St. James enters season with goal to finish off victories

Robby Brown admitted something to his players last week.

The St. James coach told his players that during his time at Conway, he and others from around the area looked at a game against the Sharks as a foregone conclusion.

“Most schools, when they look at St. James, they knew,” Brown said. “They looked at us and chalked it up as a win.”

Brown, now in his second year as the Sharks’ head coach and first season without an interim tag, also told his players something else.

The belief is fading.

While St. James was 3-7 last season – a record that extended the program’s winless season streak to 11 years – the Sharks weren’t getting crushed. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Losses to Socastee, Georgetown, Wilson and Myrtle Beach, four eventual playoff squads a season ago, came by eight points or less. A second-half rally against the Seahawks put a serious scare into the region champs, and the other three were equally happy to get out of the game with a win.

“Last year, it was frustrating while it was going on,” senior quarterback Zach Werba said. “Coach Brown would come in and say we were a play or two away from winning that game. It was just some dumb mistakes that we made.”

Eliminating those was one of Brown’s first priorities, and there was evidence throughout much of 2014 that it was being digested by the players. Turnovers, despite some changes to the previous offensive system, were minimal and penalties decreased along the way.

That will remain a focal point as St. James continues to try to build. The next step, Brown said, will be increased execution, especially on offense.

The Sharks will be replacing running back Alan Crum. While it goes to a two-running back system with Jamarius Faulker and Jameon Pressley behind three returning starters on the line, St. James will also have plenty of experienced receivers on the outside. The goal is to stretch the field and increase yards after the catch, making sure teams don’t simply jam the line of scrimmage.

That added dimension could be a boost toward doing something only two other teams in program history have accomplished.

“We want to make the playoffs in the worst way,” Werba said. “I think a successful season would be making a trip to the playoffs.”

Brown said that is obviously a goal, but he stopped short of saying it will certainly happen just yet.

“We’re a lot better team going into it right now than we were last year,” Brown said. “I don’t know if that’s going to equate to more wins. But we’re a better team.”

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "St. James enters season with goal to finish off victories."