St. James’ redemption tour features Thanksgiving Day practice at Wildcat Stadium

VACHERIE, La. — Practice on Thanksgiving morning provided the St. James football program a chance to both reflect and prepare for their upcoming quarterfinal bout with No. 6 Oak Grove.

It’s the fourth Thanksgiving practice under Lavanta Davis in his five years as the Wildcats’ head coach.

“The message was just be thankful. You know, the word in itself, Thanksgiving. Be thankful for family. Be thankful for the opportunity that you’ve earned to practice on this day. Be thankful to have an opportunity to continue to play and be one of the last eight still playing,” said St. James head football coach Lavanta Davis.

The Wildcats earned an extra week of practice after an explosive 53-13 win over No. 14 Many in the second round of the Division III non-select playoffs.

Sophomore quarterback Ju’Juan Jackson tossed six touchdown passes in what was St. James’ fifth win in a row.

“Last year, Ju’Juan was a freshman, right? So, now he’s grown into that role as quarterback, and he has a lot of great surrounding parts. It always starts up front, though, with the protection and the run game. And we were able to do those things last week. To be able to put up those kinds of numbers, it makes it easier for the defense. Our defense knows that if we get the ball back to the offense, there’s a strong chance we put it in the end zone,” said Davis.

St. James is averaging 53 points per game and holding opponents to 6 over the course of their five-game win streak.

Their domination showcases their determination to make a third straight trip to the Caesars Superdome and win their first state title since 2019.

“The majority of these guys were a part of it, for the past two years of what happened, in the dome. Getting there is a process in itself. So we can’t let what happened in the dome prevent us from accomplishing the things that we want to accomplish throughout the season. When we get back to the dome, God bless us to get back, we’ll take care of business. But right now, we’re just focused on Oak Grove,” said Davis.

St. James will welcome Oak Grove to Wildcat Stadium Friday night.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.