ANNISTON, Alabama -- A last second field goal right before halftime swung the momentum to the Yellow Jackets and Oxford goes on to defeat Southside-Gadsden 24-9 in a non-region game. Southside held Oxford to only two first downs in the first half, but the Yellow Jackets turned it around in the second half with a couple of big pass plays and a couple of big defensive plays.

Oxford was down 6-0 right before halftime, but a big 40-yard field goal by Keaton Borrelli as time expired in the 2nd quarter turned the game for Oxford. "That field goal was huge," said Yellow Jackets Head coach Ryan Herring. "That was big momentum. I really can't explain it but it gave us momentum in the second half."

Southside scored first in the game when running back Aleric Williams scored on a 6-yard touchdown run. The extra point was missed and the Panthers led 6-0 with 3:45 left in the half. Williams rushed for 103 yards on 23 carries & a touchdown.

The Yellow Jackets drove right before the half with two big first downs on the drive and kicked the field goal right before the half to cut the Southside lead to 6-3. Oxford only had two first downs at halftime and had less the 100 yards in the first half. "We had some stupid penalties in the first half that hurt us on offense," added Herring. "We knew coming into the game returning one offensive starter that our offense would take some time."

The second half was a different story for the young Oxford offense, but with 6:13 left in the 3rd quarter a Christian Wilmore 36-yard field goal gave Southside a 9-3 lead. After the Southside field goal, the game changed over to Oxford. The first big play in the second half for the Yellow Jackets came when quarterback Brody Syer hit Demetris McClendon on a quick hitter and McClendon raced down field and busted two Panthers defenders deep in Southside territory and ran into the end zone. Borrelli kicked the extra point and the Yellow Jackets led 10-9 with 5:02 left in the 3rd quarter. McClendon finished the game with seven receptions for 117 yards.

A key play in the game was when Patrick Syer stripped a Panthers runner and returned it 20-yards to setup the next Yellow Jackets touchdown. A few plays later, Syer found Justin Smith for a 24-yard touchdown reception to give Oxford a 17-9 lead with 5:52 left in the game. Syer was 13-of-23 passing for 164 yards and two touchdowns.

On the next Southside-Gadsden possession, a Panthers pass was intercepted by Junito Allen for a Oxford pick-six and put the game out of reach. The Yellow Jackets scored with 4:04 left in the game and extended the lead to 24-9.

The Panthers defense did a great job of stopping the Yellow Jackets run game but had a hard time against the pass even in the wet conditions. "We didn't execute very well tonight and take care of the football," said Panthers Head coach Ron Daugherty. "We fought hard and we are going to learn from this one and get better from it."