Replay: St. James gets complete effort in 40-0 win over defending champ Many

VACHERIE – Fifty-one weeks ago, Many ended St. James’ season one stop short of the hour-long trip east to the Superdome.

To get back to the semifinals, the Wildcats had to avenge that loss Friday night. They did, and then some.

A quick-scoring offense and an opportunistic defense led St. James to a 40-0 blanking of Many in a Division III non-select quarterfinal that was seen live on Crescent City Sports.

Quarterback Brayden Williams rushed for a pair of touchdowns and the defense forced three turnovers, all of which led to touchdowns, as the Wildcats (10-2) reached the 40-point mark for the seventh time this season.

St. James raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, all on drives that took less than a minute.

Williams’ 11-yard run capped the Wildcats’ opening offensive possession. An 8-yard touchdown run by Cameron LeBlanc followed a Many fumble. Then, after St. James stopped a 17-play Many drive on downs at its 28, Kani King-Young streaked 53 yards for a TD.

The totals: Three drives, 10 plays, 156 yards, 2:37 off the clock and a three-touchdown lead for the home team.

It remained 21-0 until halftime. St. James received the second-half kickoff and went 61 yards in four plays, capped by a 12-yard Williams run to make it 28-0. The scoring drive covered 1:05, which would be the longest of the night.

The Wildcat defense, which had stifled a Tiger offense averaging 42 points in its first 11 games, then turned to the big play in the third quarter.

Jarrell Williams’ 79-yard interception return for a touchdown made it 34-0, and 6-foot-2, 305-pound lineman Deuce Williams capped the scoring with a 53-yard scoop and score in the final minute of the quarter.

The Wildcat defense got one final fourth-down stop with 7:30 remaining, and the St. James offense ran out the clock from there, ending Many’s streak of four straight championship-game appearances.

Like last year, the Wildcats’ road to the Dome and a chance to play for a title will go through north Louisiana. St. James will meet No. 2 seed Sterlington next Friday. Union Parish travels to Jena in the other Division III non-select semifinal.