By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

Seven of the eight River Parish high school teams got the football rolling Thursday night with inter-squad scrimmages.

And to see the turnout in Lutcher, where the Bulldogs hosted the West St. John Rams, it’s apparent that many fans had been waiting for it.

In front of a crowd of several hundred, the shoulder pads were popping for about two hours in a stagnant heat as the Bulldogs scored four touchdowns to the Rams one by the final whistle. But it was the WSJ team that got off to the best start. The Rams forced a quick three-and-out with pressure defense on the opening possession, which was taken by the Bulldogs at their own 25-yardline to begin the scrimmage. After taking in the ensuing punt, WSJ all-purpose senior back Daron Bartholemew gashed for big gain, but the Bulldog defense stopped the Rams short of scoring.

That’s when Lutcher started to take command with junior quarterback Blaine Gauthier leading the Bulldogs to a pair of scores. In the final official outing of the first-string teams, the Rams rode Bartholemew and the arm of WSJ quarterback Dray Joseph to a touchdown.

Bartholemew nearly scored another one several possessions later, but it was apparently called back on a penalty. He was also in on several defensive plays, as much of the team plays on both sides of the ball since they have a squad of just more than 30 players this season.