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For many years, Dallas County has been known as a hotspot for prep basketball, but football is slowly changing that reality.

Five of the six private and public school teams in the county earned state playoff berths this season, the most postseason selections in a decade.

Selma High School, Southside High School, Keith High School, Morgan Academy, and Meadowview Christian School all reached the state playoffs in AHSAA and AISA, respectively.

We’re impressed with the high number of playoff entries and it’s a credit to their head coaches and the hard work the players, and their support systems of family and fans have invested in making their school’s season a success so far.

When Willie Gandy took over as Selma coach in 2019, he wanted to rebuild the Saints’ program. Gandy did just that, guiding the Saints to the playoffs every season since and producing a pair of Power 5 recruits: Auburn guard Jeremiah Wright and Penn State commitment DaKaari Nelson.

Keith and Southside came off historic years in 2021, with the Southside Panthers winning a record nine games and hosting their first-ever playoff game. The Keith Bears won 11 games and reached the 1A state quarterfinals.

For Southside and Keith to clinch playoff berths after each lost more than 12 seniors from the 2021 teams is remarkable. Head coaches Anthony Lumpkin of Keith and Southside’s Charles Moody deserve credit in reloading, not rebuilding.

Morgan Academy doesn’t have the largest team in AISA, but the Senators always give it their all under head coach Danny Raines. It shows that heart and effort can take you a long way, and they’re not done, yet.

We applaud what Don White did at MCS. He arrived on campus a few days before school began and did not know what kind of team the Trojans would have. The Trojans did not win a game, but they qualified for the AISA 8-man playoffs under the new AISA format. White said he praised the players for never giving up and reaching one of their goals – a playoff appearance.

Congratulations to Keith, Selma, Morgan Academy, Southside and MCS for reaching the postseason. We can’t wait to see what kind of noise they make in the playoffs