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By NICHLOS CUTRELL | Special to the Selma Times-Journal

SELMA – Southside celebrated its homecoming night in record-breaking fashion on Friday Oct. 10, defeating Sumter Central in a 66-0 shutout in what became the Panthers’ most dominant start in school history.

This victory marked a historic milestone for the Southside football program, improving to 7-0 for the first time in school history, beating their best season start since 1989.

That year, Southside began the season 6-0, but Friday’s dominant performance set a new standard for excellence, both offensively and defensively. The current squad has outscored opponents by a wide margin this season, ranking inside the top 10 in offense and defense across the state.

The Panthers wasted no time setting the tone on the historic night, getting on the scoreboard quickly with quarterback Kole Moody throwing back-to-back touchdowns in the opening minutes of the first quarter. A 25-yard strike to ArMari Towns and a 31-yard connection with Michael Hosea, giving Southside an early 16-0 lead.

The last five minutes of the first quarter saw two more touchdowns scored, one by Kendall Wilson with a 15-yard rush into the end zone, and the other with a pass to Hosea with a 25-yard dart by K. Moody, making the score 30-0 going into the second quarter.

“We had a few to many flags,” head coach Charles Moody said. “But we try and get better every week, I think we have done a good job of that. We are trying to clean things up to get ready to make a run in the playoffs.”

Southside’s defense was relentless, forcing five turnovers through the night and setting up the offense in favorable field positions. After recovering another Sumter Central turnover early in the second quarter, Southside tacked on more scores: a 1-yard run by Hosea, and a 15-yard interception return by Camarion Allen, making the score 46-0 midway through the second quarter.

“A lot of our guys were great tonight,” Moody said. “The touchdowns were spread with a lot of different players. I’m proud of how our second round of players performed, they scored and proved they can handle the pressure.”

Moody continued his strong performance, adding two more touchdown passes before halftime — a 40-yard bomb to Derrick Surless and a 15-yard pass to Hosea — as the Panthers took a 60-0 lead into the break. Southside added a final touchdown in the fourth quarter with a 4-yard run by Jayden McConico

The blowout win came in front of a packed home crowd, with the stands filled for the school’s annual homecoming celebration.

“It feels awesome to get this win tonight,” Moody said. “Everyone got a chance to play and one thing we try to do it create our future with our young players.”

Halftime saw the Mr. Junior and Miss. Junior crowned. Ja,Meria Hardy was crowned Miss Junior and Javion Harrison was named Mr. Junior, adding to the night’s festivities.

As Southside looks ahead to the rest of the season, the focus remains sharp.

Southside will be on the road next week as the face-off against Wilcox Central.