3A SEMIS: St. James runs past Mobile Christian to earn first Super 7 berth
Coach Jimmy Perry and the St. James Trojans celebrate the Class 3A South region championship after the 35-7 win over Mobile Christian on Friday. The Trojans will travel to Auburn on Thursday for the state championship game. (Scott Donaldson - al.com)
By RANDY KENNEDY
MOBILE - Cosner Harrison started attending St. James when he was in fourth grade. So, the senior knew what a win in the state semifinals would mean to the school.
“We knew how big this night was going to be because our school has never made it past the third round,” Harrison said.
They have now.
Led by a record-setting night from Harrison and an efficient performance by star junior quarterback KJ Jackson, the Trojans dominated Mobile Christian in a 35-7 win. The victory secures a spot in the Class 3A state championship game against defending state champion Piedmont, a 55-22 winner over Sylvania Friday night.
The Trojans’ seventh straight win was never in doubt. St. James took the opening kicking and moved 68 yards in eight plays. Harrison scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 6-yard run.
St. James also scored on its next two possessions on a 4-yard quarterback sneak by Jackson and another 6-yard touchdown run by Harrison.
The Trojans led 21-7 at the half and were never threatened in the second half.
For the game, Mobile Christian finished with 55 rushing yards on 27 attempts, with the longest run of the night going for only 7 yards. The Leopards completed only 6 passes for 75. Overall, Mobile Christian had 130 total yards on 41 snaps (an average of only 3.2 yards per play).
Senior AJ Alonzie led the defense with 2.5 sacks.
“I give all the credit to Coach (Jimmy) Perry for teaching me everything I know,” Alonzie said. “We had some mistakes tonight, but we will have it all fixed before we face Piedmont.”
Harrison paced the St. James offense by running for 165 yards on 32 carries. He entered the game needing only 57 yards to surpass Tony Amerson as the leading rushing in school history.
“Breaking the record is great, not only for me but for all the people who contributed to all those years,” Harrison said. “I think we’ve got the best offensive line in the state.”
Perry was pleased with every facet of the game by his team.
“I always tell our team we have to do what we do,” said St. James coach Jimmy Perry. “That’s what we did tonight. We had a total team effort in all three phases of the game. We are headed to Auburn.”
The Trojans will face Piedmont Thursday at 11 a.m. for the Class 3A state championship.
AHSAA 2022 FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
CLASS 1A
Leroy (12-1) 28, Millry (12-2) 11
Pickens County (11-3) 44, Coosa Christian (9-5) 40
CLASS 2A
B.B. Comer (12-2) 44, Highland Home (12-2) 15
Fyffe (14-0) 41, Pisgah (11-3) 14
CLASS 3A
St. James (12-2) 35, Mobile Christian (6-8) 7
Piedmont (12-2) 55, Sylvania (10-4) 22
CLASS 4A
Andalusia (13-1) 29, Montgomery Catholic (13-1) 26
Cherokee County (12-2) 42, Oneonta (11-2) 21
CLASS 5A
Charles Henderson (12-1) 27, Faith Academy (11-3) 12
Ramsay (12-2) 27, Pleasant Grove (11-2) 20
CLASS 6A
Saraland (13-1) 21, Theodore (13-1) 6
Mountain Brook (12-2) 28, Muscle Shoals (11-2) 7
2022 SUPER 7 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn University (Wednesday-Friday)
Wednesday Schedule
AHSAA GIRLS’ FLAG FOOTBALL
Oxford (18-3) vs. Auburn (12-1), 2 p.m.
CLASS 7A Finals
Thompson (10-3) vs. Auburn (12-1), 7 p.m.
Thursday Schedule
CLASS 3A Finals
Piedmont (12-2) vs. St. James (12-2), 11 a.m.
CLASS 1A Finals
Pickens County (11-3) vs. Leroy (12-1), 3 p.m.
CLASS 5A Finals
Ramsay (12-2) vs. Charles Henderson (12-1), 7 p.m.
Friday Schedule
CLASS 4A Finals
Cherokee County (12-2) vs. Andalusia (13-1), 11 a.m.
CLASS 2A Finals
Fyffe (14-0) vs. B.B. Comer (12-2), 3 p.m.
CLASS 6A Finals
Mountain Brook (12-2) vs. Saraland (13-1), 7 p.m.