Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
By Ricky Smith/For Sand Mountain Reporter
After playing to a 6-6 tie at the half, Southside outscored Boaz 35-14 in the second half en route to a 41-20 win on September 23 in Boaz.
Southside running back Mason Teague (pictured above) rushed for 265 yards – 201 in the second half – and four touchdowns on 28 carries. He also caught three passes for 20 yards.
Boaz (1-5) squandered chances to score in the first quarter, driving three times inside the Southside 20-yard line only to come away with three points.
The Panthers fumbled away the ball on their first possession, but the Pirates ended up turning the ball over on downs.
Jose Arreguin’s 27-yard field goal 56 seconds into the second quarter gave Boaz a 3-0 lead. Southside took a 6-3 lead with 4:46 remaining in the period on Teague’s 3-yard touchdown run, which capped a six-play, 60-yard drive.
Boaz then drove to the Southside 33, where on fourth down, Arreguin nailed a school-record 50-yard field goal to tie the game at 6-6 with 11 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Panthers came out in the second half and scored on two long drives on their first two possessions.
The first touchdown came off a four-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by Gauge Nesmith’s 52-yard pass to Cody Roberts. Abdullah Alabbasi kicked the PAT for a 13-6 lead with 10:40 left in the third quarter.
Southside needed only two plays for its next touchdown, which was the first of a pair of 73-yard touchdown runs by Teague. Alabbasi’s extra point increased the lead to 20-6 with 6:49 left in the third.
Boaz drew within 20-13 late in the quarter when Korbyn Pitts returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown, but Southside responded on the next possession when Teague’s 17-yard scoring run and Alabbasi’s point after provided the Panthers with a 27-13 lead with 9:25 left in the game.
Boaz answered with an 80-yard drive that was capped by a Presley Fant 1-yard touchdown run with 6:49 left. Arreguin added the PAT to cut the lead to 27-20.
But those were the last points Boaz would score, as Southside added another Teague 73-yard touchdown run and Nesmith’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Bryan.
Nesmith was 15 for 24 in passing for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Roberts had five receptions for 74 yards, while Bryan caught four passes for 65 yards.
Southside resumes Class 5A, Region 6 action this Friday (Sept. 30) with a visit to second-ranked Leeds.
