Union Parish edges St James in 36-35 state title game thriller

FINAL | Union Parish 36 St. James 35 pic.twitter.com/J6Q0CRS2SH

— Cory Diaz (@ByCoryDiaz) December 9, 2023

NEW ORLEANS – Union Parish played for a state championship each of the last three seasons.

The Farmers lost all three games and even a fourth trip to the title game was going to be a challenge because of the graduation of Trey Holly, the leading rusher in the history of Louisiana prep football, after last season.

Union lost four games during the regular season, but found its way back to the title game as a No. 4 seed facing No. 3 St. James on Friday in the Caesars Superdome.

“It just felt different his year,” senior quarterback Jorden Hill said. “We weren’t going home empty handed this time.”

The Farmers did not leave empty handed because Jy-Marion Island ran for a touchdown and for a two-point conversion with 11 seconds remaining to give them the Non-Select Division III title with a 36-35 victory.

The two teams combined for a Division III championship game record 800 yards – a total divided about as equally as the point totals as the Farmers finished with 407 yards and the Wildcats finished with 393.

“We played well,” said St. James quarterback Brayden Williams, who rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 164 yards and two touchdowns. “They made one more play than we did.”

Union was staring at a fourth straight runner-up finished when it took over at its 22 with 2:52 left after a punt. The Farmers decided to put their fate in the hands of Island and “the hogs up front,” as head coach Joe Spatafora described the offensive line.

The first six plays were runs by Island, producing gains of three, four, 11 and 14 yards, a one-yard loss and a two-yard gain. That produced a third-and-nine and Hill threw an eight-yard completion.

On fourth and one, Island gained 14 yards to the St. James 23. A Hill spike, a delay-of game penalty and an incompletion preceded Hill’s 19-yard completion to Tomorrio Bilberry for a first down at the nine.

Island rushed for five yards, then for four yards and a touchdown, leaving Spatafora to decide whether to kick for a potential tie or shoot for three more yards and a lead.

Hill said his initial reaction was, “kick it.”

“Then I thought about how much I believe in my teammates,” Hill said. “Let’s go get it.”

The Wildcats, who defeated defending state champion Many in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Sterlington on the road in the semifinals in search of their sixth state title in their first trip to the Dome since 2016, called consecutive timeouts to prepare for what they suspected was coming.

“You can’t take the time-outs with you,” St. James coach LaVanta Davis said.

But Spatafora had “no doubt in my mind we were going to make it.”

Hill took the snap and handed the ball to Island on a simple carry between the right guard and right tackle and Holly’s successor crossed the goal line without being challenged.

Island recalled Holly, who was about to begin his career at LSU, texting him encouraging messages during the off-season.

“He believed in me,” Island said. “He believed I could put his shoes on and do what I did.”

Island added 178 rushing yards to the nearly 2,500 he had entering the game. After he scored and returned to the sideline the first person to congratulate him was Holly.

“I knew he’d be the first one in my face,” Island said.

Hill’s six-yard touchdown run provided the only points of the third quarter, extending Union Parish’s lead to 28-20 at the end of the period.

On the second play of the fourth quarter Williams faced a fourth and 15 and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Villanueva and a two-point conversion pass to Acklin to tie the score at 28.

On the ensuing possession White intercepted Hill and returned eight yards to the Farmers 38. Three plays later Kani King Young ran 18 yards for a touchdown that gave St. James a 35-28 lead.

But that lead wouldn’t endure just as earlier ones failed to.

On the sixth play from scrimmage Hill raced 56 yards for a touchdown and the ensuing possession ended with Williams rushing one yard for a touchdown that left the Farmers with a one-point lead after the Wildcats missed the extra point.

On the first play after the kickoff Hill broke free for a 48-yard touchdown run and a 14-6 lead.

St. James made it four touchdowns in as many possessions when Williams threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Brown that trimmed the lead to 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.

The Wildcats forced the game’s first punt before Williams ran 30 yards for a touchdown and tossed a two-point conversion pass to Trenton Ester to give St. James its first lead, 20-14.

Island ran four yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds remaining, giving Union Parish a 21-20 halftime lead.

When it was all over the Farmers still had another one-point edge.

Spatafora reflected on his senior class’ evolution from three-time runners-up to state champions.

“These seniors asked us to take away their phones every Friday at 4 p.m.,” Spatafora said. “Last night they asked us to take them away at 11. It’s a great group of young men.”

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