BY DAVID FOLSE II

Sports Editor

EDGARD-What a year to be a fan of the West St. John Rams.

The football team wins yet another state championship and the boy’s basketball team falls a game short of a state title.

“We really had a successful season in terms of athletics,” Rams Athletic Director Laury Dupont said. “Our boys especially had a really successful year. On the girls side of things we continued to improve. Overall, I guess you can say that we were very happy with our program throughout the season.”

As is the case with most schools, football and basketball highlighted the athletic exploits of the Rams in 2004-05.

“We have been fortunate enough to have the athletes to have the type of success in football that we want,” Dupont said. “I am hoping that will continue, but you never know. Football and Basketball carried us this year.”

Home to one of the most talented programs in the state, Dupont said he wasn’t that surprised with how far the Rams were able to go in boys basketball.

“I wouldn’t really call it that much of a surprise,” Dupont said. “Because basketball has been extremely consistent. They have been a district champion for the past seven seasons. (Head Coach Antoine Edwards) does an excellent job with the boys and making it to the state championship game this past year. Compared to what we had in years before might have been a little bit of a surprise, but it was a great team effort. It was a really great year for the program.”

There will only be two major coaching changes in the overall West St. John staff and the addition of one assistant. Glenda Mattos will take over the duties of Head Coach of the volleyball program and will be assisted by Neisha Green. Green will also assist new girls’ track and field Head Coach Stacy Bradford.

The reason for the opening in the volleyball program is due to the fact that Dupont hopes to develop a better relationship with the school’s lone feeder school.

“Coach Roussel is stepping down to become my liaison to the junior high program,” Dupont said. “She is going to become my assistant Athletic Director. We are starting to coordinate all of our sports with the junior high program.

“We really have to do a better job than we have been doing in the past. It has been hard for me to get to both schools by myself in the past.

Dupont said having a coach in the WSJ family take over would definitely ease the transition.

“She has been with us for two years,” Dupont said of Mattos. “She is very good with the girls. She is a very visible presence in the P.E. department. She is a very hard worker and the kids have responded to her. She was a good fit.”

Dupont also hopes that the addition of Bradford and Green will breath a newfound sense of enthusiasm into the girls’ track program.

“Track was one of Coach Bradford’s expertise in college,” Dupont said. “In addition to playing football for Southern. The kids really seem to respond to the young, energetic coaches and we are fortunate enough to have two of them right now in Stacy and Neisha.”