The Wildcats
A History of St. James High School Football
by
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It was such a special season for St. James that the Wildcats seemed to want it to go on for just a bit longer.
After going through the regular season undefeated and reaching the No. 1 ranking in Class 3A, the Wildcats rolled through the 1979 playoffs to reach the finals as the state's only remaining undefeated team.
Through four grueling quarters of the state final against Wossman on St. James' home field, the best the Wildcats could show for their effort was an 8-8 tie. In past years, Wossman would have been declared the winner by virtue of having more first downs in the game.
A rule change adopted in 1977 created an overtime period to decide games that were tied after four quarters and the battle of the Wildcats made history as the first Class 3A playoff game to go past regulation.
Wossman won the toss and began overtime at the 10-yard line.
"They chose to go on offense first, which didn't make sense to us," Wildcat quarterback Keith Falgoust remembered.
A bad snap on second down resulted in a loss for Wossman. An 11-yard pass from quarterback Ricky Foy to Michael Grant moved the ball down to the St. James 4. The St. James defense, which had been stellar throughout the entire season, stiffened, holding Willie Lee for no gain and allowing SJH to gain possession on downs.
"We were concerned because they were running the ball well," St. James coach Jimmy Waguespack said. "We stopped them and they tried to throw a pass."
David Charles picked up a yard on first down. Elston Noel then picked up 8 yards on a pass play the Wildcats called the "extra point special" from Falgoust, who had thrown for 791 postseason yards going into the state final.
Needing only a field goal to win, the Wildcats opted to go for the touchdown.
"In those days, Coach Jimmy didn't believe in field goals," Falgoust said.
Charles, behind a block from center Harold Hymel, plunged in from a yard out, giving St. James a 14-8 win and the school's fourth state championship.
"When I called the play and saw their defense, I knew we would score unless we really botched it up," Waguespack recalled years later.
"I was hit after I crossed the goal line, but I knew it was a touchdown," Charles said afterward.
"I had a feeling we'd win, but never imagined anything like this," Waguespack said moments after the game. "It's hard to explain the joy of winning a state title. We all worked so hard for this and accomplishing it is a credit to our players and coaches. I can't believe all this has happened right now, but maybe we'll realize what it all means later on."
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About the Book
"Football at St. James is a religion and people in St. James go to church every Friday night."
That old saying typifies the passion the people of St. James, La., have for high school football. Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River among sugarcane fields and petrochemical plants of southeast Louisiana, St. James High School has a storied gridiron tradition.
St. James High School football began in 1930 with fewer than 20 players. From that humble beginning, the Wildcats have gone on to capture countless district titles and four state championships.
The Wildcats: A History of St. James High School Football recounts the exploits of players and coaches who helped make football Friday nights such a special event.
About the Author
An award-winning journalist, George Becnel has been a sports writer and editor for more than 20 years. A former Sports Editor of The Courier in Houma, La., he guided a sports section that consistently placed among the top three for best sports section in its circulation size, including several first-place finishes. Becnel has been cited with numerous writing awards, including having been selected "Columnist of the Year."
A native of Vacherie, La., The Wildcats: A History of St. James High School Football, is his first book.