It disintegrated at the end with a flurry of flags, shoves and ejections, and that was a shame.

Because for 47 minutes, South Rowan and Salisbury put on one of the better defensive shows of the last decade, with both teams showing just how far they’ve come in just a year.

“We knew South would be as improved as anyone on our schedule and they showed tonight just how good a football team they are,” said Salisbury head coach Raymond Daugherty. “But so did we.”

Last year when South and Salisbury faced off, neither had won a single game. This year both teams came in 2-1 with the only losses coming to legitimate powerhouses.

“It was just a good old-fashioned, defensive football game until the very end,” said Daugherty, after South’s 12-8 win — its third straight victory in intra-county games this season — stumbled and rumbled into in the history books.

Daugherty said he was embarrassed at the ugly way things ended. South coach Rick Vanhoy, who picked up a couple of flagrant penalties as tempers flared, was quick to point out that his team had to share the blame with the homestanding Hornets for letting things getting out of hand. The bottom line was that neither team was willing to walk away from any confrontation or any inflammatory trash talk. When things got physical, the pushee always pushed back.

Vanhoy let his team know how disappointed he was in its loss of poise in that last minute in his lengthy postgame huddle. He told his troops that “he’d rather be 0-11 than not show class.”

Vanhoy’s team did show, however, that it has one heck of a defense. The opportunistic Raiders (3-1) picked off three passes and recovered two fumbles.

“Our defense was tough — really knocked a lot of balls loose,” Vanhoy said. “It wasn’t like people were just dropping the ball on the ground.”

South struck first when Matt Shoemaker’s fumble recovery set up a 44-yard field goal by Robby Basinger.

Salisbury got its only score of the night in the second quarter, taking advantage of a tipped 9-yard Basinger punt to push 38 yards for a touchdown. The key play came when Ken Drye spun out of Jay Phillips’ attempted tackle for a 12-yard gain to the 3. Drye got the touchdown from the 1, crashing into Joel Reyes at the goal line and falling into paydirt.

The Hornets then pulled off a trick play for a two-point conversion and an 8-3 lead when holder Boo Blount took the snap and outran South defenders to the corner of the end zone.

Salisbury (2-2) controlled the action the rest of the half until Daugherty gambled and lost on a late fourth-and-one at the South 44. Again Drye got the carry, but this time Reyes slammed him to the turf in his tracks to give the Raiders possession with 58 seconds to go.

A 17-yard pass play from Ricky Childers to Keith Garrett set up Basinger for a 42-yard field goal with eight seconds left in the half to cut South’s deficit to 8-6.

South’s first-half numbers were ugly against the Hornets’ inspired defense: four first downs, for instance.

“Salisbury’s linebackers (Ken Drye and Stephen Blanton) and those two big guys (T.J. Hosch and T.J. Johnson) who go both ways got my respect,” said Vanhoy. “They can play.”

It was a different looking second half, as South’s offensive line asserted itself.

“The late field goal changed momentum some, and I think out kids on the line came out and made a statement after halftime,” said Vanhoy. “They were coming off the ball and the backs were hitting the holes hard. We challenged our guys to go right at them, because Salisbury’s too quick to get outside on.”

South’s backfield leaders Keith Garrett and Tore’ Girty struggled for 40 yards between them in the first half. But in the second, they cavorted through big holes for 163.

“We got some fire in our butt in the second half,” said South center Tripp Isenhour. “That turned the tide. We stuck them pretty good.”

Girty rambled 25 yards on South’s first play after halftime, but Salisbury eventually stiffened, forcing another field-goal attempt by Basinger. This time he missed from 40, and the Hornets still led.

But then quarterback Jerry Miller tried a toss over the middle that was picked off by Phillips at the Salisbury 19. Girty promptly ripped off 15 yards to the 4 and fullback David Ritchie bulldozed in from there for a go-head touchdown with 9:32 left in the third quarter.

Neither team scored over the final 21:32.

South moved the ball, but not for points. On its best chance, Garrett lost the ball inside the 5 fighting for extra yardage and Salisbury’s Justin West came up with a huge recovery.

Salisbury was turning it over as well. Reggie McConneaughey and Anthony Rhyne forced a fumble and Brad Lanning pilfered a Miller pass.

The Hornets mustered only two first downs in the second half, as South’s rugged front men Randy Rigsby and Jimmy Propst kept up relentless pressure.

It was Propst, who made the play that sealed the game.

The Hornets had a last-gasp fourth-and-3 at the South 45, when Propst stormed in and smashed Miller just as he threw to force an incompletion.

Propst said he never saw what happened downfield, just felt Miller crashing to the ground underneath him.

“My guy sort of moved out of the way and I got in there on the QB,” Miller said. “I came off the field and everyone’s saying, ‘Big play, big play.’ So I guess it was.”

“Our guy was open and we’ve got that big first down if we protect the quarterback,” said Daugherty. “We’ve still got to get better up front, and that’s my job.”

Propst’s hit was pretty much it, as South’s offensive line kept creating craters for Garrett, Ritchie and Girty and never let Salisbury touch the ball again.

“I told the guys, ‘Let’s get this thing over and hit Pizza Hut,’ said Isenhour. “We’ve done what we came for. County wins are big.”

But then came the silliness of the last minute. That spoiled everyone’s appetite.