By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

Talk about reversing a trend.

West St. John went winless in each of the past two seasons in predistrict play.

In 2009? The Rams are 2-0 – and the wins have been impressive.

A week after upsetting rival St. James, West St. John stuck another feather in its cap with a 16-0 victory over Class 5A Bonnabel in Edgard.

The Rams (2-0) have moved all the way to third in the Class 1A rankings after topping the Bruins through a dominant defensive performance – playing with its backup quarterback,

Bonnabel (0-2) did not get a single first down in the game and totaled minus-13 yards on a rainy night.

“The defensive effort was exceptional,” said WSJ coach Robert Valdez.

“Bonnabel runs the Wing-T, like St. James, so our guys were used to seeing it. I think this team is starting to create an identity for itself.”

The slippery weather contributed to a bevy of Ram fumbles – eight in all, with four lost – but Bonnabel could not take advantage.

West St. John scored on its very first drive of the game, when Xavier Pierre capped a 42-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.

Quarterback Dray Joseph ran in the two-point conversion to give WSJ an 8-0 lead.

Power running was a theme for West St. John, which usually opts for a spread-shotgun passing attack.

“In those conditions, we knew we had to run the football,” said Valdez.

“And it’s real good to know that when it comes down to it, we can win a game like that when we have to. If you can come out and run the football, you’re usually ending up ok. It gives you a chance to win.”

The Rams failed to capitalize on a second quarter drive to the Bonnabel 3-yard line – a fumble ended the threat.

But West St. John scored nonetheless when it recorded a safety via a Dontre Turner sack.

With the score 10-0, West St. John capped off the night’s scoring when Justin Smith finished the ensuing drive with a 3-yard scoring run, making it 16-0.

The Rams would not score again, but effectively closed Bonnabel out in the third quarter after a long, time consuming drive that ate up 10-minutes to begin the third quarter. The Rams wouldn’t score once inside the Bonnabel redzone, but time became a factor.

“It’s always good to start off with a few wins,” said Valdez. “Kids buy into your program.

“We beat our archrival, we beat a 5A school. Now you get more out of them in practice, and it helps you fine-tune all the little things in practice. And that will make us better in all phases.”