By LEONARD GRAY

EDGARD – West St. John High School’s Fighting Rams muscled their way past the Jonesboro-Hodge High School Tigers, smashing the visitors with a 47-7 score Friday night.

“When you’re playing on all cylinders like you were in the first half, you’re pretty damn scary,” WSJ Coach Laury Dupont told his squad after the game.

Sophomore running back Patrick Jackson led Ram scoring with four touchdowns, from one, 27, two and six yards out, and all in the first half.

Jackson made his first score not long after the Rams opened by kicking off to Jonesboro. On the second play from scrimmage, a fumble gave the ball back to West St. John at the Tiger 5-yard line. Two plays later, Jackson scored with 10:11 on the clock. The PAT kick from Marcus Isom sailed true.

Jonesboro-Hodge held onto the ball on their next kickoff reception, long enough to punt away on fourth down, but only to their own 43-yard line. West St. John took three plays and Jackson scored on a 27-yard carry. Isom hit the PAT, and the Rams were up 14-0 with 7:17 on the first quarter clock.

The next possession showed West St. John’s defense opening up, backing up the visitors, especially with Isom’s seven-yard sack of Tiger quarterback Bo Teat to their 21-yard line. Jonesboro-Hodge soon punted, but Josh Lumar returned the punt to the Tiger 18-yard line with 3:17 on the first quarter clock.

Four plays later, Jackson scored from two yards out, Isom made the extra point and West St. John held a 21-0 lead.

The Rams’ defense continued the pressure after the kickoff to the Tigers. On the first play from scrimmage, Teat was thrown for a nine-yard loss. On the next play, Thomas Augusta intercepted a deep pass and returned it to the Jonesboro-Hodge 43-yard line with 1:01 remaining in the first quarter.

Six plays later, with 17 seconds left, Jackson scored from six yards out. Isom booted, and West St. John went into the second quarter with a 28-0 lead.

It was time for someone else to score for the Rams, so after Josh Lumar intercepted a Tiger pass and returned it to the Jonesboro-Hodge 45-yard line, the Rams took six plays before Randall Nicholson lobbed a 15-yard touchdown pass to junior Jamarr Coleman. The PAT fell wide but the Rams still held a 34-0 lead with 6:28 remaining in the first half, where the score stayed to halftime.

Jonesboro-Hodge had the misfortune to have to kick off to West St. John to start the second half, and it took the Rams five plays to score, capping an 80-yard drive. Thomas Augusta scrambled along the home sideline for the touchdown. The PAT fell away, but West St. John was happy with a 40-0 lead with 8:58 remaining in the third.

In the fourth quarter, West St. John’s sophomore guard Kelly Burke had a pass thrown directly to him and he rumbled to the Jonesboro-Hodge 22-yard line to set up the next score.

Five plays later, Josh Johnson scored on a four-yard run with 5:11 remaining in the game. Isom’s PAT was good for the 47-0 lead.

Then, it was bench-clearing time, and the backup defense was backed up while the Tigers mounted a 73-yard, four-play drive. The highlight was Jermaine Washington’s carries of 22 and 17 yards.

With 2:03 remaining in the game Teat flung the ball high and into the waiting hands of wide receiver Jack Williams for the only Tiger touchdown. The PAT by Washington was good and the Tigers avoided the shutout in the 47-7 game.