From Heartbreak to Hope: St. James Seeks Championship Glory

by: Lori Lyons // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

St. James High School head football coach LaVanta Davis believes in keeping things simple.

So as he and his football team head to the Caesars Superdome for tonight’s Division III non-select 7 p.m. championship game against No. 6 Sterlington, the No. 1 seed St. James Wildcats have a very simple motto: 

Finish.

“Finish the mission that we set,” said Davis, in his third season as head coach of the Wildcats after spending four seasons as an assistant. “We have to finish the mission.”

It’s definitely a carryover from the 2023 season in which the Wildcats did not finish the way they wanted to. St. James reached the state championship game as the No. 3 seed only to lose to No. 4 Union Parish, 36-35, on a last-minute touchdown and two-point conversion by the Farmers.

And there was a little bit of déjà vu for Wildcats’ fans last week as St. James hosted Union Parish in the semifinals and, at one point, trailed the Farmers 36-35. But there was none for Davis.

“I was so in tune to the game I didn’t even realize it,” Davis said. “I didn’t know it until one of the reporters asked me after the game. I was like, ‘Man, I swear. I didn’t even know. We just needed a defensive stop.’”

By then the Wildcats were celebrating their own last-minute touchdowns in a 21-point fourth quarter that gave them a 43-35 win and sent them back to the Superdome for another chance at winning a title. It would be the Wildcat’s sixth championship. Their last came in 2019 when Robert Valdez was the coach and Davis was an assistant. Davis previously succeeded Valdez at Scotlandville High School, leading its football team to the finals in 2016. 

There is a little more déjà vu for Davis and the Wildcats as they face Sterlington – the team St. James beat 28-17 in the semifinals to reach the championship game. Davis said he hopes the experience from last year works in his favor this year.

“You can’t put a price tag on that experience,” Davis said. “We’re going to try to use the benefit of that experience to our advantage, learn from our mistakes and miscues. We have to realize we’re going to get Sterlington’s best shot. They have a lot riding on it for themselves. They have a lot of undue influence to return the favor because we did go through them last year.”

As for Davis, he is – in a word – grateful to be playing for another title. 

“There’s a lot of gratitude to have an opportunity to get back because those things, you really can’t take for granted,” Davis said. “It’s a great thing to see how much adversity the kids went through and still they continued to fight. The kids really showed their true character. The coaches continued to coach until the clock ran out. We just encouraged them to continue to play and they did. It’s a testament to our kids. A lot of things have to go your way for you to get there. Health. A lot of God’s blessings. It’s not easy.”

The Wildcats’ road back to the Dome certainly has not been easy. Davis saw 13 starters from last year’s team graduate, leaving a bunch of holes to fill. Then he found himself with a freshman quarterback in Ja’Juan Jackson, who is all of 14 years old. The youngster has impressed, however. Last week, even after suffering a knee injury, he was 20 of 26 for 325 yards and three touchdowns.

“It’s amazing that he finished with those numbers because he started off so slow,” Davis said. “I think he was nervous on the stage. But he settled down after whatever happened with his knee. He took a little lick, came out the game for a play. We called a time-out, got him back in there, and from that moment on he was on. We look for him to continue to build on that fourth quarter.” 

Junior running back Kani King-Young also put on a show, rushing for 115 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns and catching five passes for 100 yards and another score. He had 79 yards on the final game-winning drive and scored the 4-yard touchdown that put the Wildcats on top. 

“He has a real high football IQ and he just loves to play the game of football,” Davis said. “He doesn’t mind having the ball put in his hands, obviously. He’ll be the first to thank his offensive line, but he was doing some things out there last Friday that was just special — changing directions, reversing field. He was putting on a show.”

Another key player is Jakias Villanueva, who had two touchdowns, one for 55 yards, in a 26-7 quarterfinal win over Pine.

“He’s one of the kids we knew we were going to lean on this year,” Davis said. “Last year in the playoffs he reallystarted to be real productive so we wanted to find ways to give him the ball. He’s a shifty guy, small in stature and big in heart, and has the ability to go long distances. He’s our little lighting rod. We try to get him the ball as much as we can.”

Davis said it all came together this season. 

“I like to tell people all the time that football is a developmental sport,” he said. “We knew what we had coming back but with the blessing of God we maintained health throughout and God prepares us for moments like this. We continued to prepare the kids. We kept it real simple and just focused on the little things. It’s a testament to them that they just happened to buy in and be here almost 100 percent throughout the summer. We really came together at team camp and now were here.”