The Southern Lab Kittens are the reigning defending 2023 Division IV select state champions, and they are heading into the 2024 season wanting to defend their state champion title this upcoming season. One challenge heading into this season though is losing 21 seniors from that 2023 championship team. Some of the top guys that they are looking forward to is Denim Hunt, Marquez Williams, Keenan Butler, Anthony Weatherspoon, PJ Norman Jr., and Armariyan Asberry.
Also coming into the season Head Coach Asberry, looking to lean on the run until his new quarterback gets into a rhythm. Defensively they are going to apply pressure, they did add a new defensive coordinator in Lamar Brown, the former defensive coordinator got hired by Grambling State. Coach Asberry who ran a 4-2-5 last year, is possibly looking at a new defensive scheme depending on who is eligible and who is not, but one thing for sure is Coach Asberry gonna apply the pressure defensively.
Looking at their 2024 schedule, they have a new challenge in Denham Springs, but also a good thing that Coach Asberry did was move Madison Prep Academy later in the season, so that his young guys were not getting thrown in the fire early in the season. They did get dropped by Dunham. He did start using the off week to let his players heal up before conference play started.
You talk about college, I do miss it, I miss those college days, I sometimes get the itch to get back in it, this year eight at Southern Lab, and 27 in college
Coach Darrell Asberry talking about off weeks
Speaking of working with the staff at Southern Lab, Coach Asberry boast about how much support he receives from Director Herman Brister, allows him to run the football team, he also praises his parents because it allows him to coach with his college kids.
Its my first high school job, you talk about 27 years of college football, so I got to constantly tell myself okay I have to get these young men ready for college.
Head Coach Asberry talking about his relationship with the administration
They have a Southern fanbase so they treat this team like Southern, if your not performing they gonna come after you, but if your winning they build around it, but they do not have everything they need, practice field and weight room, are for the kids to help these kids get better, but the community is built around Southern Lab.
I sat out to raise my son, I didnt want him to grow up like I did without a father figure, so I had to do the right things to put him in a position and myself in a position, to help him understand how life really is.
Head Coach Asberry talking about why he took a break from college coaching
Coach Asberry is definitely looking at possibly stepping back from high school coaching, but he talked about how in the Baton Rouge area, the coaches try to stay for too long, instead of raising the next generation of coaches, he wants in the next two years he wants to let his offensive coordinator to take over the whole offensive side of the ball.
During our media day with Southern Lab we got to do an interview with five of their top players. QB Jerry Bottley IV, WR Keenan Butler, RB Armariyan Asberry, RB PJ Norman Jr., and WR Marquez Williams, get to talk about what they bring and what they excited for. Quarterback Jerry Bottley IV, is stepping into some big shoes to fill as he is taking over the reigns at quarterback, he depending on the team but the team is dependent on him. Head Coach Asberry son, Armariyan Asberry, he loves playing under his father but does know how to separate football from non-football stuff. These guys are coming into the season with more targets on their backs since they have won back to back state titles. PJ , Marquez, and Keenan explaining how the train is not coming off the track with these younger guys stepping up to new roles on this team. All five of these guys all have the asperation of going to the next level. These guys also want to be leaders at the end of their high school career.
I want to be a leader, like not vocal but physically, like with drills and warmups, or anything show the younger ones how to do it, and just set the pathway for the youngers to look up to him
PJ Norman Jr.
At the end of the interview with Southern Lab players we pulled back WR Keenan Butler, RB Armariyan Asberry, RB PJ Norman Jr., and WR Marquez Williams for one last surprise before they left, and that was inviting them to the 2024 Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game.
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