Southside dominates Thorsby in battle of unbeatens to claim region title
Published 1:26 am Saturday, October 25, 2025
The fourth-ranked Southside-Selma Panthers scored 74 points on Friday, Oct. 24, picking up a dominant 74-22 win over Thorsby in a battle of undefeated teams to claim the region crown. (For the Times-Journal/Doug Horton)
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By CAREY REEDER | Staff Writer
SELMA – Southside High School in Selma clinched the Class 3A Region 3 title, the program’s first region title since 1989, with a 74-22 win over Thorsby High School on Oct. 24. Southside quarterback Kole Moody threw six touchdown passes to help boost the Panthers to the win.
In the final region game of the year for both teams and both coming in at 6-0, it was winner take all for the region championship. Thorsby received the opening kickoff, and the Southside defense made their presence felt early with a fourth down stop led by Javien Gipson in the backfield. The Panthers took the good field position and turned it into points as Kendell Wilson took in the five-yard touchdown run to take a 6-0 lead early.
The Rebels managed to break deep into Southside territory on their next drive, but Derrick Surles snagged a one-handed interception and returned it 85 yards for the touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0 after the two-point conversion.
Thorsby stayed in the game with a huge kick return by Lucas Jackson to the Southside 24-yard line. The drive went to fourth down where the Panthers looked to have the stop, but a personal foul penalty gave the Rebels a fresh set of downs. A handful of plays later, Braylon Carroll broke into the end zone with a 12-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 14-6 where it stood at the end of the first frame.
In the second quarter, Southside put some distance between themselves and Thorsby. Panthers’ quarterback Kole Moody got the ball out to his playmakers all night, and this time to Michael Hosea for a touchdown toss. Moody found Ar’mari Towns for the two-point conversion to extend the lead to 22-6. After another stop of Thorsby on fourth down, Moody took over again and found Towns again — this time for a touchdown from seven yards out to make it 30-6 after the two-point conversion.
Thorsby tried to stay within striking distance of Southside. Carroll down Jackson on a nifty short pass that the receiver broke off for a long touchdown. Carroll’s two-point conversion run kept the game at two possessions, 30-14, midway through the second quarter.
The rest of the first half would belong to the Panthers.
Moody notched his third touchdown pass of the first half, this one to Surles on a tunnel screen, and the senior broke through the Rebels’ defense for the touchdown. Moody to Towns again on the two-point conversion found Southside with a hefty 38-14 lead.
The Panthers’ defense put an exclamation point on their powerful first-half performance as Hosea recovered a Rebel fumble inside Thorsby territory. This set up Kendell Wilson’s second touchdown run of the first half, and Kendrell Wilson punched in the two-point score to send the game to halftime 46-14 with Southside in firm control.
Southside elected to leave their starters in throughout the second half despite the huge advantage on the scoreboard, and Surles got into the end zone to start the second half to stretch the lead to 52-14. Later in the third, Thorsby’s Casey Brand picked off a pass to halt a Panther drive, but no point came of it. Moody ended the third quarter finding Hosea for a long touchdown pass to make it 60-14 after three quarters.
Thorsby got their lone second-half score to open the fourth quarter when Javien Cooper got into the end zone on a reverse to make it 60-22. Southside closed the game with two more Moody touchdown passes — one to Jaderious Wilkins and one to Hosea.
Thorsby (8-1, 6-1), in the midst of arguably its best season in program history, will look to regroup on Oct. 30 in its final game of the season at home against B.B. Comer High School. Southside (9-0, 7-0) hosts Bullock County on the same day for its regular-season finale.
