Maybe it was the fact that it was homecoming, or maybe it was the fact that it was the last football game of the careers for the Selma Saints seniors. Which ever or what ever, the Saints fought and scratched out 23-20 win over the Greene County Tigers to close the season with a 5-5 record.

“It feels good to go .500,” said Selma head coach Foster Davis. “We lost four in a row, so just to go out on a positive note is good for our seniors. Our guys showed a lot of heart and character tonight.”

The Saints played the entire first half in a deficit. Greene County scored on the opening drive of the game to go up 8-0. Selma got its first points at the end of the first quarter as senior Alphonso Phillips plunged six yards up the middle to make it an 8-6 game.

On its ensuing possession the Tiger put together a 75-yard drive to go up 14-6 with 5:35 left in the second quarter. Phillips added another three points to his scoring for the night by booting a 20-yard field goal.

“I try to do whatever the team need,” said Phillips, who plays on the defensive line in addition to blocking at fullback. “I’m going to miss working with these guys, because they are some hard working fellas.”

Selma had to come from behind twice in the second half. Trailing 14-9 going into the third quarter, running back Eddie Johnson took a hand off on the first play from scrimmage and out ran the Tiger defense for a 63-yard touchdown. Quarterback Darion Alexander was successful on the two-point conversion to give the Saints its first lead of the contest, 17-14.

Greene County came right back and marched 83 yards to go back on top 20-17.

Selma refused to give in as they started a drive from its own 39-yard line with less than four minutes left in the third quarter. It took them 10 plays that culminated when senior Demario Ross went airborne over the middle of the line to star the fourth quarter, givng his team a three point advantage.

“To go out with a victory; I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Ross.

The Saint defense took care of the business in the fourth quarter. They forced the Tigers to punt early in the quarter, and then held on as the clock ran out on Greene County who had driven the ball from its own four to the Selma 10 yard line.

“Our defense was strong the first part of the year,” added Davis. “We moved some of our guys from defense to offense because of injuries, but tonight we put some of those same guys back on defense.”