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The Southside Selma Panthers (4-3, 3-2) went on the road and clinched a playoff spot by defeating the Greensboro Raiders (3-5, 1-3) by a score of 52-30. The Raiders couldn't overcome a myriad of problems as they consistently combatted turnovers and penalties throughout the evening. These problems, combined with an inability to stop the Panthers' running game, were too much for the Raiders to overcome as they lost their final home game of the season.

Quarterback Roosevelt Towns was the engine that propelled the Panthers offense to a massive 52 points, their best scoring output of the season. Towns rushed for 129 yards on the evening and scored two rushing touchdowns. He also completed 8-of-17 passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns and converted on 5-of-7 2-point conversions rushing, accounting for 34 Panther points.

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"He's a baller. He's got a lot of heart. He's going to fight. I'm just so proud of that kid. That kid was a d-lineman, ain't never played quarterback in his life. So we trained, we had two months to get ready for the season. So at this point, he's ballin' right now," said Southside Selma head coach Charles Moody.

Towns was helped out by sophomore twins Derick and Erick Smith at the skill positions. Erick got the scoring started in the contest by hauling in his only reception of the game, facing a 3rd&8 from the Greensboro 17-yard line he went up and high-pointed a pass to put the Panthers up 6-0.

Not to be outdone by his brother, Derick shined for Southside Selma. He was all over the field offensively, taking six carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns while also pulling in four receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Derick, standing at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, is considered the No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Alabama in the 2025 class by 247Sports. His 46-yard touchdown reception truly showed off his next-level potential. Derick went high over the middle on a post-route, brought down the pass over three Raider defenders and then waltzed the final 10-yards into the endzone to put Southside Selma up 28-8 in the second quarter.

He currently has reported offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and several others.

"They're special. Derick is a highly-touted recruit. 4-star recruit, he has all kinds of offers. His brother is on the way, this is his first year playing football, but he's definitely adjusting to it fast. They're both matchup problems. They make it easy, but a lot of times you have to find different ways to get them the ball because a lot of people try to key on them," said Moody.

While the Panthers largely controlled the first half, taking advantage of two fumbled kickoffs and holding a 28-8 lead with :54 seconds, the Greensboro Raiders refused to go away quietly.

The Raiders got back into the game with a one-play, 75-yard lighting strike from quarterback Ty'Quan Lewis to his twin-brother Ty'Darrion Lewis to cut the halftime deficit to just 12 and stay in striking range.

Ty'Quan battled throughout the game for Greensboro and ended up rushing for 161 yards and two touchdowns while passing for 115 yards on 5-of-14 passes with one touchdown and one interception. He also converted three 2-point conversions, two on the ground and one through the air.

The senior quarterback was the catalyst in the Raiders comeback efforts as he scored 14-consecutive points in the third quarter to briefly erase the Southside Selma lead and put Greensboro on top 30-28 midway through the third quarter.

The lead didn't last long for Greensboro as Southside Selma tightened up defensively and rallied on offense. The Panthers scored 24 consecutive points on three rushing touchdowns, one from Towns, Derick Smith and one from senior running back Earnie Campbell.

Campbell scored from 23-yards out to put the Panthers on top by 14 points, ultimately putting the game to bed. Campbell's night ended with four carries for 43 yards along with a single reception for 10 yards.

The final blow for the Panthers came on Derick Smith's final touchdown run with seven minutes left in the game ultimately resting the final score at 52-30.

Ultimately for Greensboro the Raiders couldn't overcome the mistakes they made to keep up with Southside Selma. Greensboro committed four turnovers, two offensively and two on special teams. The Raiders struggled to stay disciplined as they were flagged for 17 total penalties throughout the game, 10 on offense and seven on defense.

"It was a tough loss. We just gotta get better going into next week. We've got ACA (American Christian Academy), we've just got to get better," said Greensboro head coach Winston Johnson.

Southside Selma has now qualified for the playoffs and takes on Francis Marion next week with its three-game winning streak on the line in an out of region matchup.

Greensboro will finish out the year with two road games. The Raiders will take on Alabama Christian on Friday, Oct. 14 and region leading Trinity on Oct. 21.

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