By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE — One thing is for sure: fans following East St. John this season are getting their money’s worth.

The Wildcats have been exciting and explosive and Friday night saw another wild affair as ESJ toppled host St. Amant, 42-37, in their District 6-5A opener.

Through it all, the Wildcats have remained undefeated. But in District 6-5A, there is no rest for the weary.

East Ascension (4-2, 0-1) is next on deck for East St. John. The teams will square off at Joe Keller Stadium on Friday, the Spartans bringing an improved squad that fell short of an upset over Hahnville on Friday. EA lost 7-3 after the Tigers quieted a late rally.

“They’re much, much improved from a year ago,” said Dauterive. “We played them in a quagmire, in the mudlast year and it wasn’t pretty. They pride themselves on their defense and they had a chance to beat Hahnville.”

But Dauterive said that cleaning up a slew of errors from Friday night is first on his agenda, regardless of the capable foe on the horizon.

“Right now, my concern isn’t with East Ascension, but with us. We’re missing assignments defensively and giving up cheap touchdowns. We had 22 penalties on Friday night and gave up a bunch of big plays. If we aren’t more disciplined we’re gonna get beat. We’re going into the seventh week, and these things simply shouldn’t happen,” said Dauterive.

The offense was splendid again in the win, led by a record-breaking performance. Quarterback Darion Monroe broke the East St. John record for total yardage in a game, totaling 473 yards (375 passing) to go along with six touchdowns. It breaks the previous record set in 2004 by Ryan Perrilloux, who totaled 423 yards and six scores.

“It’s just a really impressive feat,” said Dauterive. “He’s so accurate, and he can hurt you in multiple ways. I’m glad he’s on our side.”

D’haquille Williams continued his spectacular play for ESJ (6-0, 1-0), finishing with four catches for 174 yards and two scores. But threats have been emerging around him this season, most recently Rashad Green, who caught five passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns on Friday night in a breakout performance.

“He’s going to make it real hard for teams to double D’haquille,” said Dauterive. “He’s stepping up as a playmaker for us.”

East Ascension represents another chance for East St. John to step up defensively against an offensive attack that has troubled them this season. The Spartans’ run the veer, another option-based attack like others ESJ has faced against teams like St. James, Carencro and St. Amant.

East Ascension has defeated LaGrange, Ellender, Bonnabel and Sarah Reed so far this season. Its defense has allowed seven points or less in each of its four wins.