By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – Minutes after wrapping up his team’s fourth spring practice of the year Thursday, Riverside football coach Bill Stubbs put his team’s current motivation simply.

“We’ve got Evangel rolling in here Week 1,” he said. “That’s a great football team. We’ve got 120 days before we see those guys, and we’ve got a lot of work to do before we see them.”

The fact that a such high profile game against a perennial state power is scheduled for the opener speaks to the heightened expectations around the Rebels under Stubbs, who is heading his second spring as the team’s head coach. Riverside made a run to the Class 2A quarterfinals last season, finishing its year with six wins in its last eight games after an 0-4 start. The Rebels also brandished one of the state’s most explosive offenses, averaging 35 points a game and topping 50 points in a game four times.

Conversely, the Rebel defense allowed 34 points a game; that unit showed improvement, though, allowing 10 points per game over its final three wins of the season. A much more experienced defense returns this season, and Stubbs noted a number of leaders have been stepping up on that side of the ball.

One such leader, Stubbs said, has been linebacker Evan Veron. Veron said he and his teammates couldn’t wait to get back out on the field after last year’s quarterfinal run.

“We’ve all been waiting for this. We’re coming back with a different mindset,” he said. “We want to show everyone that we can be the best, and we’re trying to get closer to that every single day out here.”

Quarterback Deuce Wallace, who passed for 2,746 yards and 31 touchdowns as a freshman last season, said that Thursday’s practice was the most intense so far this spring.

“The defense started off today playing really well,” said Wallace. “They forced a fumble, started making plays in the backfield. That got the offense fired up, and we started going well, and that got the defense geared up again.

“We were just going back and forth, and that’s just gonna make us better.”

The Rebel coaches stressed practicing at a higher tempo, something Veron said has been noticeable so far.

“Every play, every group, it’s been all out,” said Veron.

Stubbs said that instilling these kinds of practice habits has been a work in progress over his first year in charge.

“Now, we’re finding some guys that are stepping up to lead. And others are following that lead,” he said. “You always hope that its contagious, but it takes someone to start the process first.”

Offensively, players like Wallace, receivers Von Julien and Herb McGee and center Cameron Bivona have stepped forward.

The team must replace some heavy production from graduating tailback Jonquial Sanders, who was the River Parishes’ fourth leading rusher and third leading receiver last season (behind McGee and Julian). Brandon Sanders and DeAndre Wilson are in line to take those carries.

The team is throwing in some wrinkles to its offensive approach. Stubbs said that the team will look to establish the run more this season, with some read-option packages mixed in.

Defensively, Stubbs noted Veron, nose guard Richie George, linebacker Brandon Hymel and defensive back Jeremiah Berteau as players who have been impressive this spring.

At 6-3 and 340 pounds, George in particular could be a pivotal player as an anchor to the defense.

“He’s showing signs of being what we hope and expect of him,” said Stubbs. “It’s now a matter of doing it consistently.”

That consistency is Stubbs’ concern for the rest of the spring and beyond. While the Rebels will be much more experienced than they were, the lineup will still be laced with underclassmen.

“I’ve been pretty pleased with what we’ve done so far. But just because you have a good day today, doesn’t mean you stand pat. You have to keep increasing it,” said Stubbs. “We’re still four or five levels away from where we need to ultimately be.”