By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE — Riverside did not boast a senior-laden team a year ago, though it did bring some experience back into the fold.

The Rebels boasted a number of players who were either returning starters or logged significant time entering into the 2009 season, despite being underclassman. Those players would help push Riverside into the Class 2A quarterfinals, where a run of upsets (the 25th-seeded Rebs knocked off No. 8 Donaldsonville and No. 9 Winnfield) ended at the hands of eventual state champion John Curtis.

Fifteen starters return from the ’09 team, and that’s very good news for Riverside.

“What I try to instill in our team is to look at the tradition we have here at Riverside,” said Riverside coach Mickey Roussel. “When you look at Riverside, especially earlier in the decade, it was about getting to the playoffs and winning three or four games.

“There are expectations that come with that, that come when you choose to put on that uniform. We got back to the quarterfinals a year ago, and we bring back a lot of those kids. How we respond to those expectations, that’s what’s most interesting to me.”

On the offensive side of the ball, the Rebels will bring back the majority of a unit that averaged over 30 points per game last season.

A major ace in the hole for Roussel is a quarterback entering his third season as starter. Darnell Rachal has put together back-to-back standout seasons, and his coach expects his best effort yet this fall.

“It’s not just that he’s been here three years, but he’s been in the same system throughout,” Roussel said. “That’s important. Darnell makes our offense go. We have almost all of our skill position players back and continuity on our line.

“We expect to be very, very good offensively. He’s a guy that can take us where we need to go.”

Tailback Thomas Crouch returns off of a strong season. The offensive line is anchored by tackle Dale Martin, an All-State performer in 2009.

Defensively, the team is experienced up front but the secondary is a question mark, says Roussel.

“We’ve got some quality kids back there,” he said. “We might try out eight or nine guys. You might see Darnell, you might see Crouch. We need two or three to rise up and take the reins.”

And he hopes to see his team rise past the successes of last year.

“These kids saw us in the Superdome in the third and fourth grade. They saw Damien Melancon, a guy that played then and now coaches for us. And they remember how winning those two playoff games felt a year ago. They aren’t that far removed, and we don’t have that much farther to go.

“The nucleus is intact. We’ve added some help, and I feel like we have a shot to at least compete for a state title.”