Virginia's No. 1 ranked The St. James Academy football thriving in inaugural season

Every season brings out high school football programs that want to put themselves in the national high school conversation of teams.

The exclusive club that has seen slight fluctuations from year to year. It might need to make room for one more team out of the DMV region of the country: The St. James Academy Strivers.

The Strivers (6-0) are playing in their inaugural season of high school football and have taken the East Coast by storm, winning games against programs like Good Counsel (Md.), Hun School (N.J.) and most recently, The First Academy (Fla.) in a 41-40 thriller.

Through six games this season, this is exactly where Virginia’s No. 1 ranked team, per the Massey Ratings, wants to be at right now.

“From getting announced (as head coach) like late February, March, building a roster from zero people to having a team of 72, we’ve been working twice a week since March,” The St. James Academy head coach and Director of Football Darryl Overton said.

“The thing that was different in this environment is having the moving pieces. Being new to the private school thing where you might get a guy for two weeks, then he’s gone. I know with any sport, the foundation is the work that you have put in. We’ve been doing that.”

That work over the off-season by Overton and his staff has helped put together quickly one of the more prominent programs on the eastern seaboard, with the aforementioned victories that has opened up the eyes of many.

The Strivers’ Sep. 26 victory over Good Counsel was impressive to the fact that it wasn’t particularly close with one of Maryland’s top high school football programs. The St. James Academy rolled to a 43-7 beatdown of the Falcons, which was followed up not too long afterwards with a 30-14 win over the Hun School.

The St. James Academy’s latest win might’ve been the most stirring of them all, trailing at one point 31-8 in the second half, only to come back and win the contest, 41-40.

What makes the rapid ascension towards the top of the rankings in Virginia and nationally additionally more impressive is the fact that the Strivers will have another chance come Nov. 1 to dial up one more groundbreaking win. That’s when The St. James Academy will travel to Baltimore to take on No. 3 nationally ranked St. Frances Academy.

Panthers’ head coach Messay Hailemariam was formerly the owner/general manager of the now defunct Maryland Maniacs indoor football team and Overton played on the team at one time.

“I played for (Messay Hailemariam),” Overton said. “He owned the arena football team in our area. He gave me a chance then and then we kind of continued that relationship where I even played flag football for him. So again, me and him are friends outside of the football plot, which is why we’re putting on playing each other.”

If Overton and the Strivers can find success against Hailemariam’s Panthers, it would be an added notch to the belt for The St. James Academy. Success is no stranger, however, for Overton and his staff.

Previously before accepting his new position back in the spring, Overton had coached at Freedom and Hayfield, leading the former to back-to-back Class 6A state championships in 2022-23. Overton went to Hayfield after the 2023 campaign, leading the Hawks to a 10-1 mark.

The Strivers have already received permission from the Virginia High School League (VHSL) to play member teams. Though it may not be in the cards to join the association, making the transition from public to private school ball and leading a Virginia team on a national level means something to the former Freedom/Hayfield head coach.

“I think it just kind of confirms everybody’s work ethic,” Overton said of the program’s rise on the national high school football scene.

“It means everything to me, not just for the Virginia side, but the entire DMV side of it. My dad has lived in Maryland the better part of my life. My mom lived in Virginia, so I was always back and forth. I’ve got ties to both sides of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. It’s a huge thing for our area, paying respects to the DeMatha’s (Catholic) and St. John’s (College), Good Counsel that have already done that to an extent. We just want to continue to put our name in the hat and try to be one of the best teams.”

Looking up and down the roster for the Strivers, the first-year program has the talent to boot when competing against some of the best teams along the East Coast.

The St. James Academy offensively features a pair of Division I commitments in Jayden Kitchens (Maryland commit) and Josiah Teasley (Virginia commit). Strivers have a slew of kids on the defensive side of the ball that have stood out, including EDGE’s Marcus Ogbogu, Tristan Lux and cornerback Matthew Holland (Richmond commit).

Nov. 1 in Baltimore, Maryland will feature two of the area’s best teams in The St. James Academy and St. Frances Academy between two old friends in Overton and Hailemariam. Regardless of a win or loss for the Strivers, their work ethic in striving to be considered one of the country’s best has put folks on notice.

“We do want to compete at the highest level. We will continue to take on the best teams,” Overton added.

Their hope is to put people take heed that they have arrived as a national high school football giant.

How to Follow Virginia High School Football

For Virginia high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Old Dominion, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across the state of Virginia.