By Jason Bowen/Daily Sentinel
Southside uses a physical running style type of offense.
Friday night at Scottsboro, the Panthers showed that they have quick-strike potential.
Southside scored two touchdowns in its first four offensive plays and went on for a 28-6 victory at Trammell Stadium.
Southside (3-0, 2-0), which built a 21-0 first quarter lead, held on to its perch atop the Class 5A, Region 7 standings.
Southside ran for 290 yards on 36 carries, but 188 of those came in the first quarter. Scottsboro’s defense settled down after a shaky start and held Southside to only five first downs over the final three quarters.
Scottsboro had offensive struggles of its own, struggles that were compounded in the third quarter when starting quarterback Trey Lewis left the game with an injury.
Scottsboro’s best second-half scoring threat came early in the fourth quarter with it trailing 21-6. But the Wildcats were turned away after failing to convert on a fourth down-and-five from Southside 25-yard line.
Scottsboro managed only 131 total yards, including only 99 rushing yards on 41 carries.
Alaric Williams led Southside with 89 yards rushing on just two carries. Dantley Coker ran 19 times for 87 yards, Blake Devine ran seven times for 63 yards and Holt Keeling ran five times for 50 yards.
Williams took the handoff on a reverse and went 77 yards for a touchdown on the game’s second play to give the Panthers a quick 7-0 lead. Two plays later, Devine broke to the outside and scored on a 54-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 lead with 5:58 left in the opening quarter.
The Panthers went in front 21-0 on their next drive when Coker scored from 4 yards out with 1:12 left in the first quarter to cap a nine-play, 54-yard drive.
Scottsboro answered in the second quarter, getting a 4-yard touchdown run from Lewis that cut Southside’s lead to 21-6.
Southside capped the scoring in the fourth quarter on Keeling’s 12-yard touchdown run with 3:10 remaining.
The Panthers return home on Friday with a region contest against Fort Payne.