CHOCOWINITY — Dating back to the days of head coach Dewayne Kellum, Southside has relied on the same offensive philosophy of running the football, even when the team has sometimes lacked size up front or ground-and-pound tailbacks, both essentials in running a wing-T set.

Like so many other smaller high school football teams, including Plymouth and Northside — though Keith Boyd runs a variation — the wing-T gives small teams the ability to compete every week, one of the primary reasons Southside runs that style of offense.

And so far, it’s paying off. The Seahawks are off to their best start in four years. Under the leadership of second-year head coach Jeff Carrow, the team is sticking to what it knows and reviving an esteemed football tradition in the process.

This season marks the 10th anniversary of the 2004 football team that came just two-points shy of securing the first state championship in school history. Those two points aside, the Seahawks had one of the most dynamic offenses in the state and finished with a 14-1 record.

But the current version of Southside isn’t looking back, rather, the team is looking up field, always concentrating on the next game or play at hand. And it begins with an aspect Southside hasn’t historically had — a defense, one that Carrow expressed his confidence in following Friday’s game against Northside.

“(The) defense has stepped up tremendously,” he said. “Tonight, the whole team started out slow at the beginning, but the defensive intensity kept us going. This win definitely goes to the defense for stepping up.”

After averaging about 33 points per game en route to a 3-9 record last season, Southside is holding opponents to three scores a game, not great, but a significant step up from last season. The added support has turned the 46-38 losses of old into quality wins.

However, the defense is not the primary reason the Seahawks sit at 5-2. While Washington’s Markel Spencer is catalyst behind what the Pam Pack does on offense, a quartet of running backs has been the heartbeat behind a running game accustomed to finding the end zone.

Last season’s leading rusher, Dylan Lewis has assumed more of a fullback role, opening the door for athletes like junior Lawrence Brown, junior Matt Baxter and senior Donald Moore to pick up yards in bunches.

Southside’s offense is averaging 47 points per game in its last three contests. As for penalty yardage, an aspect of the game what Carrow says can be one of the most crucial detriments to a team, it’s diminished with every game and was virtually nonexistent against Northside.

So far, sophomore quarterback Marshall Medlock, who assuming the starting role after an injury to junior Johnny Sullivan, is looking like a perfect fit in a offense that relies on suitable game management, limiting mistakes and making smart decisions down the stretch.

Win or lose, sink or swim, the Seahawks will not deviate from their offensive model — that much is certain. The backs will run and run some more until, eventually, there’s no opponent left to run against.