When Brandon Cannon learned he was having a son, he began to envision the future.

His son would be a fine young man, Brandon thought, handsome like his dad and smart like his mother.

Of course, he would be an athlete. Avonti Cannon pretty much had no choice in that matter.

His uncle, Sheldon Cannon, had been the quarterback of the 1987 and 1988 West St. John High School football teams. His maternal uncle, Brian Lumar, had been a stellar wide receiver for the Rams.

And dad had been a stand-out running back from 1994 to 1997.

Blue and white was a family tradition, and Brandon had endured a lot to wear those colors. His family had moved to LaPlace just as he was starting high school. By rule, he should have played for East St. John. But the Cannons’ ties to the West Bank were strong.

They asked for and received special permission for him to cross the attendance zones — and the Mississippi River. So, every morning Brandon would awaken at 5:30 a.m. and his parents would drive him to school using the old St. John ferry to cross the river. After practice, after games, he had to make the long trip back.

“That was the hardest part,” Brandon said, adding he was thrilled when he got his own car his senior year so he could drive himself.

Of course Brandon imagined that his son, Avonti, would follow in his footsteps at West St. John. He, too, would be a Ram. Someday he would be running toward the train tracks behind the north end zone for his touchdowns.

Things didn’t quite turn out that way.

Teams change. Coaches change. Situations change.

Avonti did grow to be a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior wide receiver, and Brandon and Ashanti do live in Edgard.

But Avonti is not wearing West St. John blue and white. He is a Riverside Academy Rebel, scoring touchdowns for the “other side.”

And now it’s Avonti who has to rise at 5:30 a.m. to make the 26-mile long trip around through St. James Parish to get to the school that’s really less than a mile away as the crow flies.

It’s not quite how Brandon imagined.

“When I pictured (him playing), it was always white and blue,” Brandon said.

It was a difficult decision, Brandon said. Avonti did attend West St. John for a while, but was cutting up with his cousins a bit too much.

“It was just immaturity,” Brandon said. “He grew out of it.”

And when Bill Stubbs landed at Riverside to take over the football team, Brandon said his gut helped him make the decision.

“I remembered Coach Stubbs from my playing days,” he said. “He always had good football teams and he was always about discipline. He always talks about making these boys young men.”

Not everyone was happy, though.

“At first I wasn’t too happy about it,” Avonti said. “But after I while, I realized it was the best decision my parents ever made. I love Riverside.”

There still are some friends and relatives who do not support the Cannons’ decision. Some feel Avonti’s defection to the East Bank is an affront to the West Bank tradition. Some say he has weakened the home team’s talent.

A few still have qualms about Riverside Academy’s past and traditions.

“There are some relatives who have never seen him play,” Brandon said.

But like all parents, Brandon and Ashanti did what they believed was best for their son’s future.

“He has grown into a fine young man and he will play college ball somewhere,” Brandon said. “I made the best decision for my son.”

Lori Lyons is Sports Editor at L’OBSERVATEUR. She can be reached at 985-652-9545 or lori.lyons@lobservateur.com.