ST. JAMES — The St. James Athletics program likes to tout itself as “100 percent home grown” in an ode to its public school status and its rural farming roots.

On occasion, they’ll take a transplant.

Robert Valdez, a New Orleans native, a Gramercy resident and former West St. John head coach, was announced this week as the new head football coach at St. James High School. He replaces Dwain Jenkins, who left after three years to return to Lutcher to replace Tim Detillier, who is retiring.

“It’s a chance to get back to River Parishes football,” Valdez said. “There’s really nothing like it. You’re not just playing against a school. You’re playing an entire community. The fan base is just unreal.”

It has been a circuitous route for Valdez, who left Edgard after the 2014 season to become the head coach at Class 5A Scotlandville in Baton Rouge. He led the Hornets to a 10-2 record and the regional round of the playoffs.

He spent a year as an assistant coach at East St. John and one season as the head coach at McKinley High in Baton Rouge before becoming the head coach at West St. John in 2008. In seven seasons his Rams teams were 60-29 with a Class 1A runner-up finish in 2011.

“Robert Valdez stood out from a very impressive group interviewed by our search committee,” St. James Parish School Superintendent Dr. Alonzo Luce said. “Valdez brings impressive credentials from what he accomplished at both West St. John and in one season at Scotlandville.

He’s the well-rounded coach who has strong values with faith and family. A great football coach yet a well-rounded person that you want leading and teaching character to your kids.”

There were more than 25 applicants for the St. James position, including assistant coaches Walter Morales, George Templet, former player and assistant Shane Kliebert, who is now a teacher at the school and assistant coach and former player Byron Keller.

For Valdez, the dominoes began to fall when Detillier retired shortly after Lutcher defeated St. James in the 2015 Class 3A state championship.

Last month Jenkins, the former Lutcher assistant who got the Wildcats to the finals in  his third year as a head coach, was  announced as the replacement for  Detillier.

That left the opening at St. James.

“It’s 10 minutes from my house,” he said. “My wife is happy. My daughter is happy. We’re just one big happy family over here. There’s a lot to be said for the comforts of Gramercy, Louisiana.”