"A coach once told me, 'If you're gonna play good, you need to look good, also,' so we'll take that and go with it," head football coach Jeff Williams said.
Williams said blocking and tackling are at the top of his list, but he sees this as a new beginning.
"[The athletes] are excited about it, and you know, it's a new era a little bit, but we're still Southside High School," Williams said. "It's been here forever and traditions that we've had for years will still carry on."
The former mascot Johnny Reb was retired by the school district because of its connection to the Rebel Flag and suggested racism issues.
"There's a lot more important things going on in the world, and in their world," Head volleyball coach, Steve Haaser said. "It's something we'll adjust to, and eventually with time, all this will die down and be forgotten."
Earlier this summer, the old gym floor got a facelift with the new Mavericks logo. Next month, crews will do the same to the football field.
"New uniforms, [we] got a new gym floor, and there's a lot of positives to it," Haaser said. "I think eventually, everything will settle down, and we'll just go forward with it."
The band has also been practicing its new school song, the "Wabash Cannonball" in preparation for the first school year as the Southside Mavericks.