By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

EDGARD – West St. John will attempt to make it two wins in a row to conclude the regular season as it travels to face District 9-1A foe St. John-Plaquemine, last season’s district champion.

St. John (5-4, 3-1) and West St. John (4-5, 3-1) each trail White Castle in the district standings and would need an unlikely victory by winless East Iberville over the Bulldogs to capture a share of district. This game, in all likelihood, will be for sole possession of second place.

Last season, St. John rallied from 21 points down to defeat West St. John in Edgard, 28-27, in overtime for the district championship.

While St. John has dealt with some injuries that contributed to a four game losing streak in midseason, it has rebounded to win three straight.

“They’re a very well-coached football team,” said West St. John coach Robert Valdez. “They’ve been struck by the injury bug, but they’re a good football team. They run the ball extremely well. They’ve been getting five or six yards a carry, and they use a lot of misdirection. Defensively, they’re always in position. We need to limit our mistakes because they’re very opportunistic.”

The Eagles spread the field offensively but run many plays based from Wing-T roots. Winning at the line of scrimmage will be paramount to winning the game, but just as important for Valdez is that his defenders are secure in their reads.

“They cause a lot of false reads on your defense. We’re going to have to play very sound football,” said Valdez.

West St. John was led by Jeremy Jackson in a 49-13 win over Ascension Catholic on Thursday. He rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth straight game, gaining 174 yards on 209 carries. He scored twice, once coming on a reception.

Mark Wright completed 7of-12 passes for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His favorite receiver was Jarius Moll, who caught five passes for 119 yards and a score.

West St. John dominated the game, outgaining Ascension Catholic 354-94.

The Rams currently sit at 21 in terms of power points.

West St. John would have to jump up to No. 16 to host a first round game.

“We need a lot of different things to happen, but primarily we need to win,” said Valdez.