SEBASTIAN RIVER – This one is for Uncle Johnnie “Sugar Bear” Badger.
Nephew Xavier “Buddha” James (‘25) had a grand desire to honor his special loved one for Sebastian River’s game last Friday night (Sept. 22) against Port St. Lucie.
“Losing him was really hard on me and my family,” James said. “But now he gets front row to every game.”
The 5-foot-7, 180-pound junior athlete had a performance to remember for Uncle Sugar Bear in his team’s 17-0 home win. He posted the following statistics in Week 5:
•150+ all-purpose yards on offense
•1 rushing touchdown on offense
•4+ tackles on defense
Made sure to take care of a long time ambassador @Buddha_James33 James 🔥
— BIGHITSLIVE (@bighitslive) September 24, 2023
.@Bighitsnil pic.twitter.com/V176WS75oz
James spoke on his Week 5 performance.
“It turned out to be very well for me,” James said. “There’s still something’s for me to perfect and work on. But it was a tough game for me to play after losing my uncle Thursday night (Sept. 21).”
Our No. 20-ranked overall player from the 2025 class was nominated for two Treasure Coast superlative categories in Week 5:
•MVP of Week 5
•Offensive Player of Week 5
Read below to see the category that James won.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK 5: 772@Buddha_James33 @airranger09 @uptopwu80 @SRHS_Football1 @SRHS_SHARKS @Jwilliams030 @coachrodharris @JulySanProd @CountyTigers_fb @MartinCoSports
— New Era Prep (@EraPrep) September 25, 2023
James spoke further on what his Week 5 performance meant to him.
“I was just doing what he would want me to do, and that’s to play my best game,” James said. “And as he would say, “Sho Ya Right”. It pushed me to work harder overall and when I scored, that’s why I took a knee in the end zone. But overall, the game turned out to be very well for me.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Caleb Lamb Visuals and Florida Sports Photography
