Or could they?

The momentum definitely lies with the Saints, winners in three of their past four games.

Building energy has been difficult for Selma. Along with the postponement of Sept. 18 games throughout the state due to Hurricane Ivan, the Saints also were forced to cancel a game in the Florida panhandle just two weeks earlier because of yet another hurricane.

“That’s just one of those things,” Selma coach Woodrow Lowe Jr. said. “We wanted to play as many games as we could this season. We just had circumstances happen that we couldn’t control.”

Momentum appeared to finally be on the side of the Saints until last week’s 28-0 loss to Jeff Davis snapped their three-game winning streak.

“We lost to a good football team,” Lowe said. “But you can win through learning your mistakes. You can get a lot out of losing.

“They guys can feel like they’ve had success,” Lowe added. “Now it’s time to come back down to Earth.”

The Saints have yet another opportunity to gain momentum going into the postseason when they host Carver (4-4) tonight. A victory would put Selma (3-3) back over the .500 mark. It also would clinch the third spot in Class 6A, Region 4 for the Saints, while a loss would drop them to the number four spot.

Either way, Selma will be on the road for the opening round of the playoffs.

A victory in the first round, however, would mean that the Saints would host a second-round game.

If building momentum hasn’t been enough of a chore for Selma, staying healthy has been. The Saints are suffering from a bevy of nagging injuries that have hampered their progress throughout the season.

Lowe said as many as six starters could be out for tonight’s game.

“Injuries have to be expected,” Lowe said. “When the kids are leaving it out on the field, they get banged up.

“Our goal all along has been to get better every week,” Lowe added. “We’ve had a lot of injuries that have really hindered us. Take away those injuries and we’re where we want to be.”

Where Lowe wants his team to eventually finish – as state champions – is just five victories away. That first victory could come tonight against Carver.

Lowe said Carver was like Selma in that this season has been one of improvement for both squads. Selma looks to a possible winning season after finishing 1-8 last year.

“(Carver coach) Larry Ware took a program that was down,” he said, “and has done a good job bringing it back. They had a similar season to ours. They’ve lost some tough ones, too.”