Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
Trailing 13-7 at halftime, Southside outscored Springville 34 to 7 the rest of the way en route to a 42-20 Class 5A, Region 6 victory on September 9.
Mason Teague was a big factor in the Panthers’ third straight win, as the junior halfback rushed for 240 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.
Southside (3-1, 2-0) got on the scoreboard first when Gauge Nesmith (pictured above) and Cody Roberts hooked up on a seven-yard touchdown pass. Abdullah Allabassi connected on the first of his five PATs.
The host Tigers responded with two second-quarter touchdowns, one on a 19-yard run by Stephen Morris and another on Brady Cardwell’s one-yard run.
The Panther defense did not allow another point, and Kanon Wilson’s nine-yard TD on the first possession of the second quarter gave Southside the lead for good.
Teague scored a pair of one-yard touchdown runs five minutes apart during the third quarter, the first at 10:05 and the second at 5:41.
The Panthers pushed their lead to 15 points early in the fourth period on Nesmith’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Cayden McMichael, and Cody Roberts added some insurance late in the game with his four-yard touchdown run.
Nesmith was 9 for 15 in passing for 110 yards. He also rushed eight times for 84 yards. Roberts caught six passes for 72 yards. Tytan Rich led the way defensively with 13 tackles, followed by Braydon Bowers with 10, Brody McCutcheon with nine, Blake Phillips with eight, Jerrod Harden with seven, and Evan McDonald and Jaython Novak with five each. Harden had two sacks, while Phillips, McDonald and Novak each had one. Smiley Jones had an interception.
Southside continues region play this Friday (Sept. 16) at home against St. Clair County.