BY DAVID FOLSE II

Sports Editor

RESERVE—You can go home again.

After a year as an assistant coach at East St. John High School, Tanya Teague is returning to Riverside Academy as an assistant coach, where she had a very successful career as a Lady Rebel.

Teague then went on to Chiola Junior College for two seasons before concluding her career at the University of West Florida.

“I cannot wait,” Teauge said. “I am absolutely thrilled and excited. When I think about it, I just cannot wait. It is going to be a great experience working under (Head Coach) Mickey Roussel. The new principal at Riverside is wonderful as well. She is really going to help Riverside Academy step up.

“I am really excited about the education part of being at Riverside as well, because I am also teaching. I am excited because I graduated from here. It is my home.”

Slated to take over the reigns of the East St. John program next year, Teague said teaching at the same school location brought her back home to Riverside.

“I have no bad feelings about my time at East St. John,” Teague said. “(Athletic Director) Larry Dauterive is wonderful. He treated me great. I just think that this being my first year teaching they didn’t exactly know where they were going to put me. That made me think to myself ‘Let me think more about Riverside.’

“I really did enjoy my time at East St. John. When I made this decision, I knew people were going to ask me why did I pass up a Class 5A Head Coach position for an assistant position at a 2A school. People are not going to understand it, unless they are in my shoes.”

Graduating from Riverside in 1999, Teague said she still has fond memories of her time in a Lady Rebels uniform.

“I really enjoyed my time as a player at Riverside Academy,” Teague said. “The thing that I remember the most is how well we meshed together as a team. We always played as a team, and there was never any bickering. I played with and against a lot of great girls around the area.”

Coaching Teague during her high school career, Roussel said he is excited to have such a presigious pitching coach become a part of the Riverside program.

“Obvioulsy pitching coaches are a premium,” Roussel said. “I would venture to say that half the high school programs don’t have a premiere pitching coach. We are going to have an added advantage now that our pitchers are going to be able to work with an individual coach every day as opposed to going to a pitching coach once every two weeks.”

Coaching in the same area as Riverside last season, Teague said she did try and keep up with her former team.

“I am somewhat familar with what they did last season,” Teague said. “I know that we are moving into a different and more competetive district next season. That is going to be exciting.

“I am also very excited that St. Charles Catholic is back in our district. During my four years at Riverside, the Comets were always in our district. We were such big rivals.”

Becoming a part of one of the more talented softball teams in the area, Teague believes she can make an immediate impact in Reserve.

“I think I can help out our pitching staff by helping the girls develop a variety of pitches,” Teaugue said. “My experience of pitching on the college level, going to a World Series will help.

“We have great pitchers at Riverside and I think that we can make them even better. I already know a lot of the girls really well. I am also excited to have a player like Nicole (Poirrier) for two years. It might be a difficult adjustment for her next season, but hopefull by her senior season she can become a dominant pitcher as well as the other pitchers on staff.”