By RYAN ARENA

RESERVE – What has been a magnificent season for the East St. John Wildcats came crashing to a sudden halt Friday.

Acadiana rushed past, around and through East St. John to garner a lopsided 56-6 victory at Joe Keller Memorial Stadium in the bi-district round of the Class 5A playoffs.

It was no secret that East St. John was pegged with the toughest draw for a high seed in the state — the sixth-seeded Wildcats (9-2) were standing across the field from a 27-seed that was 5-5 on paper only. The Rams went 9-1 on the field, but an ineligible player cost them four of those wins, bumping a surefire top 10 seed back to 27.

But while a tough draw, nobody would have or could have predicted such a lopsided result, least of all Acadiana coach Ted Davidson.

“No way,” said Davidson. “I thought maybe there was the chance of us scoring 56, but I never thought I’d see a six on their side of the scoreboard.”

As many games that get out of hand do, this one saw a disastrous start for the home team. Acadiana scored on its first five possessions of the night and ESJ’s offense had no answer.

East St. John came in averaging well over 40 points per game, but its offense went backwards early. D’haquille Williams was knocked out of the game after lining up at quarterback and being sacked, aggravating a shoulder injury. He’d return after his team’s second series, but by that point ESJ had just one first down, minus-seven total yards and a 14-0 deficit.

“We did a nice job of getting pressure on the quarterback (Monroe), making him roll out. And our offense kills a lot of time and keeps it out of their hands, too,” said Davidson.

Acadiana (6-5) needed just six plays to score its first two touchdowns — and just one to score its first. Micah Eugene’s 52-yard touchdown run on the Rams’ first play from scrimmage made it 7-0 with 8:29 left in the first, and Logan Primeaux’s 8-yard score with six minutes left capped a five play, 75 yard drive highlighted by Eugene’s 40-yard run.

East St. John looked like it may turn the tide, though, when Darion Monroe and Williams connected on the Wildcats’ next possession for a 77-yard score in which Williams got behind the defense and made Acadiana pay. The extra point was blocked with 5:05 left in the first quarter.

“That was a big play and a chance to get back in it. But we left several big plays out on the field,” said East St. John coach Ronald Barrilleaux.

Acadiana rolled right back down the field though, its option-based offense finding success against a defense that has struggled this season against that attack. In nine plays Acadiana marched 63 yards, capping its drive with a seven-yard score by Terry Abraham.

Penalties derailed ESJ’s next drive, and again, Acadiana answered a punt with a touchdown, this time on Eugene’s 32-yard score with 9:11 left in the first half.

An East St. John three-and-out set up a short field for Acadiana, and it took just two plays for the lead to grow yet again on Eugene’s third score, this one a 21-yarder.

“We had to make stops. We knew they’d come out and run it,” said Barrilleaux. “We made a few in the second half, but the damage was done.”

Things went from bad to worse to unsalvageable for ESJ soon after when Williams was ejected from the game due to a skirmish with an Acadiana defender.

Barrilleaux said that the loss can’t take away what the Wildcats accomplished over the first 10 weeks, and that in the end, its just back to the drawing board.

“Kids are resilient,” said Barrilleaux. “Soon enough, we’ll be right back in the weight room, gearing up for next season.”