The Labor Day Classic game between the Alabama State University Hornets and the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers was not only an overtime showdown between rival HBCU’s, but also a chance for Southside head football coach Daniel Flowers to show support for his former players down on the sidelines.

An ASU alumnus himself, Flowers often returns to Montgomery for games and to expose his student-athletes to a nearby Division I collegiate program.

This past Saturday, two of his former Southside Panthers, De’Quan Johnson and Edward “EJ” Moore, were on the sidelines in front of more than 26,200 fans.

“That was the first time I was on the field playing in front of a crowd like that, ever,” Johnson said. “It was exciting.”

Johnson, a red-shirt freshman and the 2016 Times-Journal Player of the Year, is a receiver for the Hornets. He didn’t record a catch against the Tigers, but Flowers was still proud to see his former player on the field.

“It was awesome,” Flowers said. “[Johnson] was actually on the field in a big-time game with a capacity crowd of 26,000. It was awesome to see him work off his routes and they couldn’t hold him down. It felt good to know that a player that I coached actually played at that level. The whole experience was great.”

The Hornets trailed 20-13 going into the fourth quarter, but ASU quarterback Darryl Pearson Jr. sent the game into overtime with a 9-yard touchdown run with 5:09 left in regulation.

Moore, a freshman linebacker, wasn’t dressed for the game, but he traveled with the team and was on the sidelines with his teammates.

“It came down to me and a senior, and coach chose the senior because it was his last year,” Moore said. “But being on the sideline is different from being in the stands. It was like a wild atmosphere for me, but it’s nothing that I’m not used to.”

He’s been to plenty of games before as a spectator, but he got his first taste of being on the sidelines of a college football game this past Saturday. It was a new perspective for Moore, being just one year removed from playing at Southside High School.

“I was actually excited to see [Johnson] play because I had tried to catch some of his games last year, but he’s a redshirt and they didn’t let him play,” Moore said. “But to see him run through some routes, it was exciting to see him do that.”

Tuskegee lost the game in overtime after Hornets running back Ezra Gray scored on a 30-yard run to end the game. It was the first time the Hornets have beaten the Golden Tigers since 2011.

“I felt like we put something down in history,” Johnson said. “2011 is a long time from now, but it felt good. It got the team going, and it felt like we can keep the energy going through the year.”

Flowers wasn’t able to get down to meet his former student-athletes, but they appreciated his support all the same. He regularly checks in on both Johnson and Moore, and is proud to see that his players reached the next level.

“If it wasn’t for [Flowers], I probably wouldn’t be in the place that I am now,” Johnson said. “It’s actually great to have him come watch me play.”

“It just shows that [Flowers] cares about his players and their well-being,” Moore said. “He tries to talk with me once or twice-a-week just to catch up with me and see how things are going. It feels nice to hear him come back and try to check on us and see how we’re doing.”

Johnson looked for Moore after the game, but the two were unable to connect before everyone headed back to their respective locker rooms.

“I was actually looking for him after the game, but I couldn’t find him,” Johnson said. “But it felt good to know that we can keep doing the thing that we love. Hopefully, that’ll continue from Southside and more players get to go to college and play and experience that.”

The two players from Southside still have a long season ahead of them, but their presence on the football field means a lot to Flowers and the Panthers football program.

“It’s good to have somebody from Southside playing on a stage like that,” Flowers said. “Words can’t explain how that feels. It’s something you never get tired of seeing.”