The Selma Times-Journal

Back to the capital city go the Saints.

Brian Montgomery got what could be called his first signature win in a season-plus as the Selma head coach.

Now the team is looking for more.

The Saints (2-1, 1-1 6A Region 4) go back to the Cramton Bowl tonight looking for their second straight win when they take on Carver.

“Carver is going to be a very young team, but we’re not taking them lightly,” Montgomery said. “We’re just looking to go down there and play a very tough game because it’s going to be competitive. No one’s seen what we can do when we play a game where we don’t make turnovers in bad situations. We have to work on that and keep getting better every day.”

The Wolverines (0-3) have run into a buzz saw their first three games, taking losses to Opelika, Prattville and Wetumpka by a combined 110-40.

But Montgomery said he is wary of the home field advantage of teams that play in the Cramton Bowl.

That makes it all the more important for his players to be at their best this week.

“I’m still looking for breakout games from a lot of guys, especially on offense,” Montgomery said. “The offense has been good, but like I said, we give the ball back to people. We average four and a half minutes on possessions, and that’s great for our defense because it keeps them fresh. At the same time, we keep the other team’s offense off the field.

“Offense is a rhythm thing. If they’re on the other sideline standing around, that works to our advantage.”

Usually, no one pays attention to the defense until it makes a mistake or it makes a big hit.

Selma’s stoppers did the latter this past Friday.

They killed a Sidney Lanier drive last week with quarterback sacks on three consecutive plays and clinched the game with another sack on the final drive.

But it wasn’t all good times when the Saints’ defense was on the field. A couple of plays made Montgomery throw his hands up in the air.

“We put a helmet on the ball and forced it out, it popped right into someone else’s hands and he scored a touchdown,” Montgomery said. “Then the extra point hit off the upright and went in. I was about ready to admit we weren’t going to have any luck that game. I just stood there and laughed. What else can you do?”

One thing Selma has to do is get leads. The Saints have not scored first in any ball game this year.

They’ve been skating so far, but that won’t hold up for very long.

“If we can score first and get rolling, you’ll see what we’re capable of,” Montgomery said.