Southside junior Derick Daniels is the male athlete of the week, as he displayed a will to never give up during the Panthers defeat against T.R. Miller.

Daniels caught a pass from quarterback Khamari Gibbs and broke a pair of T.R. Miller tackles on his way to a 50-yard touchdown in the first quarter of Friday’s game.

But Daniel’s performance on the field for Southside did not stop there.

Even as his team trailed by a few scores late in the fourth quarter, he kept fighting, breaking for a 65-yard touchdown run.

Daniels is one of the Southside players that the team relies on the provide versatility around the field, as he lined up at wide receiver, running back, safety and even at quarterback during Friday’s game.

Daniels said he loves the game of football, and just does his best to lead and motivate by his play on the field.

“I like playing football. I come out every practice and work hard,” Daniels said. “I see my guys, when they’re down, I just do my best to motivate them to keep playing. Don’t ever quit, just keep on doing it. It’ll get done. We fought against the No. 2 team, put up 18 on the board. Some people thought we couldn’t do it, but we did.”

Daniels added that football has always been a part of his life and he looks forward to playing in the future, and giving his all in doing so.

“I’ve been playing ever since I was a little kid and all my family, they motivate me to keep playing football, so it’s in my heart to keep playing,” Daniels said. “I’ll never give up.”