The more things change the more they seem to stay the same for Mobile Christian and St. James.

Both teams have had some major changes in the last year.

Neal Posey has taken over as St. James’ head coach for his mentor, Hall of Famer Jimmy Perry. At Mobile Christian, coach Ronnie Cottrell dealt with the transfers of several key players from the 2022 season.

Yet, Friday night in Mobile, the Leopards and Trojans meet for the second straight year in the Class 3A semifinals.

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“I don’t know if I’ve ever been as proud of a bunch of guys as I am this group,” Cottrell said this week. “The seniors have provided great leadership. We’ve been through a lot the last couple of years, and they have continued to step up in some adverse times.

“Honestly, I don’t know if we can beat St. James. They beat us soundly last year, but I’m really proud we are in the final four and have a chance to go to the championship game.”

The Trojans beat Mobile Christian 35-7 a year ago and went on to defeat Piedmont in the Class 3A championship game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Perry retired after the season and Posey was promoted from his offensive coordinator position to take his place.

“I was with Jimmy for eight years,” Posey said this week. “When I first started here, we were not very good. We built it up. I was part of that process, so I knew the ins and outs and the types of kids we had. We’ve changed a few things – just added some little twists – but for the most part our attitude has been just keep things going in the same direction.”

Clearly, that plan has worked.

St. James enters Friday’s game with an 11-2 record. The Trojans’ only losses came against Handley (55-27 in Week 2) and Charles Henderson (36-13 in Week 6). They’ve won seven straight since the loss to Charles Henderson behind the play of Arkansas QB commit KJ Jackson.

“We go as he goes,” said Posey, who still calls the offense for his team. “He’s our leader on and off the field. He gets his teammates in the right spots. He’s like having another coach on the field. If something goes wrong, he is able to get us right again.”

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Jackson has thrown 40 TD passes for St. James this season and leads the team with 13 rushing TDs. A year ago against Mobile Chirstian, St. James dominated the game on the ground as Jackson went just 7-of-9 passing for 94 yards and the game-clinching, 11-yard TD pass. The next week against Piedmont, he threw 5 TD passes in the second half alone.

Jackson came in at No. 15 on AL.com’s updated A-List of the top senior prospects in Alabama last month.

“The biggest thing as an offensive coach is to take what the defense gives you,” Posey said. “Last year in the semifinals, we had the type offense that could really run well. We didn’t need to throw it. In the finals, it was just the opposite. But you need the ability to do both. Our challenge this year has been to be as balanced as we can. That is the type of offense that is most dangerous.”

Both Cottrell and Posey believe this Mobile Christian team is better than the 2022 Leopards in several key areas. Cottrell’s 13-0 team is allowing only 7.2 points a game, the lowest in Class 3A. The leader on defense is Kentonio Kelly, who recently broke the team record for tackles in a season. The junior enters this week’s game with 173 tackles, including 17 for a loss.

“Kentonio Kelly has stepped up and played extremely well,” Cottrell said. “We’ve played so well defensively. Period. To play great defense you have to have great communication and outstanding discipline, and we’ve had that. We haven’t given up a lot of big plays. We’ve played really well against the run, and we’ve created a lot of takeaways for our team.”

The Leopards’ offense hasn’t been bad either, averaging 42.5 points a game behind quarterback Damien Gatson and a slew of other athletes including PJ Brown (1,568 yards, 19 TDs) and MJ Moore (50 receptions, 976 yards, 9 TDs).

“Offensively, it has been one of the best years since I’ve been at Mobile Christian,” Cottrell said. “Because of our offensive line, we’ve been able to run or pass when we needed to, and we’ve played complimentary football with our defense. Last week, when the defense gave up a score, we were able to come right back on offense. On the other side, when the defense has created turnovers, our offense has been able to take advantage of that.”

Cottrell said the obvious key for his team Friday night is trying to limit Jackson’s production. He called the St. James’ senior one of the finest quarterbacks he’s seen in his coaching career.

“Hardly anyone has slowed him down, and we certainly didn’t do it last year,” Cottrell said. “We have to run the football and keep their offensive unit off the field as much as we can. The kicking game could be a key in this game.”

Posey said this Mobile Christian team is stronger in some key areas that St. James was able to take advantage of in last year’s game. Can this team be balanced enough to replicate last year’s semifinal success?

“It depends,” he said. “Ask me about 11 p.m. Friday and I’ll be able to tell you.”