Football Game Preview: West St. John Rams vs. Riverside Academy Rebels

West St. John is 1-8 against Riverside Academy since October of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Rams will head out to square off against the Rebels at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Riverside Academy will take on a team with plenty of momentum: West St. John extended their winning streak to three on Friday. The Rams blew past Varnado, posting a 46-6 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Rams have posted against the Wildcats since October 20, 2017.

Achtion Barnes

Passing Touchdowns

10/10/25 vs Varnado	4
10/03/25 @ East Iberville	4
09/26/25 vs Houma Christian	3
09/05/25 vs Young Audiences Charter	1

West St. John's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Achtion Barnes, who threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns while completing 84.2% of his passes, and also rushed for 36 yards. Barnes has become a key player for the Rams: the team is undefeated when he posts at least three passing touchdowns, but 0-3 otherwise. Another back making a difference was Kalon Gardner, who rushed for 115 yards and three TDs on only 13 carries.

Meanwhile, Riverside Academy never let their opponents score on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-0 victory over St. Martin's Episcopal. The Rebels haven't had any issues with the Saints recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive win against them.

Riverside Academy's victory bumped their record up to 6-1. As for West St. John, the win got them back to even at 3-3.

West St. John took a serious blow against Riverside Academy when the teams last played back in October of 2024, falling 41-6. Can the Rams avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.