By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

EDGARD – When West St. John tangles with White Castle this Friday in Edgard, the result will carry heavy district implications.

The winner will likely all but clinch a share of the District 9-1A championship. The two teams are the last teams within the district without a loss, and considered by most as the top favorites to win the district outright.

A year ago, the Rams defeated White Castle, 29-23, thanks to Xavier Pierre’s late go-ahead touchdown run.

White Castle (4-3) boasts an explosive offense led by quarterback Ronald Martin – an LSU commitment – and tailback Tyree Bracken.

The Bulldogs average 45.1 points per game and have gone toe to toe with some of the state’s highly touted Class 2A teams, falling in competitive games to Riverside and Donaldsonville.

“They have tremendous skill people,” said West St. John coach Robert Valdez. “(Martin) is just outstanding at both quarterback and as a defensive back. Bracken is a real shifty kid, a 1400 yard rusher. They’re so very fast and its tough to key on any one person. So far, it’s added up to them scoring a lot of points.”

White Castle has defeated two district teams thus far, beating St. John-Plaquemine 49-24 and Ascension Catholic 69-0.

West St. John, meanwhile, has rolled up over 55 points in both of its district wins, a 55-14 win over Christian Life and a 57-6 win over East Iberville on Friday night.

Jeremy Jackson has now rushed for 100 yards in each of his three career starts, tallying 100 yards on seven carries and scoring three times on runs of 49, 5 and 30 yards.

Quad Howard and Denzel Pierre also added touchdown runs of four and 16 yards respectively for the Rams (3-4, 2-0).

The Rams’ defense got in on the scoring act, as Kylum Favorite and Darzil Washington each scored on interception returns.

Quarterback Mark Wright attempted just two passes for West St. John (3-4, 2-0), completing one of them for a 26-yard touchdown to Jarius Moll.

East Iberville finished with just 87 total yards.

St. John won District 9-1A a year ago, but White Castle handled them easily two weeks ago behind a slew of big plays.

Bracken rushed 16 times for 277 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulldogs came away with the win. Martin had touchdown runs of 44 and 89 yards.

White Castle brought back almost all of its starters from a year ago to begin the season and will boast the experience edge on Friday night.

“They’re a senior heavy team,” said Valdez. “And they’ve done a good job scheduling up in competition. They have a lot of athletic ability. We understand what they bring to the table. On the positive side, they come to us, which gives us a bit of an edge. Our kids are confident, and they know the things we have to do to come away with a win here.