The Southside High School Panthers are getting stronger and faster before they hit the spring practice field.

The Panthers are currently going through offseason workouts, and Southside head football coach Daniel Flowers said the workouts will help ensure they’re a tougher team come spring and fall.

“It’s important to get going with the strength and conditioning because last year we had a lot of injuries and we were not in good condition,” Flowers said. “So our main goal this year is to make sure we get our strength up and get our conditioning so we can last longer. Because with the athletes we do have, if we start lifting weights just a little bit, you’re going to see a higher winning percentage.”

Flowers said the Panthers are currently in phase two of a five-step offseason strength and conditioning program.

“We’ve basically been getting our maxes and stuff. We’re going through our second period of weight training now,” Flowers said. “We’ve finished our last six-week program, so now we’re getting new maxes and trying to get the kids to get stronger. It’s a five-step process, and we’re on part two now. Once we get to step five, it’ll be spring time and we’ll be getting ready for our spring game.”

Southside will begin spring practices in the final week of April, and will finish up the spring with a jamboree game against Central-Tuscaloosa at Southside in mid-May.

Flowers said it’s important that the Panthers keep working hard and get stronger in the weight room because every team in the state is hard at work doing just that.

“We’re in a process where we want to do more than just win — we want to dominate. So weight training is key,” Flowers said. “It’s like I tell everybody, you can have the best athletes in the world, but if you don’t have them on a strength and conditioning program, they’ll be nothing. All the top programs in Alabama, they’re doing the same thing now. We just have to remind our kids, you’re not the only high school team that’s lifting weights right now — everybody’s doing it.”