By GEORGE MAHL

RESERVE – On Wednesday, the St. James High School freshman team shut out its opponent. The next day, the Wildcats did the same with the junior varsity team.

Friday night, the SJHS varsity squad completed the hat trick with a 13-0 defeat over Riverside Academy.

“I guess you could say our defense is playing well at all levels,” said St. James head coach Rick Gaille.

The RA Rebels, 1-2, had their chance to put the ball across the goal line on a couple of occasions. On fourth down and goal from the Wildcats seven yard line, Riverside went for it in the third quarter but came up short.

In the final quarter, the Rebels were deep in Wildcats territory, but failed to put any points on the scoreboard. Tyrone Madison picked off a Scott Poirrier pass and returned it 27 yards to seal the victory.

“I thought our guys played real hard tonight. I am proud of our kids,” said Rebels head coach Mickey Roussel. “I think what killed us was the turnovers we had.”

During the first four minutes of the first half, each team exchanged turnovers.

Things looked ugly in the first quarter for both teams as neither squad could do much with the ball. Riverside fumbled the ball, while St. James turned it over on downs.

The Wildcats finally were able to mount an attack with about three minutes to play in the first period. A nine-play, 71-yard drive was finished off when quarterback Blake Falgoust took it across the goal line on a quarterback keeper.

Then Donanvan Williams gave St. James a 13-0 halftime lead when he scored from the three yard line. The Wildcats running back was responsible for 39 of the 49 yards on the drive.

“Our offensive line just made it happen tonight,” said Wildcats center Emmanuel Sterling.

In the second half, St. James, 2-1, used up a lot of the clock and held the Rebels to only two possessions.

“I think they (Riverside) used up a lot of clock because we made it a long field for them,” Gaille said. “I have to take my hat off to Riverside, they played a good game also.”

Despite the loss, Rebels quarterback, Poirrier, played extremely well and consistently moved Riverside down the field. Poirrier finished the game 13-25 for 162 yards.

The quarterback’s favorite target was Dexter Falgoust. The Rebels wide receiver caught seven passes for 153 yards.

“Scott played real well tonight. I give him a lot credit for hanging in there,” Roussel said.