For the second year in a row, the St. James high school football team tasted the bitterness of defeat in the Division III Non-Select state championship, a game that slipped through their fingers despite their odds-defying efforts, as reported by Houma Today. Ensnared in a deadlock with the Sterlington Panthers, the endgame scenario dwindled to a heart-stopping 35-28, marking the conclusion of a tightly contested affair inside the hallowed halls of the Superdome.
Throughout the game that spelled their second consecutive shortfall in the championship, St. James (10-3) and Sterlington (10-4) seemed to be on an equal footing, trading blows with the intensity of two heavyweights evenly-matched where after the first quarter there was only one point separating them and by the second and third quarters, the teams were tied according to the same coverage, in a story of a gritty tug-of-war wherein dominance was never quite established. But, following a fourth quarter wherein the SJHS offense, hampered by fatigue, faltered and was forced to punt back to Sterlington, a glimmer of hope with their defense somehow rallying and presenting the offense a chance to force overtime, proved elusive as a last-minute interception thrown by the young hopeful Ja'Juan Jackson dashed their aspirations.
The arresting power of Sterlington's run game, which amassed a thunderous 341 rushing yards out of their total 355 yards of offense, was a critical component of their victory, as noted in a summary by WGNO. This ground assault was the vehicle for all five of Sterlington's touchdowns, an accomplishment casting a shadow over St. James' defensive record which boasted less than 12 points-per-game allowed during the regular season. Nolan Zenon stood out amidst the team's disappointment, garnering the Most Outstanding Player award for St. James on the back of a 23 tackles performance complemented by a forced fumble.
After a season marked by moments of brilliance and heartache, the finality of St. James' 10-3 record reflects both the potential and the pitfall of high school football's unforgiving battleground, WBRZ reports.
