J. EDMUND BARNES

EDGARD – West St. John had its annual spring scrimmage last Friday and the winner was the Rams, according to Coach Laury Dupont. With 63 athletes turning out for a chance to play football, the West St. John coaching staff divided the team into offense and defense. Then the running, catching, and hitting began. The nucleus of West St. John’s team will be very young. With only nine seniors returning, Coach Dupont and staff are looking to the incoming eighth- and ninth- graders- and finding good promise on both sides of the ball. Coach Dupont noted that both quarterbacks showed good leadership before mentioning several other standout athletes, including running back Devin Herbert, defensive end Lionel Howard, and linebacker Quentin Johnson. Coach Dupont was also careful to mention his team’s perceived weaknesses. “Our punt team and special teams are not up to par. We also lack depth on the line.” But when asked about West St. John’s rivals, Coach Dupont immediately mentioned St. James and Riverside. “With St. James, people and parents know one another. They talk. Riverside is right across the river, and they jumped into our district. Both rivalries have been good, nothing nasty, on or off the field.” “We had a lot of bright spots,” said Coach Dupont. “Our skill people are strong.”