By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

West St. John had rolled over its last five opponents entering into its bi-district playoff matchup with Acadiana Prep.

Now, make it the last six opponents.

The Rams scored 21 first quarter points on their way to a 42-14 victory at home on Friday night.

“We were able to march right down and score on our first series,” said West St. John Coach Laury Dupont. “We got out in front quickly by two scores and they struggled to play from behind.”

The No. 13 seeded Rams will now travel to No. 4 Hamilton Christian Friday for a regional round game.

West St. John (6-5) rode a dominant running game to victory, establishing three running backs as serious threats in the game. Romell Howard ran 11 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Kenneth Dabney rushed 13 times for 50 yards. And Tyler Lewis ran 7 times for 69 yards and a score.

“We relied on some great balance running the football, and we got a number of backs involved,” said Dupont.

Rams quarterback Dray Joseph was 8-for-13 for 112 yards and a touchdown, providing balance for an offense that rushed for 239 yards in the contest. Acadiana Prep (7-3) rushed for 107 yards.

Jesse Silas put the Rams on the board first, scoring a 5-yard rushing touchdown to put West St. John ahead 7-0 after their opening possession.

Joseph followed by finding Raynard Thomas for a 16-yard touchdown pass, giving the Rams a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Tyler Lewis broke loose for a 33-yard touchdown run to cap the first quarter scoring.

Acadiana Prep scored its first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, but it hardly slowed West St. John. A second quarter 1-yard Howard touchdown put the Rams ahead 28-6. Howard scored again in the third quarter, this time from 16 yards away to make it 35-6.

Laron Goudia capped off the scoring in the fourth quarter for the Rams, scoring on a 4-yard rush to make it 42-6.

West St. John shook off two turnovers and 189 penalty yards to win, outgaining Acadiana Prep 339-205 in total yardage gained.

The Rams positive momentum has been building for awhile, something Dupont says makes everything a bit easier.

“Our practices are better, the team’s spirit is better,” Dupont said. “When you win, everything goes better for you. We just need to stay consistent, because at this point, anything can happen.”