Mailk Johnson’s first two passes were right on the mark. He hit Keshawn Arrington on a screen pass and was moving the Southside offense right down the field in the Panthers’ first real scrimmage of the spring.

Then, he made a bad throw. Johnson threw a deep ball that was picked off by defensive back Edward Moore, an all-state player last year. Southside head coach Daniel Flowers wasn’t happy, but he knew some mistakes were coming. After all, that’s exactly why the Panthers played Friday’s game one week before Southside’s spring game against A.L. Johnson.

“Malik is getting better. Malik is going to be really, really good,” Flowers said. “I expect him to be perfect, and no kid can ever be perfect. The mistakes he made, he was throwing the ball to the right person.”

Johnson and Moore were two of the biggest stars in Southside’s “glorified practice,” as Flowers called it, Friday in front of the student body. Johnson had a couple of touchdown passes and several long runs and Moore finished with two interceptions.

The Panthers Black team, which consisted of the first team defense, won the game 43-40, over the Red team, made up of the first team offense. The black team scored six points for every stop, every interception and fumble and for any actual points scored on defense.

“I saw a lot of good things on both sides of the ball,” Flowers said.

Panthers’ running back Jaylen Coleman, a rising senior, flashed big play abilities. He caught a 20-yard screen pass in the first quarter and also carried the ball several times for first downs.

At this point of the spring, Flowers said this year’s team is well ahead of his past teams at Southside, including last season’s 7-4 playoff team.

He said 99 percent of his offense has already been put in, so now the Panthers are just fine tuning everything.

“Every year we get farther and farther ahead,” Flowers said.

The Panthers spring game will be held May 5 at 7 p.m. against A.L. Johnson.