RESERVE — East St. John Coach Brandon Brown is proud not only of his East St. John Wildcats, but of the enormous level of football talent in the River Parishes as a whole.

“I think this is a hotbed for athletics,” Brown said. “Any time you compete in the River Parishes, you’re always going to have some great competition. Year in and year out, it’s excellent football here. I think our guys showed that we do belong.”

“The E” has endured a couple of tough seasons in recent years, but 2019 marked the team’s resurgence. The Wildcats pushed past adversity after wins against West Jefferson and Sophie B. Wright were forfeited due to an ineligible player self-reported by Brown early in the season. Combined with a loss against St. James in Week Two, the forfeits posed a threat to a playoff run.

“I told the kids I was pleased with their attitude and their effort throughout the entire year,” Brown said. “They continued to fight. They showed some great resilience, and we made it to the second round of playoffs this year.”

The Wildcats collected a 69-7 win over H.L. Bourgeois before suffering a disappointing 0-21 loss against the Hahnville Tigers in Week Five. Week Six was a different story, as the Wildcats earned a 49-0 win against Helen Cox.

That was followed by four consecutive wins against Destrehan, 14-13, Central Lafourche, 53-19, Terrebone, 15-13, and Thibodaux, 21-14, to round out regular season play and earn a share of the District championship.

The first round of playoffs was a Friday night thriller. East St. John, ranked No. 24, pulled out a 34-30 win against Central High of Baton Rouge.

The Wildcats lost in the second round of playoffs, 45-24, against Airline.

Sean Shelby was an offensive standout this season. He rushed for 1,633 yards and collected 19 touchdowns.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette commit Dontae Fleming had 11 touchdowns.

Brown is disappointed to lose Shelby, Fleming, Markel August and a host of other talented players this year, but he said there are some young guys waiting in the wings, ready to take their place.

“This is East St. John. There’s always going to be an abundance of skilled guys,” Brown said.

“I love where we are headed as a football program. We have something to build off of. We have to continue to work hard, and great things will happen for us.”