NATCHEZ &045; In a game like this, Dudley Guice Jr. heard a lot of things.

But late in the game he heard something from the linebackers that may stick with him for a long time.

&uot;I was hearing the linebackers say, ‘Oak Forest, Oak Forest,&uot; Guice said.

It was the team that gave Guice and the Trinity Episcopal Saints their toughest game during the regular season. The Saints had to pull it out in overtime, but it wasn’t because the Saints struggled.

So when the game was on the line late and the defense had to make a big stop, the two words were plenty of motivation. The Saints survived a late Glenbrook threat to take a 21-20 win in the MPSA Class A South State semifinal in a game that just about had it all.

&uot;In the end, we stood up and did what Trinity Episcopal School is supposed to do, and that’s win,&uot; said Guice, who had one of two the Saints’ two interceptions on Glenbrook’s last drive. &uot;I can’t leave out our (defensive) front line. I give them all the praise. That second half we stood up. All I can say is we can’t play like that if we want to win state.&uot;

The Apaches forced Trinity to make some mistakes early, but the Saints rose up in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns after entering it trailing 20-7.

Two touchdowns gave them the one-point lead with under a minute to play, but the Apaches wouldn’t go that quietly. Trinity held them to a fourth down at its own 25, but J.C. Fleming hit Chris Willis on a 68-yard pass to put the Apaches at the 7 with under 20 seconds left.

On the second play, Fleming rolled out and was picked off by Guice, who fumbled it with Glenbrook’s Jake Pickett recovering to set up a first down at the Trinity 6 with four seconds left.

Fleming rolled out to his left and was picked off by Walt Ketchings as time expired.

&uot;What can you say?&uot; Glenbrook head coach Jerry Almond said. &uot;Two pretty good clubs, and somebody has to come out on top. This one was theirs. They pulled everybody back (on that last drive). We though we could do something right there at the end. You can’t take anything away from Trinity. They’re well-coached and have a heck of a lot of athletes.&uot;

Ketchings’ grab put the finishing touches on a fourth quarter flurry by the Saints, who started it when Gregory Ketchings made an interception on the first play of the quarter to set up the Saints’ first score.

After scoring to cut the lead to 20-14, the Apaches held Trinity to a fourth-and-10 situation at the Glenbrook 45. Trinity quarterback Ryan Rachal hit Walt Ketchings on a huge 33-yard pass to get to the 12, and Rachal hit Guice three plays later on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds left to tie the game at 20-20.

Nason Stephens then kicked the extra point through for the 21-20 lead.

&uot;In a game like this, I’ve got to step up,&uot; said Guice, who caught four passes on the night while being double-covered most of the game. &uot;I’ve got to play like a SEC player. Walt Ketchings made a great catch. Coach was on my butt earlier in the game, and I had to step up. In the end I made a big play, and No. 5 (Walt Ketchings) came through for us.&uot;

Said Trinity head coach David King: &uot;We had to make plays, but these kids have been making plays since the fifth grade. I’m tired of being modest &045; when you’ve got a great program, you make plays like that. That’s why the Miamis and the Florida States win games &045; because they’ve always been able to make big plays. We’ve got a team that’s been able to do that.&uot;

Both sides made big plays, and the Apaches had their share of big plays earlier in the game. They came up with a blocked punt, a fumble recovery and a defensive stand at the Saints’ 1 to keep control of the contest and build a 20-7 lead.

Rachal and the Saints tried on several occasions to connect with Guice on the big play but came up empty.

&uot;We put a lot of pressure on Chris to cover Guice all night, and he did a great job,&uot; Almond said. &uot;I thought our defense stepped up and played well when they had to. They got some breaks. I thought we made some plays that helped us field position-wise. That (blocked punt) was real huge. But it just wasn’t meant to be.&uot;

The Apaches blocked a Rachal punt at the start of the second quarter and took over at the Trinity 4. Speedy running back Josh Thornton &045; who finished with 147 yards on 20 carries &045; ran it in for a score on the first play for a 14-7 lead with 10:08 left.

On the Saints’ first play they fumbled, and Tomlin Wilson came up with it to give the Apaches the ball at the 50. Fleming hit Clint Ritchie for a 22-yard pass to get to the 4, and Fleming ran it in three plays later from 1 yard out for a 20-7 lead with 4:37 left in the third.

&uot;Momentum is a big factor in high school football,&uot; King said. &uot;They had it early on, but we made some huge stops (late). But neither team deserved to lose. (Our) rivalry just intensified. This is the atmosphere you expect in the South State semifinal game.&uot;