School spirit high as St. James Trojans prep for 1st state title game

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - High school football ends this week in Alabama. State championship games are set in Auburn and several fever country teams are still playing - one of those teams is the Saint James Trojans.

“It’s been fun to watch them progress, work and be successful. That’s really the rewarding part,” said Jimmy Perry, Saint James head football coach.

Perry said his team’s hard work is paying off as they head into the state finals.

“All we ask our kids to do is two things: do what we asked them to do as hard as they can,” said Perry.

Senior running back Costner Harrison says making it this far is extra special. Thursday, the Trojans will play in the 3A state championship for the first time in school history.

“It’s very exciting because it’s senior year and we’ve never been close to getting this far, said Harrison. “We’re a selfless team. Nobody cares who scores touchdowns or who’s getting yards. Everybody just wants to win the game.”

The coaches and players say having the support of the entire student body makes a difference.

“Everybody’s excited. Everybody’s talking about the game at school. We, as players, just want to get the job done. We want to finish it off the right way,” said KJ Jackson, junior quarterback.

The Trojans will face Piedmont on Thursday at 11 a.m. at Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. Coach Perry says he expects the energy from supporters will continue to fuel his team.

“It adds enthusiasm and enthusiasm makes us bigger, faster and stronger than we really are. So, the more enthusiasm we can get, the better we play.”

The WSFA 12 sports team will have the final score and highlights from that game.

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