By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

 

EDGARD — West St. John and Southern Lab each scored a single touchdown and added a two-point conversion in last week’s spring game at Rudolph G. Dinvaut Memorial Stadium, as a young Rams  team became the final River Parish team to cap off its spring.

Juwan Boudoin’s two-yard touchdown pass to Morell Bartholomew and a subsequent two-point conversion hook-up between the two provided the scoring highlight of the day for WSJ, those scores set up by a 56-yard pass from Boudoin to Ronald Dumas.

Southern Lab scored on a 71-yard touchdown pass to begin the scrimmage and added a two-point conversion, but the Ram defense held Lab scoreless the rest of the day.

Rams coach Robert Valdez said he was happy to see his team escape the spring without injury and was just as pleased to see his players embrace the overall focal point of the team’s spring practice: physicality.

“I think we matched them in that regard,” said Valdez. 

“We had a very good look at our kids and were able to get a good read on who we’ll be able to count on. We really hunkered down on defense after that opening drive.”

He said that offensively, things will likely take more time to gel. West St. John started an 8th grader, a freshman and three sophomores on the offensive line in the spring game and is breaking in two young, competing quarterbacks in Boudoin and Jemoine Green.

“Both (quarterbacks) did some things well and both guys did some things that you’d expect with inexperience,” said Valdez. “Juwan had a little better command of things as far as throwing the ball. Jemoine showed flashes of his big-time athleticism.”

Defensively, Valdez liked what he saw from his group as a whole, noting defensive lineman Quantae Gaudia, defensive backs Trey Nathan an Kie’ve Harry and linebacker Anfernee Lumar among the standouts. 

He also was pleased with the performance of new defensive coordinator LaVanta Davis.

“We were so young on defense last season so we bring back some experience on that side. I’m excited to see what we’ll be able to do there,” said Valdez.