As the Southside High School football team enters the season in the coming weeks, it does so without Bertrum Crum as its head coach, but the Panthers have continued to work and make sure they’re ready for 2012.

Coach Jason Bothwell has been leading the Panthers through summer conditioning in the interim along with coach Cedric Brown and the coaching staff, as the Dallas County School Board searches for Crum’s replacement as head coach.

Bothwell said the Panthers have been hard at work to improve on their speed and quickness heading into the 2012 season.

“We’ve been running a four-day-a-week deal. We’re only about a week or two into the process,” Bothwell said. “We have the kids to come in during the morning and we do speed and agility training just trying to get faster and stronger. We’re just trying to do the small things, the things that are overlooked.”

Bothwell said the players have not been deterred by the heat or circumstances.

“The kids are still very receptive, very excited to be out here and I’m just happy to be out here with them,” Bothwell said.

Bothwell said the staff has seen steady progress from the players.

“The progression is solid, just the things that we have no control over like the heat plays a factor sometimes,” Bothwell said, “but the will to work is there. The desire to get better is there, just, as a coach, I have to meet them halfway and make sure I put them in the best position possible to excel.”

While the head coaching position is expected to be filled before the start of fall practices on Aug. 6, Bothwell said the coaches will respond accordingly no matter what the situation.

“We’ll start game planning for our first game,” Bothwell said. “If a coach is not in place, then I’ll carry on the duties as such.

“We’ll just make game preparations based off what myself and coach Brown put down on paper.”