by Malcolm Butler
Jess Curtis knows a thing or two about winning state titles.
During his time as the head coach at Many High School, Curtis led the Tigers to six state title appearances and state championships in 2014, 2020 and 2022.
Curtis made the move to Southside High School, located in Youngsville, and in his first year at the helm of the program has led the Sharks to the Non-Select School Division I quarterfinals.
The Sharks defeated Live Oak 42-10 and Walker 47-0 in their first two playoff games and now face their toughest test of the postseason with a road match-up against Ruston Friday.
Southside is 9-2 on the season with the losses coming to Notre Dame 21-20 and Acadiana 43-10.
The Sharks, oddly enough, like to stick to the land as they run their flex bone option running attack.
“They are 95 to 97 percent run, and it may be even higher than that,” said Eric Narcisse, who writes for the Acadiana Advocate. “They very rarely put the ball in the air. They are going to line up and punch you in the mouth, play after play after play. That is their style. They want to shorten the game, keep the ball away from you, and put together these long, timely drives.”
Southside has a solid one-two punch in the backfield that consists of Ramon Singleton and Justin Williams, who have combined for 2,056 yards and 22 TDs on the ground this year.
“Everything starts with their running back, Ramon Singleton,” said Narcisse. “He is their bell cow in the backfield. He has some speed but he isn’t a blazer.”
Singleton has rushed for 1,132 yards and 12 scores on 172 totes this season, while Williams has totaled 924 yards and 10 scores.
“None of their running backs are big home run threats,” said Narcisse. “They are going to hit you with the fullback dive or pitch it to a guy off the option.”
Quarterback Parker Dies has also done some damage on the ground this year, rushing for 336 yards and four touchdowns. Dies has started every game this year for the Sharks, but has only completed 7-of-20 passes for just over 100 yards and two scores on the season.
“It’s run the football,” said Narcisse. “There is no secret to what they want to do. It’s an old school, smash mouth style of football. Let’s see if you can stop it.”
Defensively, the strength of the Sharks is in the secondary where Southside utilizes a lot of man coverage, according to their radio play-by-play voice Steve Peloquin.
“Southside plays a lot, and I mean a lot, of man coverage,” said Peloquin. “They put guys on an island because they blitz a lot. They ask their (secondary) to play a lot of man-on-man coverage.”
According to Peloquin, the Sharks have some skilled secondary players.
“Their best (defensive) player is Derrick Collins,” said Peloquin. “He is getting some looks from (some small colleges). He is their best cover guy for sure. Cameron Allen is their other best cornerback, and he is pretty good too. I really think that is the strength of their team defensively.
“They may get hit with a big play every now and then because they do blitz so much, but it’s difficult to pass on them.”
The question for Southside’s defense is whether they can hold up against the Ruston power running attack as the Bearcats have had success against their opponents with the legs of Jordan Hayes, Dylone Brooks and Josh Brantley the past two years.
“I think the question is if teams are big and able to run the football at them … ,” said Peloquin. “The secondary is outstanding but their linebackers aren’t the biggest guys. They will put pressure on the quarterback by blitzing a lot, but can they hold up against a power running attack … that’s the question.
“They rely on their speed to have a lot of success. They just don’t have a lot of size. Their strength is their athleticism and they can do a lot of things.”
Peloquin believes Southside has the talent to beat anyone.
“I think if they can run the football and move the chains, I think they are capable of beating anyone,” said Peloquin. “They are a really good team and they play the type of football that can frustrate opponents.”
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