By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

NEW ORLEANS – East St. John cornerback Xavier Lewis had spent enough time doing battle with this teammates this spring. On Friday night, it was time to go after another team.

“We were hungry. We were ready,” said Lewis after his Wildcats wrapped up their spring scrimmage with Landry-Walker. “It was very physical today, and that’s how we like it.

“We shut down the middle and laid a bunch of big hits. It’s something I’ve been waiting for since the playoffs last season.”

L.B. Landry and O. Perry Walker merged recently, with the result a new school named L.B. Landry-O.P. Walker College and Career Preparatory High School.

The scrimmage was split into a series of drills. The first set saw the teams alternate first and second teams with the ball beginning on the offensive 25. The second saw the teams do the same in the redzone and the third at the goalline, with the final stage of the day a 10-minute timed quarter between the first teams.

Landry-Walker struck first in that 10-minute frame when defensive lineman Malcolm Wilson tipped and intercepted ball thrown by  Gerald Munoz. He found open field behind him and rumbled for a 52-yard touchdown to make it 6-0.

East St. John answered via its own defensive team. After a punt trapped Walker-Landry on its own 1, Charlie Payne registered a tackle in the endzone for a safety, making it 6-2. Payne also forced a fumble in the scrimmage.

ESJ had the ball with a chance to go ahead late, but Munoz was intercepted on a deep ball down the sideline to seal the day’s result.

“I thought Gerald threw a nice ball,” said East St. John coach Phillip Banko. “It looked like the receiver stopped running or there was a miscommunication, but it was one of the best ball’s he’s thrown all year.”

Munoz and Lewis are splitting first team reps at quarterback, with Lewis seeing heavy action both ways.

“I love it,” said Lewis of playing two ways. “If it causes my team to win, then I’m all about it.”

Said Banko, “(Lewis) is learning to play offense. We have to pick and choose our spots … both of them do some good things. We have two starting quarterbacks.”

Both offenses went scoreless at well in the opening drill, but things loosened up in the redzone.

Li’Jon Cordier’s 18-yard touchdown pass to James Cashmere resulted in the first score of the day for Landry-Walker. East St. John struck back on its own first redzone play of the day, Munoz finding Jared Jackson on a fade route for a 20-yard score.

Landry-Walker’s second team scored on a pair of redzone possessions thereafter.

Said Banko, “He’s a great cornerback. We’re happy he’s wearing the black and gold.”

Munoz scored a touchdown on a 1-yard keeper in goalline work. ESJ allowed no Landry-Walker touchdowns in the goalline drill, one of its stops coming on a Lewis interception of Cordier on a fourth down play. 

“Coach Banko told me he was going to run the route he did,” said Lewis. “I rode his hips and moved my feet, kept my hands on him. Then I made the play.”

ESJ is counting on its defense to emerge as a force in 2013, and Friday night did nothing but reinforce positive notions on that front, allowing just a lone offensive touchdown to the Landry-Walker first team.

That was especially pleasing to Banko, who didn’t pull out too many exotic looks for his stop unit.

“For them to be as disruptive as they were … we only sent as much as a five-man pressure once in 36 plays,” said Banko.

“I love to send pressure. Hey, I’m the king of blitzing. But in a setting like this you just want to see who can play.

“I thought you saw a very good Landry-Walker team and a very good East St. John team tonight. We saw what we wanted to see. We’ve come a long way.”