it."
One of the main players that will be looking to make their own mark is senior Andrew Angelle, who will take over at QB for the Sharks.