By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

Separated by just less than 20 miles on the West Bank of St. John and St. James parishes, and with a reputation for hard-nosed victories and a high level of success, the Class 1A Rams and the 2A Wildcats will undoubtedly be playing for a packed house this Friday night.

Fittingly, the kickoff to the ’06 prep season will pit these two former rivals together. This season, the Rams have an uphill battle starting this week as they will likely be outnumbered throughout the early half of the schedule since they are currently fielding a team of 38. St. James alternately, is a team picked by many to contend for a state playoff appearance in their classification.

But WSJ is nothing new to adversity. Last year, the Rams opened 0-5 and recovered to finish 9-6 with a semi-finals appearance. Last week, they took on 5A powerhouse East St. John in the jamboree, where they managed to capitalize on a pair of late turnovers to salvage a 37-12 score.

In contrast, St. James boasts one of their strongest teams in recent years. Quarterback Antonio Phillips returns to a team deep in talent offensively, and even more impressive defensively. With possibly the best defensive backfield in the state in Terry Isom and Craig

(See SEASON, Page 8A)