With grit and hard work throughout the offseason, the junior varsity steamrolled all eight opponents they faced off against this year.

All of the players who majorly contributed to the team’s success will bring their talents on Friday nights next year, elevating the Saint Paul’s football program.

The highlight of the year had to be the final game of the season against rival Mandeville Skippers. Both teams were undefeated, and many Mandeville players were calling it the JV Super Bowl.

The energy felt more like a varsity game because of the heated rivalry and because both teams were undefeated at the time.

The Wolves came out on fire, scoring 21 points and only allowing ten in the first half.

In the second half, the Wolves gave up one more touchdown, but made a crucial stop late in the fourth quarter. This allowed the offense to run out the final few minutes of the game and secure the victory.

The play of the game was running back Charlie Kingrea’s physical 35-yard touchdown run that set the tone for the rest of the game.

“I thank God. I was cleared to play a few hours before the game. The offensive line had played great all year, and I didn’t want to let my team down. On that play, everyone did their job like they practiced all offseason, and I just knew I needed to get it in the end zone,” Kingrea said after the game.

Along with his teammates, coaches, and fans, credits creatine for boosting his football skills.

With running backs Cody Corrales and Troy Willis graduating this year, Kingrea will be a great replacement for the varsity roster next year.

While Kingrea was out, running back Beau Latiolais was able to step up and create some explosive plays of his own.

Even though he’s not the biggest guy on the field, he can cut past people with his quickness and elusiveness. Even when Kingrea was in the game, they made a great one-two punch, keeping the defense on their toes at all times.

On defense, the standouts were linebackers Ben Davidson and Preston Pelloat, who continuously made big hits throughout the year. This is huge because the linebacker position is another spot where many of the varsity players are graduating seniors.

The interception leader of the year was safety Taylor Richards, who came down with key interceptions in multiple games.

Another key player was wide receiver Waylon Johnson, who came down with the ball seemingly every time it was thrown in his direction.

The young players grew accustomed to traveling, as six of the eight games they played were away, but that didn’t stop them.

A game where the JV players faced a lot of adversity was at Brother Martin.

The game was played on Saturday morning. The team had to drive across the causeway very early in the morning after going to the varsity game the night before, and it was one of the hottest days of the year.

It was so hot that one of the players, Julien Ramirez, had an asthma attack and was taken out of the game for a quarter. Impressively, he came back and made some important tackles for loss. After the game, Ramirez said he remembers thinking, “Just one more play, and if we stop them here, I get a break.”

Clearly, the heat didn’t stop the mighty Wolves. They shut out the opposition, winning by a score of 21-0.

The first game of the season was at Holy Cross, or the “Dust Bowl.” The field was not well kept at all, and players could barely even see with all the sand and dust in their eyes. On the first drive of the season, the tone was set by Kingrea with his first rushing touchdown of many to come. The biggest play happened in the third quarter with a 60-yard bomb from quarterback Jack Henry Seal to Waylon Johnson. The Wolves went on to win 18-0, for an almost flawless first victory.

The JV Wolves had not one but two opportunities for defensive touchdowns, but both were called back because of careless penalties. That was something the team had to learn the hard way this year: if there is a scoop-and-score or an interception, and the guy with the ball has a clear path, DO NOT lay someone out.

That experience will make players remember to be cautious of careless penalties when they make it to varsity.

While JV is usually looked upon as not as important as varsity, it helps develop players and builds team chemistry, which is very important for the future of the team.

Center Matthew Myer is a great example of why junior varsity is so important. He started out the first half of the season sitting on the bench on Friday nights, but he was able to showcase his skills on the JV level, which ultimately elevated him to a starting job, thus making the varsity squad better.

Players worked all summer long and woke up three hours before school to practice some days. This made the achievement so much sweeter, knowing that their hard work paid off.

The future is bright for the Saint Paul’s football program with rising sophomores and juniors from this undefeated JV team.

Featured Image Photo Credit: “macstrokel” on Instagram