The Westlake Rams took a big step last week to right the ship after a winless season. They will get to take the first official step Thursday when they open the 2021 season at home against DeQuincy. Westlake tied Sam Houston 21-21 in its jamboree game last week. “We have really got a lot better,” second-year Westlake head coach John Richardson said. “We played really well in the scrimmage against Kinder, and we played well against Sam Houston. We are headed in the right direction.

“They faced some adversity and came back. After being up, we got down 21-13, and (if it) were a year ago they might have folded the tents; they rallied with a drive down the field to score. They showed some fight and showed some maturity.”

DeQuincy will bring its split-back veer offense, led by quarterback Reese Ashworth and running backs Taije Ceasar, Hudson Snyder and T.J. Wood. The Tigers beat LaGrange 14-0 in their final preseason game.

“Our offensive line is doing a good job and our backs are doing a good job of hitting the holes,” DeQuincy head coach Matt Dufresne said. “We have to continue to build on that.

“Westlake is probably the biggest up front that we have played. They are physical up front and have an electric quarterback (Jamaal Guillory). They are going to be a very tough opponent for us.”

The Rams will have to stop the Tigers from controlling the clock, one of the advantages of the split-back veer.

“The biggest thing is we can’t give up big plays,” Richardson said. “We have to make them drive the field and make some three-and-outs to get them off the field. They can chew up the clock.”

Elton will make its long-awaited return to varsity football Thursday when it travels to Vinton. The Indians had to bow out of the 2020 season due to low roster numbers and are looking for their first win since the 2018 season. Elton head coach Marcus Lejeune said he saw improvement in the Indians’ jamboree game last week against Welsh.

“It is a work in progress,” Lejeune said. “We are trying to get these guys used to it.

“There were a lot of wide-eyed guys in the jamboree. It was their first time under the lights. Now it will be a little more stressful because it is a four-quarter game. We are just going to play it play by play.

“The more we played, the more they settled in and started playing harder. It was a lot faster. It is hard to simulate game speed at practice when you have low numbers.”

In other Thursday action, Iowa will travel to play Iota, while 2020 Class 1A state runner-up Grand Lake will host Pickering in its first game at its own stadium since the 2019 season. The Hornets played the entire 2020 season on the road due to damage from Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Rosepine will host Oberlin.

Lake Charles College Prep’s season opener with Plaquemine was canceled because the school and surrounding area were hit hard by Hurricane Ida.