EDGARD, La. &045; Ding, ding. Sound the bell, ladies and gentlemen, because we are officially ready to rumble.

The first blow in the war of words for Friday’s LHSAA Class 2A semifinal heavyweight matchup between No. 3 Vidalia and No. 2 West St. John was landed Monday.

And the jarring roundhouse came from an ugly who sees himself as the undisputed champ.

At 6-7, 270 pounds, who’s going to argue with Ram defensive end/tackle Tyson Jackson, who pulled a Joe Namath in guaranteeing the containment of Vidalia running back Michael Randall, who ran for 228 yards on 21 attempts in a 46-12 mauling of Mamou last Friday.

&uot;It will not happen. (Randall) will not run for 200 yards against us,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;Once our defensive line gets that, we’re going to overpower (Vidalia). I don’t feel anybody can block me. We’re going to get out there and pound them until they eventually give up.&uot;

At Monday’s practice during a water break, a stoic Randall read those words and delivered the Vikings’ first power punch.

&uot;I’m gonna run right at (Jackson) and see what he’s got,&uot; an intense Randall said. &uot;I’m not scared of him. He’ll see when we get to West St. John.&uot;

Football by nature is a game where testosterone rules the day. The baddest kids on the block tend to be your more confident ones.

They don’t come any more self-assured than Jackson, who chose the Tigers back in April over schools such as Auburn, Florida, UCLA and Florida State.

West St. John (12-1) offensive and defensive line coach Antoine Edwards said the minute Jackson ducked under the threshold as a Biggie-sized freshman the coaching staff knew, with a little seasoning mind you, they had a special talent on their hands.

&uot;You could see with his maturity, things were going to pick up for him,&uot; said Edwards, who has been with the Rams for 24 years. &uot;Even when he was a little pup, he was able to maintain his ground. His positive attitude has always made him able to compete against guys that are either bigger or from high classifications.&uot;

In West St. John’s split 40 and five-man down set defenses, Jackson bounces between tackle and end depending on the opponent’s offensive scheme.

However, Edwards likes positioning the man-child on the end for passing downs due to his quickness once the ball is snapped.

&uot;He’s a great pass rusher. He takes charge,&uot; Edwards said. &uot;When he says, ‘This is it,’ then it’s going to be that way. You can always tell he’s focused on his job.&uot;

In the Rams’ bi-district 47-0 win over Ferriday, the Trojans’ fairly potent ground game led by Theotis Cummings and Montago Tennessee rushed 14 times ineffectually for negative 25 yards.

Port Barre, a 41-22 regional round victim, did muster 174 yards via the ground, but much of that came in the fourth quarter after it already trailed 41-0.

And in last week’s 47-14 romp over Jewel Sumner, the Cowboys barely cracked the 100-yard plateau as a team, rushing for 103 yards.

However, to Randall, comparing other teams’ numbers to what the Vikings (13-0) are going to do against the West St. John defense is apples and oranges.

&uot;We know we’re no pushovers. Mamou said we weren’t going to be able to run on them and we prove it to them,&uot; said the senior back, who continues to be one of the state’s top rushers. &uot;Now West St. John is saying the same thing, so we’ll prove it to them too.&uot;

Randall points to a consistent offensive line and a fullback in Chris Williams, who’d hit a brick wall if he thought the wall could put on the injured reserve, as established corner men.

&uot;Most try to double team him or run away from him,&uot; Edwards said. &uot;His presence usually takes over. He’s a tenacious big guy. He makes very few mistakes and will do whatever it takes to win.

&uot;His attitude makes up for whatever he is lacking, and that’s not much.&uot;

However, Jackson believes even if Vidalia lined the Great Wall of China in front of him, he could swim move, spin off and be in the backfield before you could say Superdome.

&uot;We can’t be stopped,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;Everybody expects so much from me that have to give them what they want. Even when teams double team me, I just fight through it and try my best to make the play.&uot;