Last One Out, Close the Gate: Jena Heads to New Orleans for a Dream Decades in the Making

by Robin Fambrough // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

How much does playing for a state football title mean for Jena?

“I don’t cry a lot,” former quarterback Darrel McCartney said. “When I saw my cousin, Whitney McCartney (Jena’s offensive coordinator), after the game, we both just broke down … right there at midfield.

“He said, ‘I’ve waited so long.’ And I said, ‘You waited about half as long as me. I’ve waited 50 years since I played. And I’ve been on the chain gang 35 years.’ ”

The top-seeded Giants (12-1) meet defending champion Sterlington (11-2) in the Division III non-select title game at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the LHSAA Prep Classic being played at the Caesars Superdome. 

Even though Jena is the top seed, the Giants have a storyline of a Rocky-esque underdog. 

Sterlington beat Jena 48-14 in the semifinals a year ago and makes its fifth finals appearance since 2016. The Panthers look to claim their fourth title.

That doesn’t matter in Jena, a central Louisiana town with approximately 4,200 residents and, of course, a high school with 485 students that shares its name.

Located in LaSalle Parish, Jena is the quintessential small town. It’s located 45 minutes from Alexandria and about an hour from both Ruston and Monroe.

This week … all roads lead to New Orleans and the Superdome for a team that has defied expectations and is the pride of the place where residents are wearing black-and-gold all week to celebrate, McCartney says. 

School is cancelled Friday in the parish, so Jena High and supporters of all the LaSalle schools, including the parish’s other high school, LaSalle High, can be in attendance.

At the heart of it all are coaches and a team that have been working and waiting for a chance to be one of Louisiana’s elite small-town teams. 

Head coach Jay Roark is a LaSalle graduate who came to Jena as an assistant coach in 2007. The 45-year-old Roark has been the head coach since 2012. His wife, Sarah, coached Jena to a softball title in 2021 and a runner-up finish last year.

The school is best known for its girls’ basketball program that has eight LHSAA titles, 11 runner-up finishes, and two Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame coaches in Jelly Pigott and Carrice Russell Baker.   

“There was a time when we never thought this would happen,” Roark said. “But around 2020, I started seeing signs we were heading in the right direction.

“When the bracket came out, I felt good about where we were, but you never know. There are no guarantees. Since the Bunkie game … that was a big one … this team got better. They play hard, they play as a team and for each other. They’re doing things the right way.”

As outside linebackers coach/Jena historian Russell Dorton notes, it wasn’t always that way. The 67-year-old McCartney bluntly says the Giants were not good when he was the starting quarterback in 1976.

“It was bad … for a long time,” Dorton said. “That’s why this is so gratifying.”

Jena won four district football titles in the 1950s and did not win another until 1998 and 1999. Even then, success remained elusive. 

By the time Roark and the Giants won a district title in 2015, the coaching staff was expanded, and more resources were available. Jena has now won eight district titles in 10 years.

“A lot of kids and coaches have gone through this program over the years who are a big part of this,” Roark said. “There were years when there were only three or four coaches in team pictures. Those coaches and players worked hard, regardless of the final record.”

A 30-6 win over another traditional power, Union Parish, in last week’s semifinals, represents a giant step. The Farmers eliminated Jena three times in the playoffs recently, including their other previous semifinal berth in 2023.

McCartney optimistically booked a hotel room in New Orleans a couple of months ago. Roark and his coaching staff were cautious. The defense, led by coordinator Rob Faircloth, nephew of legendary Vidalia coach Dee Faircloth (274 career wins), had nine new starters. 

The Class 3A Giants’ Week 1 win over Class 2A power Mangham was a 64-48 shootout. Jena won four straight before losing to 4A Tioga 55-22 and has not lost since.  A 68-45 Week 8 win over Bunkie paved the way for a District 2-3A title as part of an eight-game winning streak.

Last week, the defense took on a lead role. The Giants held Union on the game’s opening possession. Then, the splitback veer offense took over. Jena scored on its first four possessions.

Running backs Sedrick Wilson (2,061 yards, 31 touchdowns) and Daniel Hatcher (1,777 yards, 25 TDs) lead the offense. 

Quarterback Deuce McPherson adds 1,448 passing yards and 22 TDs while orchestrating the offense as adeptly as he handled congratulations and questions about this week during a trip to the area Walmart.

“I think the week we beat Bunkie was really big for us,” McPherson said. “We grew together as a team and really connected more than we ever had. The connection and the experience we have from last year makes a difference.”

Wilson adds, “This year has been a growth thing … on and off the field. We’ve become a brotherhood. We depend on each other. We’ve gotten stronger throughout the year.”

Asked what it means to play in the Superdome, McPherson minced no words.

“We’ve never been under the big lights like this,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and you have to live in that moment and love every minute of it.”

After a morning walk-through practice, the Giants will head to New Orleans and watch a title game on Thursday. Roark knows that it will be important since only a handful of Jena players have been to the Superdome.

The highway will be lined with fans for Thursday’s send-off. Like McCartney, they will follow.

“The word out there … last one who leaves needs to close the gate,” McCartney quipped. “There may not be anybody left.”