By Blake Deshazo
The Selma Times-Journal

The Saints (1-4) could feel it in the air Friday night, as they marched their way to a 20-6 victory on homecoming night over Sumter Central (1-4).

The Saints leaned heavily on their run game, as Brandon Hope ran for two touchdowns and Jonathan Pressley added another.

“We have been through so much adversity the past four weeks, and on homecoming, our first game to get this win for the seniors, it means so much to me,” said Selma head coach Keon Handley.

“I know it means a lot to the senior class, to the fan base.”

Handley said it has been a long road to earning his first victory at Selma since he took over the program.

“I’ve been really feeling like I’ve been letting these guys down, so I had to do some soul searching,” Handley said. “My coaching staff did some soul searching, and we just said we’re going to do the best for the kids and keep working every day.”

The Saints and Jaguars traded punts back and forth in the first quarter. After an early second quarter punt by Sumter, the Saints were in prime position on the 50-yard line.

Brandon Hope took the handoff from quarterback Kordez Ervin and scampered down the field for a touchdown, giving the Saints a 6-0 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter.

“To him, I know this was redemption because he remembers the Southside game in overtime. He dropped the ball,” Handley said.

“I told him to forget about it, and that he would get his opportunity. Tonight he took advantage of it.”

The Jaguars answered right back with a big kickoff return. Christopher Millsap hit Quindarius Jackson, who was wide open, in the end zone for a touchdown, tying the game up at six apiece.

The Saints had a chance to score at the end of the first half, but fumbled their chances away. The next score of the game wouldn’t come until the fourth quarter when Pressley ran the ball in from five yards out to put the Saints up 12-6.

Hope added his second score of the night from six yards out with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter, sealing the Saints victory. Charles Black added a two-point conversion, making it 20-6, Selma.

After forcing a turnover on downs, the Saints ran the ball to run down the clock and give the fans a homecoming night to remember.

“We made a lot of mistakes. We didn’t key in on what we talked about in the game plan and practice during the week. That frustrated me a little,” Handley said. “We went back to tempo and pushed the ball, pushed the ball, tried to go fast, and we caught them off guard. And once we caught them off guard, it gave us leverage.“

Selma is set to face Northridge next week at Memorial Stadium.