The Southside Southerners will head out on the road to face off against the Batesville Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Southside is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Batesville in Arkansas (Southside is ranked 23rd, while Batesville is ranked 93rd).
After a string of eight wins dating back to last season, Southside's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 31-21 hit to the loss column at the hands of Valley View.
Despite the loss, Southside had strong showings from Savion Hall, who rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown, and Gabe Witt, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Batesville's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They lost to Brookland on the road by a decisive 28-13 margin.
Jaiden Henderson put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown. Henderson's longest rush was for an incredible 71 yards.
The losses dropped Southside to 7-1 and Batesville to 3-5.
Southside strolled past Batesville in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 by a score of 35-21. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Batesville's Holden Hutchins, who rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Southside to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
