By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

BATON ROUGE — West St. John won two summer 7-on-7 football tournaments in 2011.

In 2012, they’ve done the same in a span of eight days.

For the second consecutive week, West St. John captured a 7-on-7 tournament crown, the Rams besting 18 other teams at the 12th annual Jaguars 7-on-7 tournament at Southern University Saturday.

West St. John defeated McKinley in the tournament’s championship game, 36-6.

The Rams were coming off of a tournament victory at the New Orleans Saints’ annual 7-on-7 tournament, won the previous Saturday with a total record of six wins and a loss.

West St. John went 8-0 at the tournament, including a pair of comeback wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

That puts WSJ at 14-1 over the last two weeks, a dominant run over a field that includes a bevy of larger, high-classification schools.

“You just see players coming up big when we need it, you see guys developing that mental toughness you’re going to need to fall back on at times during the season,” said Valdez.

As he did in the championship a week before, quarterback Austin Howard tossed four touchdown passes in the final game. Kylum Favorite caught two touchdowns, while Laterence Mitchell and Jeremy Jackson each caught one.

Justin Bethancourt and Trey Nathan each intercepted a pass in the game. Interceptions were worth three points each in the competition.

Bethancourt also came up big in the team’s semifinal win over East Feliciana, a Class 2A semifinalist a year ago. His interception in the second of two overtime periods secured the winning points in a 39-36 victory.

In that game, WSJ rallied from an 18-0 deficit.

“At times, teams get out to these big leads and they tend to sit on it, stop challenging you deep in exchange for seconds off the clock,” said Valdez. “Our guys didn’t get desperate or impatient. Our defensive guys sat on some routes and made plays when the opportunity came, and it gave us the chance to get back in it.”

In the quarterfinals, West St. John bested Istrouma on the back of a touchdown pass from Howard to Mitchell in the final minute.

“When I started coaching, I wasn’t a big fan of these 7-on-7’s,” said Valdez. “But it gives your players a chance to handle adverse situations in competition and respond to them. That’s what I was pleased with the most… how resilient we were.

“Against Istrouma, we needed a clutch throw, a clutch catch, then a big defensive stop as time ran out. You love to see that from your guys.”

The Rams also defeated Scotlandville, McDonogh No. 35, Fort Gibson (MS), Southern Lab and O. Perry Walker in round robin pool play to earn the second seed in the final bracket.

The Rams’ also entered a second team into the tourney, a J.V. squad. That team went 2-2.

“That’s exciting as well,” said Valdez. “The younger guys stepped up and won a couple of games and showed a little of what they can do.”

Now, the Rams prepare to travel — and not just down the road. West St. John’s 7-on-7 team will be flying to Indianapolis to compete in the NFL’s National 7-on-7 Tournament, an honor the team earned via their win in the Saints tournament last week.

The NFL tournament will take place Saturday, July 14.

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