Since the beginning of the high school football season, Southside High School has hosted just one home game. That was a lightning-delayed game against Keith that started on a Friday evening and wouldn’t be finished until Saturday afternoon. Since then the team has been on the road for seven consecutive weeks. Two of those contests, games against Thomasville and UMS Wright, were scheduled as home games. However, those schools offered paydays larger than the team’s average home gate. Those two schools offered between $3,500-$3,700 per game while a good gate at Southside is $1,000 according to Panthers coach Daniel Flowers.

We don’t question the decision. It costs money just to suit up a team to put on the field. Uniforms and helmets alone cost thousands of dollars.

However, it is unfortunate for the team and becomes somewhat of a self-fullfilling prophecy. The team needs more support from the community, but it’s hard to build a program when you are playing on the road every week.

It’s our hope that after traveling so much this year, the program will be in a position where it can play all of its scheduled home games next week. But they are going to need our help.

No doubt there is a small core of parents and boosters who give their all to the school, but more people are going to have to rally around the program to keep it going. A great way to do that is to come out to the school’s two remaining home games on Oct. 23 against W.S. Neal and season finale against Dallas County.