BY DAVID FOLSE II

Sports Editor

RESERVE-After a very successful overall athletic season, there are going to be several new faces amongst the Riverside Academy coaching staff.

There will also be a new sport for Rebel fans to pull for, as boy’s soccer will begin next season.

“The earmark for success in volleyball is making it to the state tournament,” Riverside Athletic Director Mickey Roussel said. “In only her second year, Coach Martin was able to get her squad there. That’s a great accomplishment. Football went from 3-7 to 8-3 in one year and losing in the second round of the playoffs, which was a great turnaround, but we were disappointed to lose in the second round considering how the game was going. Boy’s basketball had unquestionable the best year, aside I think from 2000. They had record wins, second playoff win, just an overall great year. Then they had a chance to beat the eventual state champions in the second round of the playoffs. 23 wins and a playoff victory is huge for Riverside Academy.

“The girl’s team fought to the end. They were up and down and had a chance to make the playoffs. For the girl’s program to make the playoffs will be a great accomplishment. For our standards in track, I think it was a little disappointing. I think we ran into a bit of a numbers game. We were a bounce away, a play away from advancing to the state semifinals in softball. Baseball was five outs away from playing for a state championship. Golf team made it to the regionals, girls soccer won their first ever game. For a program in its second year, that is a great accomplishment. Overall, I would say that we had a pretty good year.”

Not very common in the lower classification schools, the Rebels will be adding boy’s soccer next season.

“When we added girl’s soccer we didn’t have a boy’s team because we didn’t have enough participants,” Roussel said. “I was a little hesitant to add soccer because of facilities and because we are already short of coaches. One of my biggest concerns was that most soccer programs use off-campus coaches. That presents sort of a problem sometimes because you like to have your coach’s on-campus to see their kids and so forth.

“This time around we have enough support, so we are going to see how that goes. It is tough for a 2A school to add sports.”

Roussel is very excited to add Nicholas Gamble as the Head Coach of the new squad.

“He came in very recommended,” Roussel said. “He is a life-long soccer player and when you interview him and talk about soccer you can see that his eyes light up. I think that we have a pretty good guy in there”

A former Riverside athlete in Joe Trosclair will take over the reigns of the boy’s track program and will also coach the offensive and defensive lines on the football team.

“That hire was easy,” Roussel said. “When you have an ex-athlete that played football and ran track here, they come in knowing what Riverside is all about and they are going to coach like they played it. When they talk to their players about the Red and Gray, they are not talking out of left field. They put the helmet on.”

Ethan Richardson was also hired to complete Roussel’s football staff and also is an assistant on the girl’s basketball team.

“I know Ethan’s dad,” Roussel said. “Ethan has a couple of year’s experience at False River Academy. Anytime you can get a young guy that has got a little bit of experience, that’s a plus.

“I know what kind of family he is coming from, the interview went well. I know that we have a good guy coming in.”

Already on the Riverside staff, Aaron Paladino takes over the reigns of the girl’s basketball program.

“Coming in from Brother Martin Aaron’s background was more basketball than it was football,” Roussel said. “Elevating him to the head man of the girl’s team is good because he has a basketball background.”

Roussel is still yet to fill the role of girl’s soccer coach as well as an assistant on the baseball team.

“We looking for consistency,” Roussel said regarding the girl’s soccer coach. “Somebody that has got a soccer background. We are looking for someone who has a background in soccer.”

The other big news is that Roussel will no longer serve as athletic director. Tim Taffi will assume the role.

“Tim and I have been together for 10 years,” Roussel said. “He has seen me in action. He lives right next door to me or a street over. He is somebody that played athletics here at Riverside, so he knows what the school is all about. I don’t expect any drastic changes.”