DAPHNE — The Bayside Admirals shut down a previously unstoppable Southside Panthers offense in their 51-20 semifinal victory — marking the fewest points Southside scored since September of last year against Thomasville.

Panthers quarterback Kole Moody, who is in eighth grade, came into the game leading the nation with 5,089 passing yards. He left the game having thrown as many touchdowns to Bayside as he did to Southside.

Excitement from fans and players could be felt as the game kicked off. Two deep passes from Admirals quarterback Davis Barnett set up an early 2-yard touchdown by running back Brennen Yamane. The Panthers weren’t satisfied with their opening drive and went for it on 4th-and-7 in their own territory; but the conversion attempt was ended by a Moody pass to some fan sitting in the back end of Southside’s stands.

Bayside capitalized on the failed gamble with a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Walker Collins to set up a 4-yard Noah Cain touchdown. Moody continued to look uncomfortable, as he would the rest of the game, with a fumbled snap and a slide which lost yardage that ended another drive. His next opportunity led to Admirals defensive back Sam Cunningham intercepting a pass.

Bayside head coach Barrett Trotter credited the defense for stopping the run while having enough people left over to cover underneath and over the top of key receiving targets.

“Our guys came down with the ball or disrupted a pass more often than they were able to complete one,” Trotter said.

The interception was followed by an early dagger, as Cain guided an easy pass 60 yards to the end zone. The Admirals were up 21-0 before the first quarter had ended.

Panthers running back Kendrell Wilson finally aided Moody in a performance reminiscent of what they’ve done all year, as a long drive ended in an 8-yard touchdown run by Wilson. Barnett would throw an interception to Southside safety Cedrick Simmons. With only a 21-8 deficit and all the momentum, the Panthers faithful sprung to life.

Southside eventually got the ball on their own 30-yard line with just over two minutes left in the half. Not one, not two, not three, but four ineligible receiver penalties, all of which wiped out big gains, stalled them for the remainder.

The Panthers’ momentum crashed into a brick wall when linebacker Monroe Partin returned a Moody interception for a touchdown, and Cain would later rip the ball away from Southside on the next drive. No points came from the turnover, but the following punt downed the Panthers at their own 1-yard line that was followed by a 4th-and-1 try from the 10-yard line stopped by Bayside.

Yamane forced his way into the end zone for another 2-yard touchdown run. A pick six by Cain to put Southside at an almost insurmountable 44-8 deficit was bad enough, but it got worse when the Panthers muffed the kickoff to give the Admirals the ball back.

A third short run by Yamane put Bayside up 51-8 with only 18 seconds left in the third quarter. Simmons finally gave the remaining Panthers fans something bearable to look at with 4-yard and 61-yard touchdown catches in the closing minutes of the game.

The win marked revenge from last year’s 24-26 heartbreaker at the hands of Southside. The 13-1 record already marks the most wins in Admirals history.

“I think it’s a mindset that our team has right now that they’re just not going to be defeated,” Trotter said. “That they’re going to come off the field with a ‘W’ every time they step on it. So far, for the last 13 weeks now they’ve been able to do that.”

Bayside will face Mars Hill Bible, the defending champions, in the Class 3A State Championship Game on Dec. 4 at Productive Stadium in Birmingham.