ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / November 15, 1999

EDGARD- Oh, this is what high school football is all about folks. Lastnight, was the first week of district playoffs and the West St. John Ramsand the St. Helena Hawks put on a display of terrific football. It was two evenly matched teams that just would not give up, and the game wasn’t decided until the final three minutes of regulation play when the Rams got the go-ahead touchdown and finally won the game, 28-25.

West St. John improved to 8-2 while St. Helena finished at 6-5.The two quarterbacks really gave their arms a workout last night. CarlGauthier of the Rams had 28 attempts with 11 completions for 192 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Hawk quarterback Jeruzki Lee hada pretty good night also with 19 attempts, 8 completions for 233 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.

Even though St. Helena lost, they had 435 total yards as compared to 299for the Rams. Part of the Hawks’ success was a fullback by the name ofGreg Johnson who ran for 58 yards. Johnson was literally a bull as hebowled over Rams’ linebackers like they were feathers.

But despite the stats, the real heroes of this game was the West St. Johndefense that sacked Lee six times, and kept the Hawks out of the end zone in a crucial fourth quarter goal line stance.

The beginning of the game seemed to foretell what the tone of the game was going to be. On the very first play of the game, the Hawks were ontheir own 20, and Lee threw an 80 yard pass to tight end Dintory Lee who ran it in for a touchdown at 11:47 in the first quarter.

The Rams got the ball back and behind the fast scampering of running back of Norman Strickland and Amone Lumar, West St. John got it down to theHawks’ 17 yard line. Gauthier was sacked on third-and-12, but then threwthe ball to Donreil Louise for a 22-yard touchdown. The Rams failed to geta two-point conversion and the score was 6-7.

St. Helena got the ball back but after ten plays they were forced to punt. West St. John only managed to go from their own 29 to their 42 beforethey too were forced to punt. The Hawks tried one more time, but couldn’tdo anything after four plays and kicked the ball away.

Starting on their own 44-yard line, the Rams got the ball down to the Hawks’ 29, and with 49 seconds left in the first quarter, Gauthier connected with Brian Lumar for a 29-yard touchdown. The point-afterkick was blocked and the score was 12-7.

On the kickoff, Hawks’ halfback Roderick Lee took the ball and ran it back 93 yards for a touchdown. The Hawks failed at a two-point conversion andthe score at the end of the first quarter was 13-12.

The second quarter started off with Gauthier getting intercepted by Dintory Lee, but the Hawks could not capitalize on the turnover and they punted the ball away.

Three plays later, Gauthier was intercepted again by Rodrick Lee who ran the ball back 45 yards for another touchdown. The Rams blocked the extrapoint and the score was 19-12.

West St. John couldn’t seem to move the ball after the kickoff, and theypunted.

But then Louis managed to intercept Lee two plays later. A failed razzle-dazzle play and a quarterback sack forced the Rams to punt.

On a third and 11 play, Lee was intercepted by Lumar and the Rams took over on the Hawks’ 8-yard line. Two plays later, Gauthier hit Lumar in theend zone for a 4-yard touchdown. Gauthier again hit Lumar for a two-point conversion and the Rams went on top 20-19 with less than two minutes to go in the first half.

On the second play after the kickoff, the Hawks were on their 17-yard line when Lee fumbled the ball. He chased it into the end zone, fell on it, andthe Rams were awarded a safety.

West St. John took the ensuing kickoff and held onto the ball until the endof the half with the score 22-19 Both teams seemed a little punch drunk as they came out for the second half. Gauthier was sacked twice and fumbled once. Despite keeping theball for 10 plays, West St. John couldn’t get anywhere and the punted.The Hawks started on there own 20 and moved it down to their 46 where Lee managed to hit Roderick Lee for a 46-yard touchdown. Again, the pointafter kick was no good, and the Hawks went back on top 22-25.

Both teams swapped the ball between them several more times with the third quarter ending 25-22.

St. Helena began the fourth quarter with an intentional grounding penaltyand a sack that forced them to punt the ball away.

However, the Rams didn’t have any better luck and after Gauthier was sacked twice, they gave the ball back to the Hawks who took it over on their own 18-yard line, but with holding, offside and delay of game penalties, plus a sack, St. Helena had to punt.On the first play from their own 47, Gauthier connected with Louis for a 47-yard touchdown with 3:29 left in the game. The point-after kick wasblocked, but the Rams went on top 28-25.

The Rams started to celebrate, but St. Helena wasn’t finished yet. Lee hitDintory Lee with a 43-yard pass that put the Hawks on the Rams’ 26-yard line.

The Rams defense first hit halfback Roderick Lee for a ten yard loss, then they sacked Lee twice in a row. This put the Hawks in a fourth and 33situation. Lee did connect with Dintory Lee for a 5-yard pass, but itwasn’t enough.

The Hawks turned over the ball, and the Rams ran out the clock.

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