St. James football team awarded championship rings
St. James coach Jimmy Perry presents state championship ring to AJ Alozie during a ceremony on Tuesday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
St. James coach Jimmy Perry could have quietly presented his football players with championship rings. Instead, he elected to make a big splash, presenting the jewelry in front of a student assembly at the school gym on Tuesday morning.
Players went in numerical order, according to their jersey number. Starting with quarterback KJ Jackson and finishing with freshman receiver Isaac Capilouto, Perry greeted each player with a ring and an individual message. Head of school Larry McLemore completed the ceremony, presenting each of the assistant coaches and finally Perry himself with a championship ring.
“I wanted to do it in front of the students because they were a part of this,” said Perry, who retired in late January as the Trojans’ coach but remains at the school through this semester. “If you went to the Super Seven, those stands were full of these kids. Any time you play in front of a big crowd, it makes you play bigger, faster and stronger than you really are. And the band? It was a total school effort to win this thing and I wanted them to share in this celebration.
“And it was a big deal because this school has never won (a state championship) in football. This isn’t like a toy in a box of Cracker Jacks. They don’t come along every other day.”
The Trojans were 13-2 last season, setting numerous team and individual records on the way to a 45-28 win over Piedmont in the 3A finals at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Record-setting tailback Cosner Harrison said the ring ceremony “means a lot, especially the senior class, because a lot of us started as young guys and we really progressed. To be able to get these as seniors means a lot, especially with Coach Perry retiring this year. It was nice to win it on his last year.”
Perry concluded a 43-year coaching career by winning a state championship in his final game. The Hall of Fame coach continues to work at the school through May and monitors the offseason weight room workouts for returning football players who aren’t participating in other sports, but Tuesday’s ceremony was the first opportunity for him to see many of his players since a team banquet in mid-January.
“My last deal as their head coach was to put a ring on their finger,” Perry said. “How blessed am I to go out that way. It was good to see them all again, one last time, and put a ring on their finger and make them happy.”