PRIDE — The West St. John Rams enter their Class 2A semifinal contest with quite a bit of momentum.

The Rams have demolished all three of their playoff opponents, have averaged just over 49 points per contest over those three games and have yielded an average of 7.67 points per contest in those convincing victories.

West St. John will indeed need that momentum to continue Friday night when it takes to the road to battle No. 1-ranked Northeast High School at 7 p.m.

Northeast, too, has looked impressive this postseason, and has appeared to have little trouble disposing of Varnado, Red River and Ouachita Christian in its three playoff match-ups.

“Northeast’s running back Trenton Holiday is the difference-maker on that team,” West St. John head coach Laury Dupont said. “He has one of the fastest times in the 100-meters in the nation and we can’t let him get in the open because if he does, I don’t know if we’ll be able to catch him.”

Dupont said Northeast poses a threat on the defensive side of the ball as well.

“They have good size on defense and they have a couple of 300-pound kids on the defensive line,” he said. “This is the biggest team we’ve faced all year.”

Although the Northeast defense has good size, it will undoubtedly have its hands full with the explosive West St. John defense.

Patrick Jackson spearheads the offensive attack of the Rams, and the West St. John standout scored five touchdowns in last week’s 50-6 quarterfinal victory over Rayville.

Jackson scored three touchdowns in the first half alone, and after the opening two quarters last week, the Rams held a commanding 30-0 lead.

“That was as good a half as we’ve played all season,” Dupont said.

Friday night’s contest has a lot riding on it, but Dupont’s squad is no stranger to big games. The defending Class 2A state champions will certainly be ready to go when the ball is kicked off at Northeast stadium.

“We’re still the champions until someone dethrones us,” the Rams mentor said. “We’re still alive and still have a chance to repeat.”