Southside tallied three defensive touchdowns in the third quarter as the Mavericks picked up their second straight win, beating Little Rock Central 52-21, in 7A-Central action Friday.

With the win, Southside (3-6, 2-4) is now in sole possession of fifth place in the conference. The Mavericks can lock down a playoff berth by beating rival Northside this Friday at Jim Rowland Stadium.

In the third quarter, Khamron Belcher returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown. Jaylin Coleman then returned an interception for a TD, while Marteaz Gaston had a fumble return for another defensive TD. Later that quarter, Bennett Weindel intercepted a pass which led to another Mavs’ TD.

Quarterback Taye Gatewood also accounted for three second-quarter TDs. He threw a 36-yard TD pass to Ricardo Savoy, and Gatewood also had TD runs covering 1 and 3 yards.

Savoy also had two TDs in the win.