SINGLE PLAY AGAINST CABOT STICKS WITH MAVS

One play doesn’t usually determine a football game. There are many plays coaches and players can look back on — some work, some don’t. But one play a year ago defined Southside’s struggles and an eventual 3-7 record. Taye Gatewood remembers, too. Facing fourth-and-goal from the Cabot 1, Gatewood and the Mavericks had a chance to beat the Panthers. A win would have propelled them to 2-0 in the 7A-Central. It wasn’t a playoff-clincher. Cabot stopped the play, however, and Southside managed to win just one more game. “That was something we just never got over,” Southside coach Jeff Williams said. “The way that ended, I thought it really affected our season. But we didn’t do a very good job as coaches getting them back up, either.” “It was a bad year for us,” Gatewood said. “We just wanted to come out the next year and give it a 110 percent, and go out there and give everything we had.” A year later, Southside and Cabot meet again today at Panther Stadium. Cabot is 3-1, 1-0. Southside is 1-3 and 0-1. But the Mavericks have a high-powered offense has scored six or more touchdowns in three of their first four games. And, the Mavs have Taye Gatewood as their quarterback. “I knew he had a lot of ability,” Williams said. “He’s a smart kid who can make plays. He’s a true dual threat guy. A lot of times, people underestimate how well he can throw it, too, and he’s proven them wrong. He’s thrown the ball as accurate as you can be.” Gatewood was 18-of-21 for 337 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s loss to Conway. He also ran for three touchdowns and finished with 452 total yards. Gatewood has already eclipsed 1,002 yards passing. And, despite throwing the ball 94 times, Gatewood has been intercepted just three times. He’s also made those around him better, most notably Jordyn Jackson and Tyrese Solomon. “I knew that we had the play-makers this year,” he said. “I feel like they’re a little bit better than last year. They’re making bigger, more explosive plays.”

SINGLE PLAY AGAINST CABOT STICKS WITH MAVS

Photo Credit: Kevin Taylor

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