Aug . 30 – Forrest city Sept . 6 – at Harrisburg Sept . 13 – Batesville Sept . 27 - at Pocahontas Oct . 4 – Cave city Oct . 11 – at Westside Oct . 18 – Highland Oct . 25 – at Gosnell Nov . 1 – Trumann Nov . 8 – at Blytheville
The Southside Southerners made their presence felt in their short time in the 5A East . Last season , the Southerners finished 10-2 , making it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs . Coach Kenny Simpson ’ s squad moves to the 4A-3 conference hoping to keep the momentum going . Coach Simpson will have to look to some new faces in new positions after losing seven starters on offense . Sophomore Trey Allen earned All-Conference as a freshman playing defense , but moves to quarterback in the Southside Gun T offense . Senior Louis Calhoun leads a stable of running backs . Calhoun had 76 carries for 441 yards and three TD ’ s last season . Owen McLaughlin moved in from nearby Batesville and looks to get some carries as well , as does Andrew Plummer who will provide depth while focusing on defense . Junior Braden Simpson will be at wingback after rotating at quarterback last season . Senior Jackson Wammack will rotate at wingback and tight end . Senior Caden Rowlett will line up at receiver with Hunter Davis and Tyler Myers . Up front , senior Anthony Manning returns at guard and will line up with junior center Brody Dowdle , senior Cole Henrickson , and junior Lane Johnson . Defensively , the Southerners return more of its core from last year . Plummer leads the way at linebacker earning All-State last season with 196 tackles , two interceptions , and a fumble recovery . Senior Brodee Vanwinkle will be at inside linebacker where he recorded 69 tackles in eight games . Calhoun and Cam Foree will also make stops at the linebacker position where they recorded 140 and 114 tackles a season ago . Wammack leads the way up front on the defensive line . The senior had 128 tackles last season . He will be joined by junior nose guard Brady Wood , and senior Dillon McDougal . In the secondary , Simpson returns 124 tackles to the safety position . Allen played cornerback last season , but will move to quarterback and allow Dredyn Huley and Rowlett to start . Junior Joel Busby returns to kick for Southside , while Simpson will punt . The 4A-3 will be deep and balanced , but NEA Sports predicts that the Southside Southerners will battle at the top and make a run at a conference title .
An injury burdened season ended with a 3-7 record for the Batesville Pioneers last year . With many experienced players falling last year , several sophomores had to step up into bigger roles sooner than expected . Coach Ryan Morrow is hoping that experience gained in those tough losses last year will turn into victories this season . Junior Cole Bentz returns at quarterback after starting the last six games of the season last year . Bentz connected on 76 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns . He has gained strength and will look to provide a more versatile attack . Senior Cale Glasgow returns at fullback after missing last season due to injury . He will be joined in the backfield by Maverick King , Kendryc Davidson , and Jacob Pollett . Senior Talen Foree developed as a weapon at receiver last season and will be joined by Grant McDonald , Josh Keener , Camden Cline , and Will Kimmer in the receiving corps . Daniel Patterson is the only returning starter on the offensive line , which could be a concern for the Pioneers . Defensively , Pollett is back at defensive end where he recorded 27 tackles last year . Senior Will Wright could play multiple positions on the line with Tristan Martin , Rylan Wycough , and Jay Anthony rotating up
Aug . 30 – Searcy Sept . 6 – at Newport Sept . 13 – at Southside Sept . 27 – Nettleton Oct . 4 – at Paragould Oct . 11 – Harding Academy Oct . 18 – at Wynne Oct . 25 – Brookland Nov . 1- at GCT Nov . 8 – Valley View
front . Foree returns in the defensive backfield with Cline and Mishael Garcia at safeties . Junior All-State kicker Jackson Elam is back to handle kicking duties for the Pioneers . Coach Morrow and the Pioneers have kept the same traditional goals at Batesville , to compete for a conference title and make the playoffs . With a lot of experience returning , the Batesville Pioneers should be right back in the mix in the tough 5A East .