By Ken Hansard
The Wichita South High Titans began their 2024 campaign on a positive note, defeating the Wichita Southeast Golden Buffs 34 – 20. No doubt, senior Deon Bernard, a nose guard and right guard for the Titans, was a major part of their success. In his junior season, Bernard recorded 23 solo tackles, 45 team tackles, and 12 tackles for loss, earning him several honors, including a nomination to the Class 6A Second-Team All-State.
The Titans finished last season with a record of 2-7, eventually losing in the first round of the playoffs to Wichita East. As a senior, Bernard expects even more from himself and the team he plans to lead. “I’m looking forward to having a winning season with my team this year. Everyone is trying to count us out early, but we have a lot of young talent, and I feel like we have a shot to make it far into the playoffs this year.”
To do that, Bernard understands that he will have to be the physical and emotional leader for the Titans, “I feel like my role is to be someone people can talk to on and off the field – someone that my teammates can come to with their questions. In the end, my job is to get the younger players on the same page as the upperclassmen.”
Deon’s love of the game began at a young age when he started playing for the Wichita Grizzlies in the third grade. Now, he is playing for a chance to have football pay for his academics at the collegiate level. As he put it, “I’m just trying to lead my team to be the best that we can be and hopefully get some offers to continue playing after high school.”
