LUTCHER — You can go home again. Well, Dwain Jenkins can.

The St. James Parish School system announced Thursday that Jenkins, who spent the last three seasons as head coach at St. James High School, will return to Lutcher High as the Bulldogs’ new head football coach. He will replace Tim Detillier, who announced his retirement last month.

In his three years as coach of the Wildcats, Jenkins led the team, which had gone 0-19 the two seasons before his arrival, to a 25-16 record. They capped the 2015 season with a trip to the Class 3A state championship, where they lost to Lutcher, 41-14. Jenkins later was named the Class 3A Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

“I really think that I’m in a unique position,” Jenkins said in a statement released by the St. James Parish School Board. “I’m probably the only person in (St. James) Parish that can honestly tell you that I love both football programs. I really wanted to see what was the best for both Lutcher High School and St. James High School through this whole process.

“A lot of times I felt like I was having to decide between two of my children; one that I was instrumental in the building of a program that’s become one of the more dominant programs in Lutcher High School, and helping the rebirth of a once proud program on the West Bank and getting (St. James) back to state recognition and being a contender for state championships.”

Before leaving for St. James, Jenkins was an assistant coach at Lutcher for 11 seasons under Detillier, helping lead the team to three state championships. He also played quarterback at Lutcher, for Detillier.

St. James Parish Schools Superintendent Dr. Alonzo Luce said the St. James head coaching position will be opened to applicants immediately, including those who applied for the Lutcher job.