Rally puts Rams on top of 1A brackets with shot at title

EDGARD– West St. John shocked many in the 1A brackets last Friday when they toppled second-ranked Central Catholic in a come from behind victory off of a defensive stand that held the Eagles to no points in the final half of play.

Trailing 21-8 at halftime, the Rams looked to have an uphill battle on their hands. But after a tongue-lashing from head coach Laury Dupont, WSJ came out firing on all cylinders.

Early in the third quarter, Ram running back Deron Bartholomew gashed through the middle for a four-yard touchdown followed by a two-point reception by Davonne Lumar for a 21-16 score. Later in the same period, quarterback Olajuwon Hall connected for a TD with Lumar again on an eight-yard pass that capped an 85-yard drive for the Rams, that gave them the lead at 22-21 with a quarter and a half to go.

The WSJ defense took over in the third and fourth periods, and allowed 306 yards while bringing in three interceptions. The Rams offense, meanwhile, rolled up nearly 200 yards passing as Hall went 11-for-23, and compiled 146 yards rushing on the evening.

The Rams final score secured the game as a win on a Bartholomew four-yard run up the gut again with 8:59 remaining. After that, it was all WSJ defense.

The upset win pits the Rams against Opelousas Catholic, another higher-ranked team, but not of the caliber that Central Catholic was. With WSJ on a roll, anything could still happen.