Selma quarterback Oquindell Pernell’s run on fourth-and-eight late in the fourth quarter came up a yard-and-a-half short Friday night and the Saints dropped a 14-8 decision to the Southside High School Panthers at Memorial Stadium.

It was the second consecutive season that the Panthers had beaten the Saints and third time in the past four seasons.

An offseason fitness program helped improve the Saints’ overall speed, but left the team’s overall condition in doubt. Selma recovered a Southside fumble at its own 44-yard line late in the game, but was unable to move the ball, turning it over on downs when Pernell’s run down the Selma High sideline came up just short of the first-down marker in the final minute.

“It was hotter (Friday) than it’s been in a long time,” Selma High head coach Woodrow Lowe Jr. said after his team dropped its season opener in the inter-county rivalry. “Our team conditioning wasn’t as good as it could have been.”

On the other hand, the Panthers’ defense outlasted the Selma offense late in the game, effectively guarding the Saints’ receivers while shutting down the Saints’ running attack for much of the game.

Southside head coach Chris Raymond credited his team’s hard work in the weight room for Friday night’s win.

“Our conditioning helped us win this ball game,” Raymond said. “It really paid off. We ran and got our condition work in over the summer. It paid off tonight.”

After being stopped on offense most of the night, Selma finally got a boost by its defense. Trailing 14-0, the Saints recovered a Southside fumble at the Selma 24-yard line with 5:25 to go. A personal foul against Southside gave the Saints possession at the 39.

Eight plays later, Pernell connected with junior running back Stephan Woods, who laid out to pull in a 23-yard scoring toss that got the Saints on the board. The two hooked up again to bring Selma to within six points, 14-8.

The Panthers still appeared to have momentum, until the Saints’ defense tightened and stopped Southside halfback Tommy Myles Jr. on three plays, forcing the Panthers to punt.

The Saints got rolling quickly when Pernell found junior receiver Bernard Walker on an 11-yard slant pass to the Selma 44.

Two incomplete passes and a short 2-yard toss to Walker brought up fourth-and-8 at the Selma 46. Pernell then took the snap and scrambled around the left side before running out of bounds near the first-down marker, stopping the clock with 53.3 seconds to go.

Unfortunately for the Saints, the referees met on the sideline and ruled that the chains used to measure the 10 yards needed for a first down had been moved back two yards, giving the impression that Pernell had reached the first down.

However, the referees requested that the first marker be moved from the 42-yard line to the original starting mark at the 44. A second measurement showed the Saints to be a yard-and-a-half short of the first down, ending the drive and handing the ball on downs to the Panthers.

“The cards lay where they fall,” Lowe said. “It is what it is. We lost. Let’s leave it at that.”

The drama throughout the game is what Raymond had expected all along.

“This is the kind of game you talk about on the phone,” the Southside head coach said. “Selma has a good team.”

The opening quarter was a defensive battle, with both teams turning the ball over multiple times. Southside had the best ball penetration early on when Myles broke free for a 30-yard run to the Saints’ 12.

But two runs for losses and an incomplete pass halted the drive. The Panthers’ 33-yard field goal try was blocked and Selma came away with the ball at its own 33-yard line.

The Panthers got the ball back three plays later when right cornerback Clyde Brown stepped in front of a Selma receiver and picked off Pernell’s pass at the Saints’ 40-yard line.

Southside took advantage of the turnover 10 plays later when Myles bullied his way into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run. The extra-point try failed and the Panthers held a 6-0 lead with 3:52 left before halftime.

Both defenses played well for the remainder of the first half and throughout the third period. Southside finally was able to get to the end zone again on the final play of the third quarter. Quarterback Ricky McConico found wide receiver Cory Jackson on a 33-yard scoring toss down the right sideline. Myles took the handoff on the 2-point try and fumbled the ball just before hitting the goal line. Fortunately for Southside, the ball trickled into the end zone where the Panthers were able to fall on it for the two points and a 14-0 advantage.