FLORENCE — The Florence Phantoms save their best for last.
The Phantoms have shown a knack for pulling out close games during their four-game winning streak, which has put them in a tie with Columbus for first place in the AIFA’s South Division standings.
Three of Florence’s four wins during the streak have come by a combined 11 points, two of which involved touchdowns scored in the final minute.
The third victory was a last-second defensive stand against Harrisburg on March 13.
“I would love to have the game wrapped up a lot sooner, but our guys are confident at the end of games,” Florence coach Mike Watson said. “We coach them to believe in themselves as winners and that’s what they’ve been doing.”
Watson attributes a lot of the confidence on the offensive side to the return of quarterback Omar Jacobs, who was unsigned the first two games.
Since his return, the reigning AIFA MVP has thrown for 814 yards and 19 touchdowns with just five interceptions.
Behind those numbers, Florence ranks first in total offense.
“The offense says toward the end of the game, ‘We got it coach,’ and they believe in themselves,” Watson said. “They think they can score any time and in any situation.”
Tonight against Carolina, Florence (4-1) will be looking to avenge its only loss. The Speed (2-3) defeated the Phantoms 37-29 in the season opener on March 7.
The Phantoms played that game without Jacobs and missed a chance to tie in the final seconds when Brian Scott’s pass was intercepted at the 1-yard line.
“We have improved 100 percent on offense since then,” Watson said. “But Carolina has gotten better, too. We just have to continue to play with confidence and cut down on the mistakes.”
Notes
The Phantoms have signed former Marion standout Tony Ransom, who played at Newberry. Ransom will start at left defensive end in place of Leonard Moore, who will miss his third consecutive game because of a hamstring injury. ... Florence’s home game against Reading has been moved from May 2 to May 1 at 7:30 p.m. ... Phantoms’ kicker Derrick Scott is second in the AIFA in field goals made with 10. ... Florence’s Larry Thompson leads the league in interceptions with seven. ... Clemson product Tribble Reese made his first start at QB for Carolina last week. ... Cleveland McCoy, who played at S.C. State, is a QB/WR for the Speed and played in his first game last week. ... Mark Packer, host of the radio sports talk show Primetime with the Packman, will do the coin toss.
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