STEM - When they faced a crucial fourth down in the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets of Selma remembered what their coach had told them before the game.

Minutes later, when they were backed up against their own goal line with Wake Forest poised to score - considering they had first-and-goal at the 1-yard line, they remembered his words as well.

The Yellow Jackets came through on both occasions Sunday afternoon in the East Wake Football League Mini-Mite Super Bowl at Granville Central High School and walked away with the championship after an 18-13 victory over the Bulldogs.

"We played the whole game," Selma coach Cortney Moore told his team after the win. "It was just like I told you, if we kept playing hard the whole game and worked together for the whole game, things would go our way. It got tough at times but we stayed together as a team and worked together as a team."

After Wake Forest went up 13-12 with 6:17 to play, Selma knew its ensuing drive was probably its last of the game. Three plays later, they faced fourth-and-4. The Jackets turned to Brian Frazier for another big play. He came through, using the solid blocking of his teammates to clear the left side of the Wake Forest line and raced away on a 34-yard touchdown run that put the Yellow Jackets up 18-13 with 3:38 to play.

It was Frazier's third TD run of the afternoon. All three runs covered more than 30 yards. He scored from 34 yards out in the second quarter and from 38 yards out in the third quarter as well. Frazier finished with 115 yards rushing on nine carries on the 80-yard field the Mini-Mites play on in the East Wake Football League.

"Offensively, we did enough," Moore said. "We just stuck with the same things we've been able to do all season and were able to hit some big plays with Brian Frazier. He made the big plays but Isaiah Watson, Anthony Council and Johnavan Neal contributed as well.

"Isaiah had a big block on the left side that helped spring Brian on the touchdown run."

But the Jackets' work wasn't done yet. Wake Forest bulled its way back into scoring range in the final minute and earned a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line with 38 seconds to play.

A go ahead score looked likely with the Bulldogs set up for as many as four plays.

The Selma defense kept playing hard though. The Jackets forced a Wake Forest runner wide on first down and the great pursuit to the ball Selma's 'D' used throughout the game came up again.

The Bulldogs lost the ball on the play and Selma's Octaevious Bunn covered it, ending Wake Forest's almost certain scoring drive with a turnover.

"Defensively, the guys stayed home and made big tackles when we needed them," Moore said. "We made an adjustment at the half where we had our ends to stay home and take a couple of steps back and then come hard when the ball came their way."

After a kneel down by Deck at quarterback, the celebration was on for the Yellow Jackets and their fans - they had added a Super Bowl trophy that stood taller than any team member to go along with their Southern Division championship trophy they'd collected before the game.

"These guys have just continued to improve and stick with it for the last three years," Moore said. "We went 1-7 our first season, then 5-3 and to improve to where we are today is a tribute to how hard these guys have played and their dedication to seeing things through."