Southside-Southside Middle pulled off a dominating 20-6 win over Dupont Middle on Tuesday. The win would come as a surprise to the Knights as they have yet to beat the Dragons in close to fifteen years. Coach Zach Harbison said, “Our offense really struggled, we put up forty-four points last week and it was a struggle to put up twenty tonight. I told our defense to step it up and luckily they played great”.
Receiver Kevon Roulack would earn the game MVP title. Roulack proved to be unstoppable on the field as no one could match his speed and agility. Roulack would be as equally unnerving on defense as he chased down Dupont players which resulted in multiple tackles.
The rival game would come into play as Dupont led the kickoff. In receipt of the kickoff , Southside proceeded to take a stab at moving the ball down the field. At the third, the Dragons suddenly swooped in pulling off a big interception to gain possession of the ball. Dupont’s short lived possession of the ball resulted in a fumble recovered by Southside. As the Knight’s offense aligned the field, Quarterback Malik Neely would valiantly run the first touchdown in the game. Southside expediently sliced onto the scoreboard with an early 7-0 lead. As the Dragon’s offense took control of the ball, the Knight’s defense later slayed causing the turnover on downs. Ball back in hand, Neely would once again dart down the field to score yet another touchdown ending the first quarter leading Dupont 14-0.
The second quarter whipped into action as Southside’s Desean Byrd’s epic tackle dealt a devastating blow to the Dragon’s offense causing a turnover. While obtaining possession of the ball, the Knight’s on field aggression would lead to numerous penalties. Dupont’s Raquan Henry capitalized on this opportunity as he recovered a Southside fumble to make the run. Yards before the goal line, Henry’s world would come crashing down as Knight’s Terrell Mitchell tackled him to the ground. As both teams failed to score in the second quarter, the first half of the game would end 14-0, Southside.
Dupont began the third quarter with a turnover on downs. While back on offense, Neely would complete a pass to Roulack for the touchdown. The third quarter ended 20-0, Southside.
The Dragon’s defense shut down the Knight’s offense throughout the entire fourth quarter. A Southside fumble during the play would be a costly mistake. Dupont capitlized on the error by recovering the ball which later led to a 20 yard touchdown by Torrey Foreham at the end of the quarter. Oddly enough, the point would be a little too late as the Knights closed out the game in victory.
Southside’s win seemed to be the spark to light the path to a successful season. Coach Harbison explained that the team is now more motivated and confident of an expectant season. The Knights will move on to slay yet another opponent on another day.
