All of Mary G. Montgomery’s scoring was confined to a three-minute stretch late in the first half.

But the offense’s ability to keep the ball away from Daphne late in the game is what led to the Vikings’ historic victory.

MGM is headed to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years after beating Daphne 14-9 Friday night.

“Our guys are believing that we can compete with and beat anybody,” said first-year coach Zach Golson, who was Daphne’s offensive coordinator last year. “Look around. This place is different now.”

The Vikings have now won five games in a row after opening 0-4.

They led 14-9 at halftime but had to hang on in the second half. The Trojans missed a 26-yard field goal after holding the ball for 14 plays to open the second half. Daphne drove to a first-and-goal on its next possession but came up short on a fourth-down play from the 19.

The Trojans’ third and final possession of the half ended in a punt that gave MGM the ball at its 9 with 8:03 remaining.

Daphne never got the ball again.

MGM ran 15 plays to drain the final 8:03. The Vikings converted first downs on a third-and-12 scramble for 14 yards by Jared Hollins, a third-and-4 on a 4-yard run by Wildcat quarterback Shondell Harris and a third-and-8 on an 8-yard pass from Hollins to James Bolton.

The final blow was a 15-yard run by Hollins that ended in a fumble. But the junior quarterback was able to get the ball back for a first down that allowed the Vikings kneel twice to secure the win.

“We just had to grind it out at the end,” said MGM senior guard Tyler Chapman. “We’ve been working for this for 20-something years. Not just for us, but for our whole school..”

Daphne took an early 3-0 lead on a 27-yard field goal by Baylor Beard midway through the second quarter. The Trojans held MGM without a first down for the first 17 minutes of the game.

But the Vikings got the offense going late in the half. Harris scored on a 1-yard run on fourth down with 3:43 left before halftime. Troy Flowers added a 1-yard scoring run with 1:07 left before halftime.

Daphne’s only touchdown came on a 99-yard drive late in the half. Cameron Long scored with no time on the clock from 3 yards out to close the gap to 14-9.

Welcome back: Flowers played for the first time since suffering a broken arm in the first game of the season. He caught a pass for a 6-yard gain on the first play of the game. He finished with 41 rushing yards on 11 carries, including the touchdown. “This feels amazing,” Flowers said. “I knew at the end we had to keep the ball and protect it. It was great to be back out there.”

Streaks broken: Last week, MGM snapped a 12-game losing streaking to Baker. Now the Vikings have beaten Daphne for the first time ever after seven losses and earned a playoff spot for the first time since 2002.

Star of the game: Hollins completed 11 of 13 passes for 109 yards. He also ran seven times for 23 yards.

They said it: “We’re going to the playoffs for the first time in 20. I’m speechless. We’ve just got to keep working to get better.” MGM coach Zach Golson

They said it: “That play was supposed to be a go ball, but I saw the open space. I’ve been playing with Jared since we were 4-years old, so we were on the same page,” Bolton on his late catch that produced a key first down for MGM

Stat of the Game: Daphne picked up three first downs on one play in the third quarter. Star back Nick Clark (18 carries for 93 yards) gained seven yard to pick up a first down to the MGM. The Vikings were called for a late hit, which resulted in another first down, plus a personal foul that moved the ball to a first down at the MGM 9. But the drive stalled there.

By the numbers: MGM rushed 39 times for 157 yards and passed for 109 yards for a total of 266 yards. Daphne rushed 24 times for 153 yards and completed 14 of 33 passes for 133 yards for a total of 286 yards.

What’s next? Daphne will visit Foley to wrap up its Region 1 slate, while MGM will be at Robertsdale in a non-region game.