EDGARD – West St. John picked up the pieces after a tough district loss to White Castle, defeating host Ascension Catholic Thursday night, 49-13.

The Rams were led once again by Jeremy Jackson who rolled up his fifth consecutive 100 yard game, rushing 20 times for 174 yards and a touchdown. He’d add another through the air.

Mark Wright completed 7of-12 passes for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His favorite receiver was Jarius Moll, who caught five passes for 119 yards and a score.

West St. John (4-5, 3-1)  outgained Ascension Catholic (1-8, 1-3) 354-94.

“After a loss, its always good to get back to basics and that’s what we did,” said Valdez. “We ran it very well. We made some nice plays through the air. We gave up one score defensively … the one thing I want to see cleaned up, we made some penalties and miscues. If we want to be productive and make an impact in the playoffs, those have to be eliminated.”

The Bulldogs hung tough in the first half with the heavily favored Rams. Mark Wright accounted for two touchdowns in the first half, including one on a 39-yard pass to Moll, and Kylum Favorite added another score on a 9-yard scamper.

Ascension Catholic went into the locker room trailing 22-13 though after scoring via a touchdown pass and a kickoff return.

“We talked at halftime. We came out flat,” said Valdez. “I challenged them to pick it up. We wanted to play for the district title, but we didn’t rise to the occasion (against White Castle). But we still have a chance to make a move going forward, and it needs to start now.”

In the second half, the Rams took care of Valdez’s request. Jackson extended the WSJ lead to 16, 29-13, on a 9-yard touchdown run. Quad Howard followed with a 2-yarder of his own, then made a big play defensively on a fumble recovery and return for a score. Jackson finished off the scoring by combining with Wright, hauling in a 38-yard touchdown pass to make it 49-13.

Valdez praised all aspects of the performance, especially noting the team’s defensive performance led by two of the Rams’ core players.

“Ronnie Fesit has been playing lights out football,” said Valdez. “He’s a very solid, consistent young kid and he’s been anchoring our defensive front and putting the pressure on. Jarius (Moll) is doing a really good job at defensive back. Our defense really is doing a tremendous job.”