GAME 7:  ST. JAMES 26, Montgomery Academy 7

WE BELIEVE(D)!   The Saint James Trojans successfully defended their 1997 CCC Championship while gaining the inside track to the area 5 championship with a surprisingly dominating 26-7 victory over the previously undefeated and 3A - 3rd ranked Montgomery Academy Eagles.

After the Eagles were "3 and out" on their first drive, St. James drove down the field. A half the distance face mask penalty gave the Trojans a first down and two to go on the Eagles six yard line.  However, the Eagle defense stiffened, and Michael Ritch kicked the first of his four field goals, a 22 yarder, giving the Trojans an early 3-0 lead.

The Trojans wasted another golden opportunity when MA quarterback John Hunter Foshee was sacked and fumbled on the the third play of the next drive and St. James' Matt Grooms recovered on the Eagle 5 yard line.   After a holding penalty, a seemingly apparent Matt Grooms TD catch was "waved off" by the officials - who never made a call one way or the other after a discussion - merely returning the ball to the prior line of scrimmage. Several plays later, Ritch added another field goal, this one of 37 yards, to give the Trojans a 6-0 lead with just over a minute to go in the first quarter.

MA again went "3 and out", and the Trojans took over on their own 34 yard line. Four plays later, the only offensive touchdown of the game was scored as Michael Reid swept around right end and several blocks provided clear sailing for 53 yards to the endzone. The Ritch conversion made the score 13-0.

The Eagles' lone score was on a 47 yard interception return by Seth Tatum after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty had given St. James a 3rd down and 20 on their own 15 yard line during the next drive. The extra point had MA back in the game at 7-13 with 5:54 to go in the half, and the Eagles supporters briefly fired up.  However, what would be the backbreaking scores followed soon thereafter.

After a squib kickoff, the Trojans drove 32 yards with 5 running plays. The drive stalled, and Ritch kicked his third FG of the half, a school record 51 yarder (which cleared the crossbar with ease), and gave St. James a safe lead again, at 16-7, with just over 3 minutes to go in the half.  Only 15 field goals in Alabama High School Athletic Association history had (at the time) ever successfully traveled further.

Another Ritch kickoff reached the endzone, and three plays netted minus 7 yards for the Eagles.  The Trojans punt block was called for, and succeeded as it had numerous times previously this season. Stephen Woodham snuck inside, blocked the punt, and Lee Murphy picked up the ball at the 10 yard line, strolling into the endzone. The extra point was good, and the Trojans headed to the locker room with a commanding 23-7 lead in front of a huge mainly-Trojan-partisan crowd at nicely decorated Carlisle Field.

The closest the Eagles threatened to score offensively in the entire game was near halftime as they reached the Trojan 39 yard line, only one of two times the Eagles crossed into Trojan territory, but three consecutive incomplete passes with 1 yard to go for a first down ended that scoring opportunity.

After MA's opening second half drive ended with a Fidel interception, nine consecutive runs put the Trojans in field goal position again, and Ritch responded with a 37 yarder, ending the scoring at 26-7.

Defense dominated the remainder of the game; Montgomery Academy could manage but two second half first downs. The Trojans could only manage two more, yet both of those were on an impressive time consuming drive of more than 6½ minutes which vaporized the clock at the end of the game, and the second consecutive city championship celebration started.

Ten consecutive in-city wins is obviously a school record - and this marks only the third time St. James has defeated Montgomery Academy in consecutive seasons.  Also, this is only the second time (last year the first) the Trojans have defeated their two biggest city rivals, and now both area rivals, Trinity and Montgomery Academy, in the same season.

SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME SEVEN

ST. JAMES      RUSHING   54 attempts  212 yards   1 TD  (3.93 yards per carry)

                        19   McMillan     31 / 140      35   Reid         18 / 77   (1 TD)     21   Grooms    1 /   4
                        10   Murphy         3 /  - 3       17   Sexton       1 / - 6

                        PASSING     2 completions  5 attempts  1 INT  21 yards  0 TDs  (1 sack of, - 6 yards)

                        10   Murphy       1 - 4 - 1        9 yards   0 TDs
                        17   Sexton         1 - 1 - 0      12 yards   0 TDs

                        RECEIVING

                        35   Reid             2 / 21

                        TOTAL YARDS:  233