By GEORGE MAHL – Sports Editor

EDGARD – The West St. John football team received their long awaited championship rings Monday night. Players, coaches, managers and administrators each got a ring. The event capped off the state championship season for the Rams. Their undefeated record was only scratched by a loss to Parkview Baptist, a 3A powerhouse.

“We learned more about ourselves in that game than any victory could have given us,” said West St. John Head Football Coach Laury Dupont. After the loss to Parkview Baptist, wide receiver Sandy Harris said “for us, it is a 15 week season.”

Leadership, Dupont felt, was the key to the team’s success in 2003.

“I think the number of qualified players that signed scholarships shows the leadership we had.”

Dupont then revealed some staggering stats regarding the Rams title run.

“In five games we punted three times, turned the ball over once, held offenses to under 300 total yards and beat each opponent by an average of 28 points.”

To say the least, West St. John was the most dominant team of any team that played in the Superdome.

In addition, the head coach from Vidalia told Dupont his team has no weaknesses.

“The only weakness he told me was that our trombone player was out of tune,” Dupont said with a smile.

The Rams head coach also thanked the fans for their support. He cited an example of a game played against Port Barre.

“I knew it was going to be trouble when they only had one person collecting tickets on our side,” he said.

“Coach Perron (head coach from Port Barre) had nothing but positive things to say about our fans and the way they acted before, during and after the game.”

Guest speaker Ed Daniels, WGNO Sports Director, also had positive things to say about the players, coaches and fans.

“You would not believe how many people come to me wanting to come here to shoot a game. I am not sure if its the food or what it is. I just think that people here along the river are more into high school football than most other places,” Daniels said.