Mayor Wally Burns & The Southside City Council
SOUTHSIDE PANTHERS
Class, Region: Class 6A, Region 7 Head Coach: Ron Daugherty
2016 Record: 6-4 2016 Playoffs: None
2016 Rewind: Southside won 4 of the first 5, but dropped 3 of the last 5 to finish 6-4 and just missed the Class 6A playoffs.
Key Losses: The most obvious loss at Southside is running back Aleric Williams. The Crimson Panthers also lost QB Tristan Shaw, offensive linemen Jordan Kilgo and Drake Stewart, fullback Baylon Fry, and safety Austin Winningham.
Gavin Orr
Players to Watch: There are a number of talented players to watch for Southside in 2017. It begins with defensive lineman and tight end Gavin Orr( 6’ 3, 265 Sr.). Orr is one of the top players in East Alabama, who is being heavily recruited by schools such as JSU, Samford, Appalachian St., Middle Tennessee, and a number of Ivy League schools. Kenneth“ Cat” Bothwell( 5’ 11, 185 Jr.) is one of the most explosive backs in East Alabama. The Panthers will have a very good defensive line led by Tyler Abernathy, Chance Moon, and John Mark Weaver. Others to watch include OG Nick Shirley, linebacker Logan McGee, and linebacker Bo McConnell.
2017 Roundup: Southside lost a big senior class of 24 players and the overall numbers are down from 95 to 65-70. Coach Ron Daugherty believes there will be more two-way players this year with small junior and sophomore classes. The Panthers do have a large freshman class upcoming. Overall Southside returns only five starters on defense and just three on offense. Daugherty says his seniors believe they should have been a state playoff team the last two years, and are working hard to return to post-season play in 2017.
Did You Know? Southside had seven home games in 2016, but this year the Panthers will hit the road six times. Three of those six will be in the first three games of the season. Fairly, TN of Memphis will return to Barney Hood Stadium for the second year in a row on September 29th.
Go Panthers!
SPRING GARDEN PANTHERS
Class, Region: Class 1A, Region 4 Head Coach: Jason Howard
Mayor Wally Burns & The Southside City Council
Place 1- Danny Garnett Place 2- John Hatley Place 3- Joey Jones Place 4- Don Steward Place 5- Dana Snyder
The City of Southside 2255 Highway 77 ~ Southside, AL 35907 www. cityofsouthside. com
( 256) 442-9775
58 | 2017 Pigskin Roundup the Magazine
2016 Record: 10-2 2016 Playoffs: The Panthers made another trip to the second round of the Class 1A playoffs before losing at Addison 42-26.
2016 Rewind: The Garden made more history in 2016. The Panthers won the most games of any team in school history, winning 10 games for the first time ever.
Key Losses: The Garden must replace the best and most productive backfield in school history. Running backs Dakota Lambert and Quentin Downey and quarterback Ben Ivy all were lost to graduation.
Christian Crider
Players to Watch: Draevan Bowman and Luke Ivy will compete for the quarterback job, while there will be a rotation of running backs from the pool of Coby Slayton, Jonah Smith, and Michael and Andrew Floyd. Offensive linemen Pjay Smith and Christian Crider are all-star candidates, and Gaines Petty will be a steady receiver. There is good depth at linebacker with two young, talented freshmen in Luke Welsh and Weston Kirk.
2017 Roundup: Despite losing the entire offensive backfield among 12 seniors, the Panthers still have some very talented, experienced players in other spots. There are four starters back on offense and six on defense with 39 players on the roster-excellent numbers for a 1A school. Coach Jason Howard mentions Cedar Bluff, Woodville, Gaylesville, Valley Head, and Coosa Christian as contenders in the region. Expect Spring Garden to be in that mix of teams as well.
Did You Know? Spring Garden has only had six winning seasons in school history dating back to 1969. Five of the six have been under Jason Howard and those five hav all been in the last nine seasons.