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   The best of the best in Alabama High   
  School Football over the past 100 seasons.






2024 Team Previews 

  


St. James Trojans

Head Coach: Aubrey Blackwell (first season)
Career Record: Total (74-35)
                           7 seasons, Alabama (57-26)
                           Out-of-State (17-9)
At St. James: First season
Stadium: Carlisle Field
2024 Enrollment:  271
Rank:  221st in the AHSAA, 64th in Class 4A

 History 
Overall Record:   300-248   (55.0%)
Last 25 years:   178-107   (62.0%)  (Rank: 74th in the AHSAA, 16th in Class 4A)
Since 2010:   115-49  (70.1%)  (Rank: 43rd in the AHSAA, 7th in Class 4A)
Last Playoff Appearance:   2023
Last Region Championship:   2023
Last Winning Season:   2023
Last Losing Season:   2013

 2023 
Class:  3A              Region:   3
Record:  11-3
Region Record:   6-0, (first)
Playoff Record:   Semi-finals loss to Mobile Christian by the score of 34-30.
Final ASWA Poll:   6th
Scoring:  562 (40.1)    (Team record for points scored in a season)
Defense:  358 (25.6)    (Team record for points allowed in a season)


 2024 
Class: 4A              Region:   3
Strength of Schedule: 61-55 (53%) (119th in the AHSAA, 19th in Class 4A)
Region Strength:  31-46 (40%)
Non-Region Strength:  30-9 (77%)



 2023 Results 
 8/25  vs. Montgomery Academy  (4A)   49-13   W  
 9/1  @ Handley  (4A)   27-55   L  
 9/8  @ Prattville Christian  (3A)  *  63-35   W  
 9/15  vs. Greensboro  (3A)  *  49-14   W  
 9/22  @ Southside Selma  (3A)  *  49-48   W  
 9/29  vs. Charles Henderson  (5A)   13-36   L  
 10/6  @ Alabama Christian  (3A)  *  42-20   W  
 10/13  vs. Trinity  (3A)  *  47-8   W  
 10/19  @ Sumter Central  (3A)  *  34-8   W  
 10/27   OPEN 
 11/3  vs. Carroll  (5A)   49-48   W (OT) 
 Playoffs 
 11/9  vs. Opp    41-7   W  
 11/17  vs. Randolph County    41-6   W  
 11/24  @ Thomasville    28-26   W  
 12/1  @ Mobile Christian    30-34   L  

 2024 Schedule 
 8/23  vs. Catholic Montgomery  (5A)       
 8/30  @ Montgomery Academy  (3A)       
 9/6  vs. Bullock County  (4A)  *      
 9/13  vs. Handley  (4A)  *      
 9/20  @ Talladega  (4A)  *      
 9/27  @ Trinity  (3A)       
 10/4  vs. B.T. Washington  (4A)  *      
 10/11  vs. Cleburne County  (4A)  *      
 10/18  @ Tallassee  (4A)  *      
 10/25  @ Munford  (4A)  *      
 11/1   OPEN 


Class  4A Region  3
Team 2023 Record Region Scoring                            
Handley (4A) 10-2 6-0438-223
St. James (3A) 11-3 6-0562-358
B.T. Washington (4A) 9-5 5-2369-257
Cleburne County (4A) 4-7 2-4232-399
Munford (4A) 3-7 2-4230-355
Tallassee (5A) 1-9 0-5171-397
Bullock County (4A) 4-6 2-5176-239
Talladega (4A) 0-10 0-6127-438

 2024 Preview 


       St. James completed the 2023 season with a 11-3 record. Last year St. James captured the region three title and a number one seed in the Class 3A playoffs. They finished region play with a 6-0 record. St. James made a nice playoff run in 2023, reaching the semi-finals before falling to a very good Mobile Christian team by the score of 34-30.

       The 562 points scored by the Trojans last year were a team record in a single season. The defense allowed a team record 358 points last season.

       The high-scoring St. James offense ranked 27th in the AHSAA. They averaged 40.1 points a game.

       Over the past two seasons the Trojans have Finished 24-5 and will be looking to continue that winning tradition. Since 2010, St. James has gone a combined 115-49. Their 70.1% winning percentage ranks 7th in Class 4A over the past fourteen seasons.

       Over the past 25 seasons, St. James has managed to compile a record of 178-107. Their 62.0% winning percentage ranks 16th in Class 4A and 74th in the AHSAA.

Graduated All-State Players:
       St. James lost 3A All-State  quarterback KJ Jackson to graduation. He was named to the first team last season. Also graduating was teammate punter Braxton Berrey.

Coaching Change:
     Neal Posey  stepped down in February to accept a job as an assistant coach at the collegiate level. Posey joined the St. James coaching staff in 2015 as the running backs, wide receivers and special teams coach. In 2018, he was promoted to offensive coordinator and finally last season got his shot as the head football coach replacing Jimmy Perry. His lone team finished 11-3 falling short of repeating as state champions losing to Mobile Christian in the semi-finals of the playoffs.

2024 Head Coach:
    Aubrey Blackwell  was named the head coach in March as he returns to the Montgomery area sidelines. He served as an assistant coach at St. Paul's Episcopal in 2010 and 2011 and followed Perry to St. James a year later to serve as the offensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014. Blackwell was the head coach at Jackson Academy in Mississippi the past two seasons with a record of 17-9.

He built the football program at Catholic Montgomery into a championship team in his six seasons. His teams combined for a 54-19 record including a loss in the state championship game in 2020. Blackwell is a former quarterback at Robert E. Lee in Montgomery so he is very familiar with the area. The win total includes 57 wins in Alabama and 17 victories from outside the state. Over the course of his career, Coach Blackwell's teams have qualified for the playoffs a total of five times and won three region championships.

Season Outlook:

       The St. James Trojans will play in Class 4A region three during the 2024 season. The Trojans move up in classification to Class 4A. They may find the going slightly tougher with the move.

      

       The loss of K.J. Jackson to graduation and college football will make football a little different at St. James in 2024. The bright spot will be the arrival of head coach Aubrey Blackwell.

       The Trojans will also open the 2024 football season without the services of running back Cole Anderson who graduated in the spring along with the 1,122 yards and 10 touchdowns he scored last year.

       St. James has grown accustomed to winning football games and making the playoffs every season. They have a streak of ten consecutive post season appearances and will most likely find themselves back once again when November rolls around.

    The Trojans should be in contention for a playoff spot in region three this season. Hosting a first round playoff game on their home turf would be an advantage. They have reached the playoffs every year since 2013 and will once again be in the hunt for a spot in 2024.

Players to Watch in 2024:
      WR Tabor Offord will be returning for his senior season after catching 34 passes for 991 yards and 18 touchdowns.

      OLB Wils Johnson collected 139 tackles (56 solo) and will be back for his senior season.

Returning Starters:
Wils Johnson LB/HB, Pruitt Conner MLB/RB, Tabor Offord WR/CB, CJ Edwards NG/G, Brayden Corley FS/WR

Season Opener:
       The Trojans open the 2024 season at home against non-region opponent Catholic Montgomery on Friday, August 23 at Carlisle Field. Last year the Catholic Montgomery Knights finished with an overall record of 15-0 and in first place in Class 4A region two. The Knights won the Class 4A State Championship last season when they defeated Cherokee County by a score of 35-0 in the Super Seven finals in Birmingham.

       St. James and Catholic Montgomery have met a total of 34 times on the football field. The Trojans have a 19-15-0 record against the Knights. They last met in 2017 with Catholic Montgomery winning by a score of 7-6.

  


Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

Bart Starr received coaching from Kentucky great Babe Parilli his senior season at Sidney Lanier in hopes of joining Bear Bryant at Kentucky. He had to settle for Alabama.