NEW ORLEANS — It’s a tradition at Lutcher that whenever a team wins a championship, someone passes out paper crowns for the players to wear.

Saturday afternoon the football team sported a new set and hoisted a state championship trophy in celebration of a 41-14 victory over rival St. James for the Class 3A state championship. It was Lutcher’s seventh football title, its first since 2008 and first at the expense of St. James. The Wildcats (11-4) took home their fifth runner-up trophy.

This was the second meeting of the teams this season after reclassification reunited them. Lutcher won the first meeting in October 32-0.

In that game, the Wildcats gave Lutcher a slew of gifts to allow the Bulldogs to take a 16-0 lead in the first two minutes. That was not the case this time. St. James took the opening kickoff with the intention of showing it was a different team this time, especially with starting quarterback Lowell Narcisse back.

The junior, who missed the entire season with a torn ACL, took the Wildcats on an eight-play, 66-yard drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Aaron McKenney. Narcisse threw to DeMarcus Williams for the 2-point conversion to give the Wildcats an 8-0 lead 3:20 into the game.

Lutcher answered the call with an 11-play, 68-yard drive under the direction of quarterback Jontre Kirklin, who scored the Bulldogs’ first touchdown on a 6-yard run with 2:54 remaining in the quarter. Kirklin threw to Al’Dontrae Davis for the conversion, and the game remained tied at 8 through the first quarter.

That was as close as the Wildcats would get. The Bulldogs  dominated St. James the rest of the day, scoring five consecutive times to take a 41-8 lead early in the fourth quarter. St. James would not score again until 2:55 remained in the game, after Narcisse had re-injured his knee. Backup DeMarcus Williams threw the 7-yard touchdown to McKinney for the final score.

Kirklin finished the game 14 of 26 for 150 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 126 yards and two more scores. He was named Lutcher’s Most Outstanding Player.

Gregory Clayton had six catches for 63 yards. Ben St. Pierre led the defense with nine tackles, one assist and an interception. Sully Laiche had six tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. Dylan Recotta returned an interception 11 yards for a touchdown.

Narcisse was 15 of 26 for 148 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 36 yards. He was named St. James’ Outstanding Player of the Game. Perhaps more than that, he received a hug of some kind from every Lutcher player and coach, each of whom made his way to the St. James bench to acknowledge him.