YOUNGSVILLE - Moments after the final seconds had ticked off the clock in Southside’s 38-19 season-opening home loss to Brother Martin, Sharks head coach Jess Curtis had a message for everyone who might be doubting his team.

“We’re a lot better than we played,” said Curtis in the postgame interview Sept. 6. “People can bury us if they want. We will be back.”

In the next four games following that loss, the Sharks went 2-2 with losses to Westgate and Sam Houston, bringing their record to 2-3 at the midway point.

And while any loss can be infuriating, it was the 28-14 setback against the Broncos that annoyed Curtis the most.

“That was one of the most frustrating losses of my career,” said Curtis, whose Sharks will travel to face the Acadiana High Rams at 7 p.m. Friday. “We went there and didn't have the intensity, and we didn't play our style of football. It was very frustrating for us, and it was really a watershed moment for us. It was a crossroad moment for us.”

Despite the loss, Curtis’ belief in his team never wavered as he often doubled down on his Week 1 comments, adamantly stating the Sharks were “better than how they had played” in the first half of the season.

And since losing to the Broncos in Week 5, the Sharks have proven Curtis right.

Southside has won three games in a row, knocking off Sulphur, Lafayette High and most recently St. Thomas More.

“Every season's a journey,” Curtis said. “We had a brand-new defense that we were trying to work through and find the right guys and put them in the right spots on the bus. Throughout this season, it has been gradual growth for this team.”

That growth was on display last week, as the Sharks defeated St. Thomas More, who appeared to be the favorites to win the District 3-5A championship after defeating both Acadiana and Barbe.

“Playing a team, a program like St. Thomas More, that was a really good measuring stick for us,” Curtis said. “It showed us, and the kids, that if we play clean football and play Southside football, we can beat anybody.”

Playing a rugged schedule was intentional by Curtis, who wanted his Sharks to be battle tested by the time the postseason came around.

“We put those games on the schedule for a reason,” Curtis said. “You want to win them, but in the end, they make you better and they show you things you have to work on so you can get better and be better at the end of the season.”

The win over STM was a good start, but the question is whether the Sharks can bottle up that performance and continue to excel at the little things over the final two weeks of the regular season against the Rams and Barbe.

“It’s all about paying attention to detail. To win games and do big things, we have to do a bunch of little things well,” Curtis said. “We kind of lost sight of that.

It’s a bunch of little things that add to the big things, and I think we're doing that now. Right now, we are playing with the intensity and passion that we want to play with here at Southside.“