By LEONARD GRAY

LUTCHER – The St. James High School Wildcats rumbled into the Dog Yard at Lutcher High School Friday night and played like they owned the place, rolling up a 27-0 lead before the Bulldog squeaked onto the scoreboard in the last quarter for a 27-6 finish.

“I’ve got to give them credit,” Lutcher coach Tim Detillier said. “They played so well and so efficiently.”

St. James coach Rick Gaille concurred, as he congratulated his team afterward for a “well-earned win.”

Gaille said afterward, “It comes down to preparation. We’re a big-game school.”

Gaille said he was apprehensive about taking the opening kickoff, but there was no need. From the time senior split end David Johnson accepted the kickoff and started the drive from their own 26-yard line, to four plays later, when Johnson scored on a 35-yard pass play, St. James took command.

Melvin Dumas’ PAT kick was good for the 7-0 lead.

Then, in the kickoff to Lutcher, the ball-carrier fumbled when hit and St. James senior linebacker Juanquious Jasmin landed on the loose ball. This set up the Wildcats on the Lutcher 20-yard line.

On the next play, senior running back Donavan Williams swept right and scored, 14 seconds after the first touchdown. The PAT snap slid in the muddy field and was no good, but St. James had a 13-0 lead.

Under senior quarterback Bryce Matherne, Lutcher struggled after the next kickoff to get an offensive drive under way but lost a yard instead, forcing a punt.

St. James, under senior quarterback Blake Falgoust, rumbled 63 yards in nine plays, which ended with Falgoust punching it in from one yard out and 2:24 remaining in the first quarter. A two-point conversion run by Dumas was successful, nudging the lead to 21-0.

Lutcher’s next drive managed to gain 15 yards before having to punt with less than a minute and a half remaining to the first quarter. St. James took over and ate up the second quarter clock. The big gainer in the drive, which started at the Wildcat 15, was the 75-yard pass play to David Johnson, which set St. James up on the Bulldog 10-yard line.

The Lutcher defense held firm, but finally opened a seam to let Dumas through on a three-yard run with 8:55 remaining to the first half. The PAT kick was wide right, and the Wildcats were up 27-0.

The rest of the first half was a defensive struggle, with neither side gaining an advantage. Likewise, neither team score throughout the third quarter, but the Bulldogs finally broke the deadlock early in the fourth quarter, capping a drive which started from the St. James 42-yard line following an up-and-down, short-yardage punt.

Senior fullback Ellis Hughes and quarterback Matherne pounded at the Wildcats defense and, aided by a long pass reception by junior split end Gerard Landry, slammed to the St. James two-yard line.

Hughes then punched his ticket and scored with 11:04 remaining in the game to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. The PAT snap skidded in the mud, though, and LHS was left with only six points.

“We’re like a family,” Gaille said afterward. “We fight, argue, wrestle around, then we settle down and we play ball. We struggled in the second half, but it all came down to execution.”

Detillier was still amazed at St. James’ ball-handling ability, despite the constant rain throughout the game. “They didn’t mishandle the ball a single time, no fumbles.”

He added, “The kids were trying , but all I can say is they handled the ball better than us.”

St. James ended up with 182 yards total offense, 129 on the ground and 53 in the air. Lutcher managed 133 yards total offense, 86 on the ground and 47 in the air.

Lutcher fumbled twice, St. James none; while the Bulldogs managed an average 2.5 yards per carry to the Wildcats’ 3.8 yards per carry. There were no interceptions.

Lutcher was 4 for 22 penalty yards, while St. James was 2 for 26 penalty yards. Next week, Lutcher travels to Donaldsonville, while St. James hosts E.D. White.