SLIDELL, La. – There is a sense of redemption surrounding the Northshore High School Football program after an 0-10 finish to the 2019 season.
“We didn’t have the wins that we wanted but I had kids who showed up every day ready to work and it didn’t matter that the season wasn’t where we wanted it to be they just wanted to be out there playing football,” says Northshore Head Football Coach Josh Buelle.
Northshore had one of the youngest teams in the state last season, starting anywhere from 10 to 13 Sophomores each week.
What may have seemed like a disadvantage in 2019, now gives the Panthers an advantage in 2020.
“Those guys got valuable varsity reps. Usually to be a sophomore to start 5A football, you have got to be a special talent. We had some guys that would have contributed no matter what and we had some guys who weren’t where we needed to be but by week 10 they had progressively gotten better and better,” says Coach Buelle.
“I like that we didn’t quit. Even though we were 0-10 and we didn’t make the playoffs. We still played and we had chemistry built up until the end. We all fought our heart out and we came to practice every day with the same attitude to win a game,” says Junior Brandon Hines.
One of the players expected to make a huge splash in his Junior season is Wide Receiver and Defensive Back, Brandon Hines.
Hines, a 5’8, 165-pounder is ready to shoulder any workload.
Hines says, “I just want to win. If I have got to block, I’ll block. If I have got to run, I’ll run. If I have got to catch it, I’ll catch it and do everything I can to help my team win.”
In the offseason, Northshore was focused on improving its aerial attack and did so with the addition of Offensive Coordinator, Bobby Sanders.
Sanders is a former assistant at schools like Lakeshore, De La Salle, and Rummel.
Coach Buelle says that Sanders’ offensive scheme can be beneficial for players like Brandon.
Buelle says, “If he (Brandon Hines) plays offense he is going to be one of our best offensive weapons. When he plays defense he is one of our best defensive players. He’s just good with the ball in his hands and he likes to be out there. He is competitive and I’m just excited to see what he does in our offense with coach sanders coming over. And defensively in situations I have faith that we can put him on somebody and cover that guy the way we need him too.”
Coach Buelle believes that the Panthers best football is still ahead.
By using their 2019 record as motivation, they can get the program back on track.
“Now we need to be competitive in every game, no blowouts and turn some of those close games to wins. Once you start doing that you turn the corner and turn those competitive games into winning games. I think that’s when you start your upward trajectory.”
