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FERRIDAY — Ferriday trailed for much of the first half until senior wide receiver Sharone Finister Jr. caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jontavius Holmes. His catch put the Trojans in the lead 28-22 with 43 seconds left in the first half as they went on to beat Vidalia 48-34. 

Finister said he was not nervous before the game. Instead, he was hyped up to take the field one last time. He was happy to get the win as the Trojans finished the season strong. 

As he and his teammates lifted up the Concordia Parish Classic Trophy, it reminded him of lifting the state championship two years ago, he said.. 

“It was an out and up. I faked an out and the defender bit down,” Finister said. “My quarterback made a good throw and I made a great catch. There were two defenders there so I had to make sure I caught the ball. Once it touched my hands I knew I had it because I was in bounds.” 

Momentum shifted to the Ferriday side of the ball as the stands and cheerleaders jumped and hollered at the score. While Ferriday was up by a touchdown at halftime, it was far from over. 

In the third quarter, neither Vidalia or Ferriday scored a single point. Jaquarius Davis broke the scoring drought on a 43-yard touchdown run with 8:50 in the fourth quarter. He would add a 7-yard rush with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter to essentially ice the game. 

The senior running back finished the game with four touchdowns, one of them a 70-yard kickoff return. Vidalia attempted an onside kick but it was recovered by the Trojans who went into victory formation. 

After a trophy presentation, Ferriday players danced along to music with their family, friends, fans and marching band. Vidalia’s head coach Mike Norris addressed his team and told them if the loss hurt it was because they cared. “You have to go through something like this to get stronger,” he said. 

His attention was already to the next season for juniors like Sema’J Hayes who had four touchdowns in the game. Senior Nic Banks also had a touchdown rush and was hugged by players as they walked off the field. Hayes said he felt sad after the game. 

“It hurt because a lot of us put a lot of work in,” Hayes said. “It hurts and it ain’t a good feeling at all. This season was not for me. Those seniors do not get another chance at this. The loss motivates me because I’ll be in their shoes next year. I know tomorrow, I’ll have to start working as hard as I can. This next season is about bringing a winning season to this community.”