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By Lew Gilliland
The Selma Instances-Journal
For Southside, the stakes are easy.
Beat visiting Thomasville in Friday night time’s Class 3A, Area 3 showdown, and the Panthers will end second within the area and host a first-round playoff recreation.
A loss means the Panthers (7-1, 4-1) would end third and must journey within the opening spherical.
Southside is in its third season underneath coach Charles Moody, and the upcoming journey to the playoffs would be the staff’s second in as a few years. The Panthers have gained 5 straight since dropping to Montgomery Academy on Sept. 10.
Montgomery Academy wrapped up the area title with a 34-16 win over Thomasville on Friday. Now, the Panthers will attempt to hand the Tigers (4-4, 4-1) a second straight loss.
“It’s big,” Moody mentioned of Friday’s matchup. “We’re attempting to take this program to the subsequent degree. We wish our guys to consider they’ve an opportunity to beat whoever. We’re enjoying a staff in Thomasville that’s a family title. They’ve custom, they’ve tradition, they’ve sources. They’ve every little thing. We’re attempting to take our program to that degree.”
With a recreation of this caliber, there’s all the time an opportunity a staff may harm itself by getting too emotionally charged, however Moody doesn’t consider the Panthers will fall into that entice.
He mentioned the bottom line is being mentally ready going into Friday night time.
“They’ve been texting me all weekend,” Moody mentioned of his gamers Monday. “They know what’s at stake. They’ve been in some large video games of their careers. This system is rising. Final 12 months, after we went to the playoffs, plenty of them had not tasted that playoff surroundings. That is going to be a playoff surroundings Friday night time.
“When you understand the sport plan and know what you’re doing, it takes away the anxiousness. And minimizing the anxiousness will increase the main focus degree.”
Moody mentioned Thomasville likes to manage the sport. He mentioned the Tigers have a fantastic protection with a robust entrance seven, and that they prefer to run the ball.
The coach mentioned the Tigers have a number of guys who can run the ball effectively, together with the quarterback and a number of operating backs.
“On the finish of the sport, they actually need to win time of possession,” Moody mentioned. “They’re disciplined. They’re not going to make plenty of errors. In a few of their losses, they had been within the place to win. Friday night time (towards Montgomery Academy), they had been in management till the tip of the third quarter.”
Nonetheless, Moody mentioned he preferred the matchup of his protection towards the Thomasville floor recreation.
“If we cease the run, I feel that can put us in an excellent place to win the ballgame,” he mentioned. “Our protection has had an excellent 12 months, particularly after they perceive and know the sport plan.
“I’m very assured in our guys on protection. They solely factor that scares me is after we don’t line up accurately, but when we line up accurately and know our assignments, I’ve 100% confidence in our protection.
“Once you actually take a look at our protection over the course of the 12 months, we actually haven’t given up plenty of factors. Lots of the factors we’ve given up have been by our second-team protection.”
Southside was spectacular in its warm-up for this week’s showdown, a 52-6 win over R.C. Hatch on Friday. The Panthers regarded like heavy favorites going into the sport towards the 1A Bobcats (2-5), and Southside performed prefer it on the sector.
“They performed actually clear,” Moody mentioned. “That was considered one of our objectives — to play clear and never have errors.
“We simply don’t take a look at scoreboard. We take a look at how we’re enjoying. We didn’t have penalties. We had been disciplined. We had been doing issues the precise manner.”
Keandre Williams, Sam Taylor, Ernie Campbell and JoJo Hamilton all scored dashing TDs for Southside within the win. Christopher Thomas threw for a TD, and Marquarius Reese additionally discovered the tip zone for six factors. Derick Smith and Amarion Johnson each had pick-6s.
Moody mentioned Southside is hoping for a giant house crowd for Friday’s matchup with Thomasville.
“We want the entire metropolis of Selma to come back out and assist us,” he mentioned. “This recreation is large for the neighborhood, it’s big for the long run, it’s large for proper now. I do know Thomasville goes to deliver plenty of followers, and we don’t need Thomasville to have extra followers that what we now have.”
Dallas County- Montevallo: The Hornets (3-5, 3-3) stay in rivalry for a playoff berth however should win their 4A, Area 3 finale towards Montevallo on Friday to have any probability of advancing.
Coming into the week, American Christian (7-1, 6-0) has already wrapped up the area title, with Bibb County (7-2, 5-1) standing second. Montevallo (6-2, 4-2) and West Blocton (6-2, 4-2) are tied for third.
Dallas County is coming off a 62-28 loss to American Christian. Montevallo downed Holt 54-6 on Friday.
For Dallas County, Marquavious Pullom carried 22 occasions for 174 yards towards American Christian. He additionally had one interception and 6 tackles.
Markeice Stallworth ran 13 occasions for 91 yards and made 15 tackles. Daveon Jones (seven tackles, six carries for 36 yards), Tyshawn Mosely (six runs for 40 yards) and Mathew Carter (5 tackles) additionally had strong nights.
Keith-J.F. Shields: Keith, the 1A, Area 3 champion, may have a 3rd straight off week after J.F. Shields introduced it would forfeit Friday’s recreation. Keith (6-1, 4-0) final performed Oct. 1, when it defeated Central Hayneville 35-8.
Meadowview Christian- Pickens Academy: The Trojans (0-8, 0-4 A, Area 2) get one final shot at avoiding a winless season after falling to Jackson Academy 71-14 final week. MCS performs Thursday.
Pickens Academy (4-4, 1-3) defeated Southern Choctaw Academy 26-16 on Friday.
Morgan Academy-Fort Dale Academy: The Senators (4-4, 2-2) caught a break Friday night time regardless of dropping a 17-7 determination at Tuscaloosa Academy, which knocked Morgan Academy out of rivalry for the AAA, Area 2 title.
Nonetheless, in one other Area 2 recreation, Clark Prep upset Monroe Academy 41-20, making a four-way tie for second-place amongst Morgan, Monroe, Bessemer Academy and Clark Prep.
Ought to Morgan Academy win Friday, and Monroe Academy drop its area finale to league champion Tuscaloosa Academy, the Senators can be the area runner-up and host a first-round playoff recreation as a result of they maintain tiebreaker benefits over Bessemer and Clark Prep.
Fort Dale Academy (2-6, 0-4) is coming off a 42-14 loss to Bessemer.
Selma: Demopolis: Selma (5-4, 4-1) will face 5A, Area 3 chief Demopolis (5-3, 5-0) and may declare the area championship with a win. Selma, a winner of 4 straight, defeated Sipsey Valley 42-0 final week. Demopolis downed Marbury 54-7.
With a loss, Selma may nonetheless host a first-round playoff recreation however would want some assist in the type of a Jemison upset of Shelby County, which trails the Saints by a recreation within the area standings however holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with Selma. Jemison is winless on the 12 months.
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