northshore football 2011 preview 6-5a

| FOOTBALL 2011 | SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2011 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

3Cover Story

Does Mandevillehave all the tools for a title run?

Covington Lions

6Fontainebleau Bulldogs

9Mandeville Skippers

12

Northshore Panthers

15St. Paul’s Wolves

18Slidell Tigers

21Stories & photos

Mike Pervel • Chris Kinkaid • Mike McCall • Joey MichelCover design Chad Hebert

FOOTBALL 2011 | SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2011 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011 | PAGE 3

By Mike PervelSt. Tammany News

Mandeville’s Skippers haveboasted a potent offen-sive attack the last few

years with senior quarterbackMatt Bergeron helping to ignitethe offense with a group of talent-ed receivers and running backs.

Bergeron (6-0, 175) flourishedin the Skippers’ spread offenselast season turning in a produc-tive year clicking on 167-of-267passing attempts (62.2 percent)for 2,331 yards with 25 touch-downs, while throwing 16 picks.

“I want to go undefeated andplay 15 weeks for a state champi-onship is what I want the mostthis season. I’ve been waiting mywhole life to get to this stage,”Bergeron said.

“A few of my teammates and Ihave been playing together sincethe early days at Pelican Park anda lot of us have been togetherthrough junior high.

These guys have been great andwe have learned to grow as one.We know each others strengthsand weaknesses and how tocounter those,” Bergeron added.

Mandeville’s Skippers had asolid summer and excelled finish-ing third in the National Select 7on 7 Championship in Hoover,

Ala., back in July going 11-3against some of the best talent inthe nation.

The senior QB was selected theMVP, while teammate juniordefensive back Matt Nungesserwas named the Top Defender.

Bergeron said he was honoredbeing named the MVP and credit-ed his teammates with makingthat possible.

“It’s all about me getting theball into my receivers hands andletting them do their thing.Without my offensive line, Iwouldn’t be anything. You have togive those guys up front all of thecredit,” Bergeron said.

Bergeron said he relishes beingthe focal point of the Skippers’offense and likes the ball atcrunch time.

“I want the ball in my hands tomake the big play. I know I can getit to my guys down the field tohave them make the plays,” saidthe senior signal caller.

Bergeron has a stable ofweapons in the passing game aswell as running the ball. Seniorrunning backs Daniel DeMeloand Charles Jones are talentedrunners and are key parts in thepassing game both showing goodhands out of the backfield.

“All of my receivers and run-ning backs would run through a

brick wall for me and I would dothe same for them. Every one ofmy receivers is like that and Ihave a really good offensive line. Ijust have a total package to workwith and we all work well togeth-er,” Bergeron said.

Bergeron said senior outsidereceivers Xavier Marcus (27catches for 409 yards with sixscores) and Garrett Dinicola arehis two fastest targets and run 4.3in the 40-yard dash.

“They are really fast on the out-side and can run good routes.They know how to get open forme to find them,” Bergeron said.

“I told Sam (McGivern) andthe defense that if they are goingto give up a touchdown I wouldrather they give it up quickinstead of letting them take lots oftime off the clock and keep ouroffense off the field. I know wehave the capability of counteringback if they give up a score,”Bergeron said.

Bergeron said he loves playingfor coach Guy LeCompte who issuch an offensive minded headcoach.

“In my eighth grade year, coachLeCompte took me in during thespring to watch and learn. I’vebeen learning this offense sincethat time so he has taught meeverything and I hope to actually

come back and coach for him oneday. He’s got me to where I amnow along with my dad (Kevin). Iowe them the success I have hadto this point,” Bergeron said.

Bergeron named the Saints’Drew Brees as his favorite NFLquarterback followed by NewEngland’s Tom Brady andIndianapolis’ Peyton Manning.

“My mom (Amy) loves PeytonManning. When he won theSuper Bowl my mom loved it.”

Bergeron said in the collegeranks he liked the Auburn Tigersand what Heisman Trophy win-ner Cam Newton was able toaccomplish.

Bergeron said he and a lot ofhis teammates have been togethersince the eighth grade playingtheir positions for four years.

“We have the experience so weare hoping to reap those benefits.As many repetitions that theseguys have gotten we are hopingthat proves a benefit and carriesinto the season,” Bergeron added.

Head coach Guy LeCompte(38-18), who is in his sixth seasonalso serves as the Skippers’ offen-sive coordinator. He talked abouthis offensive philosophy operat-ing out of the spread.

“We ask a lot of our receivers.We push them and work themhard. To be a player (receiver)

that is just going to be asked toblock for a feature back is not awhole lot of fun. Our definition ofbalance is the number of toucheseach individual on the team has.They deserve it and work for it,”LeCompte said.

“We want to put out an excitingoffense and we have someextremely talented players on theoffensive side of the ball that canmake things interesting,”LeCompte added.

LeCompte talked about hissenior backs Daniel DeMelo andCharles Jones and the consistentcontributions they make.

“They are both excellent run-ning backs and are great at whatthey do. DeMelo is a running backslash wide receiver. They areexciting players and are key to ouroffensive success,” LeComptesaid.

Jones (5-11, 186) was the team’ssecond leading rusher last yearwith 446 yards on 95 carries aver-aging 4.7 yards per attempt withsix touchdowns. Jones showinghis versatility hauled in 24 recep-tions for 239 yards with twoscores. Jones is a hard-nosed run-ning back who can be counted onto pick up the tough yardage.

SEE MHS, PAGE 4

MHS brings high-octane offense, rogue defenseFROM LEFT: MANDEVILLE’S SENIOR TRIPLE THREAT - DANIEL DeMELO, MATT BERGERON AND CHARLES JONES


“I think this season isgoing to be something spe-cial something that mostMandeville fans haven’tseen before. We’re lookingfor a district title and thenstate,” Jones said.

Jones said the Skippershave good offensive depththis year.

“Most of us have beentogether since the eighthgrade so the chemistry isreally good,” Jones added.

“Our passing game isgood because everybodygets the ball. Matt (Ber-geron) does a good jobspreading the ball aroundand he trusts his backs andreceivers. We built up thetrust between ourselvesover the summer and it did-n’t matter if you are an out-side receiver or runningback you are going to getyour chances and areexpected to do well,” Jonessaid.

Jones said playing in anumber of summer tourna-ments helps with so manyreps.

“I think our offense willcomplement the defenseand defensively they will dothe same. That showed inHoover when the offensedidn’t get it done thedefense stepped up withbig plays to get a stop. Withthe new defense being putin I’m looking for a specialseason,” the senior runningback added.

Jones said everybody ontheir schedule is the enemyand they plan on taking itone game at a time. Henamed the Tennessee Ti-tans’ Chris Johnson as hisfavorite NFL running backand said he would go withthe Philadelphia Eagles’Michael Vick at quarter-back.

DeMelo (5-10, 173) is oneof Bergeron’s go-to-guys.DeMelo pulled in 33 recep-tions last season for a team-

high 573 yards with sevenTDs. He also carried theball 20 times for 255 yardswith two scores.

“We are coming off of astrong summer showingwith the third place finishat the Hoover 7 on 7 and wehave our new uniforms. It’sexciting and I can’t wait toget the season started,”DeMelo said.

DeMelo and his team-mates said they are lookingfor a really productiveoffensive output.

“We are looking greatthrowing and running theball. We are hoping we canscore lots of points againthis year. It’s so much funfor me to play running backand wide receiver because Ican switch back and forth. Ilove running the ball and Ilove catching it and run-ning after the reception. It’sa great situation for me,”DeMelo said.

DeMelo brings an extratype of excitement to his

game and is a game breakerhandling the Skippers’ kickoff and punt return duties.

“Right before I catch akickoff or punt I make a lit-tle sign of the cross and justgo for the hole and hit it ashard as I can hoping for thebest.

DeMelo said he likesreturning kickoffs betterthan punts because there ismore of a chance to breakone. DeMelo said Bergerondoes a fantastic job runningthe offense.

“Matt doesn’t just key onanyone in particular. Hegoes from side to side andhits whatever person isopen. There isn’t any onereceiver he favors. He goesto his running backs a lotand we get our fair share ofthe passes,” DeMelo said.

DeMelo said there is aspecial bond between he,Bergeron and Jones.

“We are great friendsand we hang out all thetime. We have a good team

this year and we’re lookingforward to going out strongas seniors,” DeMelo said.

DeMelo referred to hishead coach (LeCompte) asa great coach.

“I couldn’t imagine play-ing for any other coach. Hestays on top of you and he isalways organized. He hasus focused doing what wehave to do and he gets usprepared for each game,”DeMelo said.

DeMelo said the Man-deville defense is reallystepping up.

“Early in the summer theoffense was dominatingthem towards the end theywere getting back at usholding us down,” DeMelosaid.

Daniel is the last of theDeMelo athletes to performfor MHS.

“I’m the last of seven fol-lowing my brothers Jason,Timmy, Nathan and Joshand my sisters Jessie andJenny,” the younger De-

Melo said. DeMelo named Reggie

Bush, the traded Saints’running back as his favoriteNFL back probably in asmuch as he wears the samejersey No. 25. After Bush,he named the Saints’ newlyacquired Darren Sprolesand the New York Jets’LaDainian Tomlinson.

The Skippers’ new lookdefense, which is referredto as Rogues, is planning toswarm to the ball underfirst-year defensive coordi-nator Rowland Skinner.

Skinner said he likes hisdefensive unit, which is ledby senior linebacker SamMcGivern and senior safetyTimmy Broussard lastyear’s leading tackler.

A solid consistent offen-sive output coupled with anaggressive, pressuring de-fense is what the Skippershope results in a winningcombination as the clubgets ready to strap it on inDistrict 6-5A.

» FROM PAGE 3

MHS: Skippers poised for strong run in 2011 season featuring rogue defense



Covington High head coach MalterScobel (13-18) is entering his fourthseason with the Fighting Lions.

CHS opens the regular season Sept.2 hosting the Lakeshore Titans. TheLions play their first four games in thefriendly confines of Jack SalterStadium before going on the road toopen District 6-5A play at Slidell.

“This year’s team is probably a littlebetter than last year’s (5-6). I thoughtlast year’s team had a very good chanceto very successful, but we dealt withnumerous injuries it seemed like every

week,” Scobel said.“We didn’t have our starting 22 guys

until week 11 against Dutchtown (35-27 loss) in the opening round of theplayoffs and that was the best game weplayed all season,” Scobel added.

“Holding the No. 1 seed to a onetouchdown game gave us momentumentering this season. If we can stay freefrom major injuries, we have a chanceto be a very good team,” the head coachsaid.

Scobel, who will serve as the Lions’offensive coordinator, said if his clubcan stay healthy along the offensiveline they could be a very explosive unit.

The Lions return five offensivestarters including athletic senior signalcaller John McDowell (6-0, 200), sen-ior receiver Ridge Buisson, junior run-ning back Deonte “Bowling Ball”Casnave (5-6, 226) along with seniorlinemen Joe Graves and Ryan Mathies.

Scobel said he likes McDowell’s ath-leticism and ability to run the ball.

“I love having Jay back there. He’sour best running back, but he plays QB.

We have installed more of a tripleoption offense this year. Operating outof the shotgun, we want to get him out-side more,” Scobel said.

McDowell completed 43 of 99 pass-es for 589 yards with six TDs and fiveinterceptions. he gained 416 yardsrushing to top the team and tallied fourrushing TDs.

McDowell said he thinks the Lionsare going to be pretty good.

“We have a really big offensive line.They got bigger and stronger. Theyplay with good technique,” McDowellsaid.

The QB said Buisson would proba-bly be his key target along with seniortight end Deshaun “Tree” Bankston (6-3, 186).

McDowell, No. 2, nicknamed “TheDeuce” by his head coach, said he

hopes to get his number called a lot. “Coach Scobel and I have a nice

chemistry going on. He did a great jobkeeping the Dutchtown defense offbalance in last year’s playoff game,”McDowell added.

Scobel spoke highly of his hugeoffensive line, and they are looking forbig things from Graves (6-3, 288), athree-year starter, who he described astheir best lineman. Mathies (6-0, 255)will start at center with two-way per-former Daniel LaRocca (6-0, 270) atoffensive right tackle and nose guard.

Senior Caleb Willie (6-5, 325) playeda lot last year and Doug Williams willbe counted on to balance the O-line.

Buisson (6-1, 176) said he has somebig shoes to fill taking over for All-District performer Jay Bickham.

“I hope I’ll be able to make big playswhen we need them. I think I do agood job finding the open area. I’m notthe fastest guy, but I try to run goodroutes,” Buisson said.

“I’ll do what I have to do blocking.We have a big offensive line, whichshould give Jay (McDowell) time,”Buisson added.

Scobel said Buisson is a solid widereceiver.

Founded 1913 • Head Coach Malter Scobel • 2010 Record 5-6 • Home Jack Salter StadiumCo

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High

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Aug. 26 – MHS Jamboree

Sept. 2 – Lakeshore

Sept. 9 - Franklinton

Sept. 16 – Higgins

Sept. 23 - St. Paul’s*

Sept. 29 – @Slidell*

Oct. 7 - Ponchatoula*

Oct. 14 – @Northshore

Oct. 21 - Fontainebleau*

Oct. 28 – Warren Easton

Nov. 4 – @Mandeville*

(*district game)

Covington Lions: ‘We’re coming!’

COVINGTON QB JOHN McDOWELL

SEE LIONS, PAGE 7

“Ridge made some bigplays for us last year so wewill need his contributions.He has been impressive thissummer catching the balland blocking. He runs real-ly good routes and catchesthe ball well, ” the headcoach said.

Buisson, also the Lions’starting catcher, will againhandle the Lions’ kickinggame.

First-year Lions’ coachMatt Burmaster, a 1997Jesuit High grad and for-mer defensive end, willserve as the defensive coor-dinator after three seasonsat Ponchatoula High.

Scobel said Burmasterhas gotten on board quickly.

“I’ve known Matt sincehe was 13. I met him whenhe was an eighth graderand coached against him,while he was at Jesuit,when I coached at Shaw,”Scobel said.

“Matt (Burmaster) hastaken what we’ve done inthe past and added a fewthings. He has built a greatrapport with the coachesand kids. They have gelledvery well under him. Hedemands hard work, disci-pline and doing the littlethings right. It’s been a real-ly good transition with himtaking over the defense,”Scobel said.

Burmaster (30), who is inhis 13th year of coaching,will play a multiple schemebase 4-3.

“I’m excited. The playershave worked as hard as anyteam I have been aroundand coach Scobel has builtthe program into some-thing the kids can be proudof. We will see so manyspread offenses that you

have to be multiple defen-sively to be successful,”Burmaster said.

“I believe your bestdefensive players are going

to be your linebackers.When it comes down tocrunch time the lineback-ers need to be the ones tomake the stops. Obviously,

with Otha (Peters), we haveone of the best,” Burmasteradded.

Otha Peters (6-1, 222), averbal commitment to theUniversity of Tennessee,registered 110 tackles lastseason with an intercep-tion. He is the leader of theLions’ defense and seeshimself as a team motivator.

“We will be playing hardfor a district championshipthis year. Linebackers arethe leaders of the defense.As senior leaders, we have

to watch what we are doingand make sure that theteam is always on task,”Peters said.

Peters (Big O) describedhimself as a relentless pur-suer, which enables him totrack down ball carrierswith his 4.6, 40-speed.

Peters has all the attrib-utes for a linebacker com-bining speed and strength.He squats 450, benches 330and cleans 275 pounds. Hescored one touchdown in ashort yardage situation,

while recovering two fum-bles and causing two oth-ers.

“I can run down playsbecause I have a goodmotor and I like to get afterthe ball,” Peters added.

Peters said the town ofCovington has a lot of hypefor this year’s team.

“Everybody is expectinga lot of big things from us.We have lots of family tra-


» 2011 covington lionsNNoo.. NNaammee PPooss.. HHggtt.. WWggtt.. CCllaassss..2 John McDowell QB 6-0 200 124 CJ Sims DB 5-6 145 105 Otha Peters LB/FB 6-1 222 126 Blake Camardelle DB 5-11 180 127 Ridge Buisson WR/K 6-1 176 128 Charles Silas DB 5-9 170 129 George Brister QB/DB 6-0 178 910 Andrew Breeland DB/QB 5-8 165 1011 Latrell Peterson LB/TE 6-2 225 1212 Dylan Savarese QB 5-9 170 1013 Riley Boudreaux QB/WR 6-0 174 1216 Kale Killingsworth FB 5-9 168 917 Lamarco Jacobs RB/DB 5-8 160 1018 Rhett Crouch TE 5-8 178 1119 Seth Friend LB 5-7 178 1120 Cordora Laurent WR 5-7 145 921 Deonte Casnave RB 5-6 226 1122 Mitreon Brumfield WR 5-8 150 1023 Antoine Brumfield FB 5-9 172 1024 Robert Brown RB 5-9 185 1125 Tyler Kelley DB 5-9 165 1126 Aaron Spallino WR 5-7 155 1127 Joel Murphy DB 5-8 150 1128 Jacob Sandifer DB 5-8 142 1129 Austin Nebe DB 5-9 141 1130 BJ Armstrong DB 5-8 163 1031 Zach Lehmann DB/K 5-9 170 1232 Joquan Williams DB 5-8 163 1033 Tyler Ussery DB 5-9 154 1034 Austin Bordelon FB 5-8 171 1035 Broderick Bankston DE 6-1 220 1036 Michael Babin FB 5-7 168 1237 Oscar Mendoza DB 5-8 157 1038 Noah Schmitz FB 5-11 191 1239 Kyle Crouchet RB 6-0 178 1040 Chance Barney LB 6-0 205 1042 Garrald McDowell DL/TE 6-2 240 1043 Paul Mire PK 5-8 168 1144 Colt Clemons LB 6-0 175 1045 Corey Turner RB 5-10 175 947 Logan Robinson LB 6-0 175 1248 Thomas Denenea DB 5-10 157 1149 Hewson Knight LB 6-0 200 1050 Eric Crouch DE 5-10 192 1251 Tre Langla LB 5-6 145 1152 Joseph Young LB 6-0 189 1153 William Steele LB 5-10 185 1254 Kyle Bordelon LB 5-8 209 1255 Jared Crain OL 6-0 245 1156 Cole Fauntleroy DL 5-6 178 1057 John Brogdon DL 5-8 172 1059 Hunter Toomer DL 5-9 245 1160 Caleb Willie OL 6-5 325 1262 Devin Bedford OL 6-0 245 1163 Kyle Herrera OL 5-9 275 1065 Casey Cannon OL 5-6 233 1166 Ryan Mathies OL 6-0 255 1267 Doug Williams OL/DL 5-11 265 1268 Alexander Hamilton OL 6-0 210 1069 Joshua Grunder OL 6-3 286 1170 Buddy Duracher OL 6-1 328 1271 Joe Graves OL 6-3 288 1272 Daniel Holden OL/DL 5-10 235 1174 Jathan Cutrer OL 5-10 220 1075 Daniel LaRocca DL/OL 6-0 270 1276 William Bailey OL 5-11 225 1277 Cameron Danos OL 6-2 240 1180 Jeremy Haar WR 6-0 173 1081 Deshaun Bankston TE 6-3 186 1282 Stephon Mcelveen WR 5-10 159 1083 Jackson Daigler WR 6-1 178 1185 Joshua Sticker DL 5-8 168 1087 Calvin Betancourt WR 5-9 139 1288 Matt Herman TE 6-0 190 1190 James Sewell DE 6-0 200 1291 Pat Mcgee DL 5-9 220 1093 Jordan Rider LB 5-9 181 1094 Dylan Perez DE 6-0 200 1195 Alexander Hatcher DE 6-1 220 1096 Shawn Lam LB 5-2 155 1197 Mason Bourgeois TE 5-11 182 1098 Payton Holmes DT 6-0 265 11

LIONS:McDowell

leadingCHS into

battle» FROM PAGE 6

LATRELL PETERSON

SEE LIONS, PAGE 8

OTHA PETERS RIDGE BUISSON

dition at Covington High. Alot of our players hadgrandpas and uncles playhere so that’s pretty cool,”Peters said.

Senior outside line-backer/tight end LatrellPeterson (6-2, 225) said heprefers to play defense anduses his strength to getaround people.

“I love the contact. As anoutside linebacker, youhave to stay at home in our3-4 defense. If you don’t,you can get beat for a bigplay,” Peterson said.

“We are always sendingsomebody and the offensenever knows who is comingfrom all different angles.People say, Otha (Peters)and I are a dual combo atlinebacker. We are bothabout 6-1 and 225 pounds

and urge the other on firingup the defense. We alsowant to be good positiverole models for our team-mates,” Peterson added.

Peterson namedBaltimore Ravens’ line-backer Ray Lewis hisfavorite NFL player, whilePeters went with SanFrancisco 49ers’ backerPatrick Willis.

Coach Burmaster high-lighted LaRocca, who willbe counted on to bolster theLions’ defensive line.

“There’s no doubt “TheRock” (LaRocca) is strong. Iwish we had a couple morelike him because he playswith heart and is strong asan ox. He needs to be ablock eater for us taking uptwo or three guys to free upour linebackers,” Bur-master said.

LaRocca (6-0, 265), a

three-sport athlete (foot-ball, power lifting andtrack), said there is nodoubt football is his favoritesport.

He won a power liftingstate title in his 275-poundweight class as a junior,breaking a record for totalweight lifted.

“I did power lifting to getbetter for football and I gotstronger all around. Mystrength helps me get offblocks quicker,” LaRoccasaid.

LaRocca, nicknamed“The Rock,” said he lovesthat handle and is alsocalled “Big Hungry” by hispower lifting coach CodyWalters because he gained60 pounds in just onemonth. He thanked hismom for helping him getbigger feeding him eggs andchicken every morning.

Graves (6-3, 288), theLions’ starting offensive lefttackle, a three-year starter,talked about the impor-tance of protecting hisquarterback’s blindside.

“If you can’t see a hitcoming it can be worse foryour quarterback becausehe can’t prepare himself.Keeping the D-linemen andlinebackers off of his back ismy job and that’s realimportant,” Graves said.

“I try to be a good leaderand do my part to keep theO-line on the same page.You have to have five guysworking together, trying toget people off the ball. Wetake a lot of pride in makingsure our quarterback isn’tsacked and stays safe, freeof injury,” Graves added.

Graves said the Lions’offensive line has chem-istry.

“All five of us are seniorsnow so we have been play-ing together for a while.We have some good size upfront and we are going touse it to our advantage,”Graves said.

Graves praised the ath-leticism of McDowell.

“He’s the “Deuce” andhas the speed. You add himinto the mix with our tal-ented running backs and heis a dual threat. He’s a greatplayer,” the left tackle said.

“Look out for the Lions,‘We’re Coming!” Gravessaid.

PAGE 8 | FOOTBALL 2011 | SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2011 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011

LIONS: Covington looking to improve on last year’s 5-6 record» FROM PAGE 7

DANIEL LaROCCA JOE GRAVES



Fontainebleau’s Bulldogs red and

black are working hard to return to thewinning side of the ledger after fallingon some hard times during the pasttwo years (1-19).

Head coach Mike Materne, who isentering his third season, says you cannever question his players’ work ethicor effort.

The Bulldogs went to Pearl RiverCommunity College for summer camp,the third such camp under coachMaterne after the Bulldogs had gone acouple seasons without a camp beforeMaterne decided to reinstate it.

“We had a really good camp thisyear with 62 players participating. Itwas much improved over the last twoyears since we brought it back,”Materne said.

“The kids worked hard from day-light till dark. They saw the sun comeup and they saw the sun set,” Materneadded.

The Bulldogs are running a newoffense this year getting away from theWing-T to run a split-back veer option.

Materne said the players are pickingit up pretty well and returning seniorstarter Conner Smith will becomemore of an option quarterback.

“We’ll still run some spread but thesplit-back veer will be our bread andbutter. It’s important for our quarter-back to master the new offense,”Materne said.

Materne said Smith has improvedhis athleticism and is respected by histeammates. He was a near unanimouschoice (58 out of 61 votes) to be a teamcaptain.

“Conner is a good role model andhas come a long way with his athleti-cism. He has lowered his speed in the40 during the past two years and wastimed at a 4.55. I’d say he’s a legitimate4.6. He has really worked hard in theweight room and with his condition-ing,” said the third-year coach.

Materne said his club would needgood play from the offensive line.

“We don’t have any seniors startingalong the line. Most of them played agood bit at the end of the season so

they got some good experience. Theyhave gotten bigger,” Materne said.

Materne said he is looking forwardto having his offense deliver this year.

“Conner (Smith) will need time tothrow the ball and the receivers willhave to step up because we will throwthe ball some in our new offense,”Materne said.

Smith (6-3, 183) completed 85-of-205 pass attempts for 1,120 yards withseven TDs and 13 interceptions. Hisbest outing was against Hammondgoing 18-of-32 for 197 yards with twoTD tosses.

Founded 1994 • Head Coach Mike Materne • 2010 Record 0-10 • Home FHS Dawg Pound

Font

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Aug. 26 – FHS Jamboree

Sept. 2 – Sarah Reed

Sept. 9 - @Lakeshore

Sept. 16 – Warren Easton

Sept. 23 - Slidell*

Sept. 30 – @Ponchatoula*

Oct. 7 - Northshore*

Oct. 14 – Holy Cross

Oct. 21 - @Covington*

Oct. 28 – @Mandeville*

Nov. 4 – @St. Paul’s*

(*district game)

Bulldogs gearing up to pull the chain

SEE FHS, PAGE 10

Smith talked about theupcoming season.

“Being my senior year,this is huge. Everybody onthe team is working hardand it is a totally differentatmosphere. We want toturn things around. Wehave no doubt, no fear.We’re bringing everythingwe have to the table and notholding back,” Smith said.

“I worked hard at gettingfaster this summer and Iwas able to improve myspeed, which will be a goodasset in our new offense,”the senior signal caller said.

Smith said he has goodreceivers in James Kinterand Dustin Johnson.

“Things definitelyclicked in camp for us. Itwas looking good in thepassing game,” Smith said.

Smith is taking an opti-mistic look towards the sea-son.

“Those last two seasonsare behind us and forgot-ten. It’s time for us to moveon. Sometimes we as team-

mates bring it up for a moti-vational factor and it helpsus realize we need to con-tinue working hard to get

victories. This is a totallydifferent senior class andwe are looking at thingsmore positively thanbefore,” the senior quarter-back said.

“Our line got a lot biggerand stronger over the sum-mer. They have more expe-rience and I’m counting onthem being able to makethe blocks.”

Smith said he thoughtbringing the chain backwould be a good motiva-tional thing for the team.

“It has kind of helpedbring the team together andcloser. We all signed ournames and it symbolizesthat we are committed tothe team. The chain linkstogether and as soon as oneperson gives up the wholechain breaks. We want togive it all we’ve got so wewill come out victorious,”Smith said.

Coach Materne talkedabout the importance of thechain and the concept ithas.

“The concept of thechain is you are only asstrong as the weakest linkis. The seniors and the cap-tains are in charge of thechain. They bring it to prac-tice and to the games. I’m

sure we’ll get some flakfrom the officials but that isfor me to worry about,”Materne said.

Jeff Boren, who does theJAG program at school hasbeen involved with thefootball program for a num-ber of years as a motiva-tional speaker.

“He brought back thechain, which we used anumber of years ago. Jeffloves being around ourplayers providing inspira-tion to them. He is one ofour motivational speakersbefore games. He bleedsred and black,” Maternesaid.

Materne said the playersvoted at camp along withinput from the coaches forcaptains electing TannerBrignac, Franco Centanni,Conner Smith and RandyTumminello.

“I felt their team captainselections were right on themark,” Materne said.

The Bulldogs return sixoffensive starters led bySmith at quarterback,Kinter at receiver, juniorcenter Simon Doyle, juniorleft guard Dylan Finnegan,junior right tackle AustinLeRay and junior runningback Jacob Finn.

“The biggest thing I amtrying to get our players toovercome is their lack ofconfidence. We have tohelp them develop confi-dence where they believe inthemselves and each other.It’s getting better, but westill have a ways to go,”Materne said.

Materne said he is count-ing on Brignac (5-10, 185)and Finn (5-11, 175) to han-dle the running game.

Finn carried the ball 16times last season gaining 76yards, averaging 4.7 yardsper rush. Brignac picked up32 yards on 14 carries so theBulldogs’ running backswill have to get it in gearearly operating out of thesplit-back veer option.

Senior flanker Kinter (5-11, 156) topped the Dawgswith 17 catches for 364

yards with a score last sea-son. Kinter averaged 21.4yards per catch.

Senior wide receiverDustin Johnson (6-0, 165)talked about the season.

“We had a really goodcamp this year. We workedreally hard. We have thischain that we were given.Each link in the chainstands for commitment.Each player signed it andwe brought it to every prac-tice,” Johnson said.

“I’m feeling really confi-dent about this year and weare looking for a good sea-son. We are hoping we’ll dovery well this year and beable to turn things around,”Johnson added.

“We have the mindset ofworking hard and startingover,” the senior receiversaid.

Defensively the Bulldogshave lots of returning lead-ership and experience inthe secondary with seniorfree safety Tumminello (6-0, 170), senior strong safetyJordan Bourgeois (6-2, 194)and senior corner backBobby Tyson (5-9, 187).Tumminello is the leadingreturning tackler with 49solo stops and 27 assists. Heintercepted two passes andbroke up three passes.

Tumminello (6-0, 170)said his club is showingimprovement.

“We worked hard duringthe spring and summer. Ithink our cornerbacks havebeen playing very wellworking on their breaks tothe ball with good cover-ages. We are working onnot getting beat deep incoverage,” Tumminellosaid.

“I think we have a goodsecondary but the wholedefense is coming together.The DBs are locking it up,while the defensive lineand the linebackers aremuch improved,” Tum-minello added.

“As a senior, I want to be


» FROM PAGE 9

FHS: Dawgs seeking fresh start after pair of subpar campaigns in 2009-10

CONNER SMITH DUSTIN JOHNSON RANDY TUMMINELLO

SEE FHS, PAGE 11


No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class.1 Jalean Brooks DB 5-8 160 122 Bobby Tyson RB/DB 5-9 187 123 Chase Veronie K 5-9 131 104 Bryce Lawrence WR 5-11 141 115 Alec Barreiro RB/DB 5-10 152 106 Chase Sims QB 5-9 158 107 Demario Clark WR 5-11 160 118 Brandon Kent QB/RB 5-10 160 1110 Conner Smith QB 6-3 183 1211 Andrew Collins LB/TE 5-11 185 1112 Jordan Bourgeois DB/WR 6-2 194 1213 Ted Conrad TE/QB 6-4 185 1014 Jeremy Giarrusso RB 5-6 153 1215 James Kinter WR 5-11 156 1217 Jesse Barreiro DB 6-0 167 1218 Randy Tumminello DB 6-0 170 1219 Bruno Gavina WR 5-10 160 1120 Tanner Brignac RB 5-10 185 1221 Jacob Finn RB 5-11 185 1122 Patrick Doyle DB 5-9 165 1223 Kendrick Marquez RB 5-6 136 924 Diante White DB 5-6 133 1126 Blake Blanchard DB 5-11 155 1127 Larry Roth TE/LB 6-0 172 1028 Franco Centanni LB 5-7 185 1229 Perry Fox LB 5-11 160 1130 Tyler Lopez DB/RB 6-2 175 1132 Justin Walker LB 5-10 180 1233 Vincent Williams LB 5-10 200 1234 Marvin Gray RB/DB 5-9 150 1136 Beau Monk WR 5-8 130 1037 Trey Dyson WR 5-9 145 1041 Cody Russo DB 5-8 140 1042 Wayne Nunes LB 6-0 175 1146 Alexander Jochum DB 5-10 211 1049 Ivan Celestine LB 5-11 240 1150 Simon Doyle OL/DL 6-0 200 1153 Jordan Smith DL/OL 5-10 200 1155 Blake Coco DL 6-3 205 1258 Aaron Parr OL 5-10 142 1259 Tyler Sterling OL 5-7 230 1061 Grant Waters OL 6-1 200 1062 Luke Incandela OL/DL 5-11 217 1063 Drew Walker OL 5-8 230 1169 Austin Leray OL/LB 6-1 230 1171 Benjamin Ford OL 5-8 195 1072 Daniel Sutor OL 6-1 220 1174 Troy Turner OL 6-1 225 975 Dylan Finnegan OL/DL 5-10 225 1177 Lorenzo Soto OL/DL 5-10 275 1180 Thomas Mundle TE 5-11 185 1181 Justin St.Germain WR 5-8 130 1082 Michael Seither DL 5-11 200 1084 Maxwell Smith WR 5-7 120 1085 Geramy Dupont LB 5-9 175 1086 Daniel Zellner WR 6-0 165 1187 Dustin Johnson WR 6-0 165 1288 Jacob Simpson DL 6-2 200 1290 Colby Nuccio DL 5-9 200 1091 Dominic Pizzitolo DL 6-1 210 1292 Carter Cheramie DL 6-1 181 993 Collin Cheramie DL 6-2 198 996 Robert Wieland WR 5-6 120 10

» 2011 fontainebleau bulldogs

a good team leader for myteammates. I will workhard to keep the teampumped up and ready togo,” Tumminello said.

Tumminello talkedabout bringing back thechain, which shows com-mitment.

“We all signed it sayingwe are committed to theteam. We plan on stayingcommitted with ourdefense and our offensecoming together as a teamto win some games,” thesenior free safety said.

Bourgeois registered 52tackles last season includ-ing 22 individual stops withsix stops for losses and asack. He also had an inter-ception. Tyson recorded 33tackles with 24 solos.

Senior Vinny Williams(5-10, 230) returns at line-backer, who registered 11individual stops and nineassists last season.

Senior Dominic Pizzitolo(6-1, 210) moved from line-backer and will play defen-sive end. Pizzitolo recorded35 individual stops last sea-son with 24 assists and fourstops for losses. He had oneinterception, which hereturned for a score.

Coach Chris Blockerreturns as the Bulldogs’defensive coordinator serv-ing his second season inthat capacity.

“Our defensive playerswere excited at camp andthat is more excitementthat I have seen for a while.They are a scrappy bunch,”Blocker said.

The Bulldogs’ defensewill run a 4-2 set.

“Our defensive line is a

little undersized but we arehoping their quickness inthe trenches will make upfor their lack of size,”Blocker added.

Blocker said filling thevoid of Pat White graduat-ing will be tough.

“That’s a really big lossfor us and that’s a hard manto replace,” Blocker said.

White, the Bulldogs’third leading tackler with81 tackles, anchored the

Dawgs’ D-line last season. Blocker said his line-

backers would have to stepup their play and he iscounting on junior middlelinebacker Ivan Celestine(5-11, 2 11) filling the middlebehind the inexperiencedand somewhat undersizeddefensive line.

Blocker said Tummin-ello, the Dawgs’ free safetyneeds to show up big timeagain this year just like last

season. “There is no doubt that

Randy is the leader of ourdefense. He along withDominic Pizzitolo andCelestine will have to besolid for us,” Blocker added.

Blocker said he hopes hisexperienced secondary canhelp bolster the defense.

“We are counting on theexperience in our second-ary to help us,” said thedefensive coordinator.

FHS: Dawgs’ secondary counted on to deliver» FROM PAGE 10



Mandeville’s Skippers finished lastseason with a 6-5 slate falling to

Terrebonne, 28-27 in a see-saw roadbattle in the opening round of the play-offs.

The Skippers have some momen-tum heading into the season on theheels of finishing third in the NationalSelect 7 on 7 Championships present-ed by Under Armour held July 21-23 inHoover, Ala. It is the nation’s premierfootball passing tournament in whichthe Skippers went 11-3 against the 32-quality team field.

MHS played excellent team ballwith the offense and defense comple-menting each other.

Senior quarterback Matt Bergeronwas named the MVP (tossing 65 TDswith just five interceptions), while jun-ior defensive back Matt Nungesser wasselected the Top Defender.

MHS head coach Guy LeCompte(38-18) who is in his sixth seasontalked about his club holding it’s ownagainst some really strong opponents.

“We certainly want to try and buildon what the players accomplished inthe 7 on 7 at Hoover. Defensively wewere asking guys to cover some of thebest athletes in the country for fourseconds (time the quarterback has torelease the ball),” LeCompte said.

“The different Division I quarter-backs that our guys saw in Hooverwere impressive and they saw so manydifferent motions and fronts on bothsides of the ball. The number of repsyou get in tournaments like Hoover are

invaluable,” LeCompte added. LeCompte said he has 24 seniors on

the 72-man roster and feels really goodabout his team.

“The team chemistry and the staffunity have me excited. It’s going to befun,” LeCompte said.

“We want to always promote char-acter within our program, which is oneof the most important things we want

to drive home to our players. We wantthem to live up to their potential notjust as football players but as individu-als in every aspect of their lives,”LeCompte said.

“We have been very involved inSpecial Olympics and we held a YouthCamp,” said the sixth-year head coach.

Founded 1920 • Head Coach Guy LeCompte • 2010 Record 6-5 • Home Sidney Theriot StadiumMa

ndev

ille H

igh

Skip

pers

Sept. 2 – Parkview Baptist

Sept. 9 - Catholic High

Sept. 16 – Jewel Sumner

Sept. 23 - @East Ascension

Sept. 30 – @St. Paul’s*

Oct. 6 - Slidell*

Oct. 14 – @Ponchatoula*

Oct. 21 - Northshore*

Oct. 28 – Fontainebleau*

Nov. 4 – Covington*

(*district game)

MHS Skippers offense ready to cruise

SEE SKIPPERS, PAGE 13

TIMMY BROUSSARD BRENDEN DUGAS


LeCompte said his play-ers voted on the team cap-tains, naming MattBergeron, Charles Jonesand Sam McGivern as sen-ior captains. Juniors MattNungesser and De’law-rence Johnson were votedon while sophomore ZacBarrient and freshmanMichael Niedermair werealso named.

“You hear the kidsthrowing out the termbrotherhood and that iswhat we want with themlooking out for each otherand representing eachother in a positive light,”LeCompte said.

Mandeville’s Skippersknown for its quality offen-sive production withBergeron calling the shots(167-of-267 for 2,331 yards)in the aggressive spreadformation will feature a

new look on the other sideof the ball under first-yeardefensive coordinator

Rowland Skinner, whotransferred to MHS lastyear.

Skinner was a formerhead football coach atNorthlake Christian Schooland the architect of twobaseball state championswith the Wolverines.

LeCompte talked aboutthe addition of Skinner tohis staff.

“Our philosophies meshwhich is very important forthe type of spread offensewe run. It’s not going to be abend-and- don’t-breakdefense,” LeCompte said.

“Rowland understandshaving been a head coachthe importance of his role.He brings a lot of excite-ment and energy. He is awinner and is very aggres-sive. If you would ask himto coach the chess team hewould win there,”LeCompte said.

LeCompte said Skinner

is a great addition to thestaff and would also coachthe safeties.

“Our secondary will beactive and there will be lotsof movement. Fans won’trecognize the defense fromyears past,” said the headcoach.

Skinner said he is psy-ched about the season.

“It’s a great opportunityfor me. Our kids haveworked really hard thissummer. I expect theirwork level to continuethrough the fall. I have atremendous bunch of play-ers and a great group ofcoaches I’m working with,”Skinner said.

Skinner said he wants hisdefense to play hard, fastand physical.

“We have talented seniorleaders who have done agreat job during the sum-mer workouts. We areready to carry that momen-

tum over and get this thingstarted,” Skinner added.

Skinner credited coachLeCompte with coming upwith the defensive termRogues.

Skinner said his Rogueswill feature a 3-3 stack andwould be extremely aggres-sive with an attacking men-tality.

“We’ll have multiplepackages so we can spreadout from there. Besides thefinal score, I think winningthe turnover battle is one ofthe biggest football statis-tics. We want to bring con-stant pressure and disguiseit so you don’t know whereit is coming from. Our pri-ority is to take the ballaway,” Skinner said.

LeCompte praised sen-ior linebacker SamMcGivern (6-0, 220) for hisintensity and heart.

McGivern, the Skippers’defensive leader and three-

year starter, talked aboutthe defense.

“Our defense is going tobring a lot of turnovers. Wewill be blitzing and tryingto get the ball back for ouroffense so they can keepscoring,” McGivern said.

McGivern said they wantto have 11 hats to the ball onevery play and describedhimself as a physical player.

“I like to play everydown like it’s my last. Iwant to go and hit some-body every time. Ourdefense has the ability to beone of the district’s best ifwe continue to work hard,”McGivern added.

McGivern said this year’sSkippers’ defense isreferred to as the Rogues.

“The definition ofRogues is thieves withoutbeing forgiven. We want

SKIPPERS: Revamped Mandeville High squad looks to take next step» FROM PAGE 12

SEE SKIPPERS, PAGE 14

SAM McGIVERN


the ball and we are going togo and get it. We want topop people and forceturnovers,” said the fierylinebacker.

Coach Skinner said helikes his linebackers led byMcGivern.

“We’ll lean on Sam quitea bit and he is our leader.We’re expecting him to playvery physical,” Skinner said.

McGivern recorded 51solo stops with 27 assistslast season. He recordedone sack, a tackle for a losswith an interception andrecovered a fumble.

Skinner talked about hisother talented linebackers.

“Preston Winget (6-2,208) has done a good joband brings size with speed.Vince Lombardo (6-1, 221)is a big kid who has a lot ofathletic ability, whileBrenden Dugas (5-8, 160)does an outstanding job,”Skinner said.

“Brenden is not thebiggest kid but he is veryscrappy and is always in theright spot,” the defensivecoordinator said.

Dugas, who recorded 21tackles with 11 assists lastseason, referred toMcGivern as the unit’svocal leader and a motiva-tor through his tough play.

“Sam is a big hitter andmotivates his teammateswhen they are down. Heknows how to pick peopleup telling them to push onto get it done. We definitelyrespect him,” Dugas said.

Dugas said the MHSlinebackers are workingwell together under coachSkinner.

“He is an aggressivecoach and we plan on blitz-ing a lot. We want to getafter the ball on every play.He has changed the defen-sive scheme and we have itdown and are ready to getafter it,” Dugas added.

“We are like a brother-hood on defense. We playfor each other and havegood team chemistry. Weknow our offense can move

the ball so it will be our jobto take the ball away,”Dugas said.

Skinner likes the makeupof his secondary.

“Our secondary did agood job breaking on routesand communicating as thesummer went on. It wasreally impressive to seethem gain confidence as agroup,” Skinner said.

Senior safety TimmyBroussard was the club’sleading tackler last season

registering 70 unassistedtackles with 37 assists. Herecorded five stops for loss-es, forced two fumbles andrecovered one, whiledefending seven passes.

Broussard said theHoover experience was afun time for the Skippersgoing against really talent-ed teams.

“It showed us how ouroffense and defense canwork together. I think ithelped us come closer as ateam having to come backagainst some really strongcompetition,” Broussardsaid.

“When the regular sea-son gets under way we justhave to make plays on bothsides of the ball,” the seniorsafety added.

Broussard is familiarwith coach Skinner becausehe played baseball and wasthe starting quarterback for

him when he was the NCShead coach, while also play-ing in the secondary.

Broussard said he likesplaying for Skinner.

“Coach Skinner hasbrought in some newdefensive packages and hebrings experience to ourdefense. He has a winningattitude and he knows howto motivate his players,”Broussard said.

Broussard said not onlydoes the football team havea large senior class butthere is a large number oftalented athletes.

“They provide reallygood leadership and that iswhat you need to be goodplaying in a tough district,”said the senior safety.

Broussard said the sec-ondary is coming along.

“I have a lot of faith in

our secondary and they allhave faith in me. We have abrotherhood back there.We have a lot of depth withJoe Starkey and MattNungesser who can playcornerback and safety sowe have some flexibility.Todd Primo is a really goodcornerback so it all worksout,” Broussard added.

Coach Skinner highlight-ed Broussard’s athleticism.

“Timmy is a tremendousathlete and has lots of speedwith football smarts. Hecan come downhill and puta hit on you. We’re expect-ing big things from him,”Skinner said.

“We think he will pick upwhere he left off last seasonas the team’s top tackler. Heunderstands the game andis very instinctive,” Skinneradded.

» 2011 mandeville skippersNNoo.. NNaammee PPooss.. HHtt.. WWggtt.. CCllaassss2 Jerry Petersen DB 6-0 202 123 Todd Primo DB 5-9 148 116 Sean Zemke WR/DE 6-6 215 127 Zachary Tircuit WR/QB 5-8 145 118 Marc Zemke WR 6-3 205 129 Glen Cuiellette QB 6-0 204 1010 Tim Broussard S 6-0 192 1211 Matt Bergeron QB 6-0 175 1212 Zac Barrient QB 6-0 182 1013 Blayne Lipps DB 5-9 145 1015 Chase Hammant DB 5-10 174 1017 James Treuting RB 5-11 167 1019 Zach Boudreaux DB 6-2 162 1120 Jonathan Gioe DB 6-0 171 1122 Matt Nungesser DB 6-1 177 1123 Chris Carter RB 5-10 158 1024 Charles Jones RB 5-11 186 1225 Daniel DeMelo RB/WR 5-10 173 1226 Joe Starkey DB 6-0 185 1127 Nate VanHorn RB/LB 5-8 162 1128 Xavier Marcus WR 5-10 155 1229 Dominic Liberto WR/RB 5-8 140 1031 Vincent Lombardo LB 6-1 221 1132 Jonathan Nelsen LB 5-11 162 1133 Brian Devillier DL 5-10 198 1235 Mason Lemieux LB 5-9 190 1036 Ross Jourdan DB 5-10 135 1037 Alfredo Beauchamp DB 5-7 156 1238 Jamar Mitchell DB 5-10 145 1139 Joe Joe Robichaux DB 5-9 160 1140 Kyle Pellegrini K/WR 5-10 168 1141 Zach Belou LB 5-10 165 1242 Sam McGivern LB 6-0 220 1244 Brian Kinch DL 6-5 240 1245 Preston Winget LB 6-2 208 1147 Jack Ingalls DB 5-9 163 1148 Jacob McKay DB 5-9 150 1149 Brenden Dugas LB 5-8 160 1250 Derek Smith LB 5-9 156 1051 Nick Rebouche’ DL 6-3 195 1052 Jeremy Ocmond LB 5-9 175 1054 Derek LeCompte OL 6-0 182 1256 John Pipes OL 6-0 205 1057 Delawarence Johnson DL 5-8 270 1158 Hogan Crosby OL 6-0 196 1160 Zack Legendre OL 5-11 163 1061 Tyler Thompson OL 6-0 248 1263 Cole McHugh OL 6-1 239 1264 Charlie LeBlanc OL 5-5 201 1165 Rett Thomas OL 5-11 170 1066 John Dombrowski OL 6-6 243 1267 Monroe White OL 6-0 205 1168 Justin Gore OL 5-11 253 1169 Forrest Holt DL 6-2 235 1271 Parker Maloney OL 6-0 170 1073 Simon Spruell OL 5-9 191 1074 Bobby Bose OL 6-2 235 1075 Kiegan Marek DL 6-3 208 1176 Matthew Hemphill OL 6-3 200 1077 Jeffrey Smith OL 5-10 271 1278 Hunter Townsend OL/DL 5-11 246 1279 Steven Nuncio OL/DL 6-2 330 1080 Malcolm Warner DL 6-1 197 1281 Zak Kromer WR 6-2 163 1282 Sam Skansi WR 6-0 153 1184 Trevis Dantin WR 5-11 160 1085 Garrett Dinicola WR 6-2 170 1289 Massimo Vancheri WR 5-8 130 1090 Chris Bourque DL 6-2 153 1092 Cameron Haddad LB 5-9 185 1093 Patrick West DL 6-2 218 1195 Justin Baldo DL 6-5 185 10

» FROM PAGE 13

SKIPPERS: Secondary looking strong

MANDEVILLE RB DANIEL DeMELO (25) (FILE PHOTOS BY MIKE McCALL)

MANDEVILLE RB CHARLES JONES (24) (FILEPHOTO BY GWEN LADNER)

MANDEVILLE SAFETY TIMMY BROUSSARD (10)


By Chris KinkaidSt. Tammany News

Northshore’s Panthers enter the2011 campaign wanting to turnthings around after two-straight

2-8 seasons.Panthers’ coach Mike Bourg enters

his sixth year at the helm with a 24-26record. Northshore has its most expe-rience on the offensive side of the ball.

The Panthers will employ the pistolthis season.

“We have a returning senior quar-terback (Steven Gaines),” Bourg said.“He has got more confidence, his skilllevel is better and is throwing the foot-ball pretty good in 7-on-7s,” Bourg said.

“We have two good running backs(Jared Faciane and MarshallWadleigh) that I think can go to. Eventhough we have just two returningstarters on the offensive line (ZackCollins and Wade Taylor), I think it’sgoing to be better than they were lastyear.”

Bourg said he wants to throw theball more this season.

“We threw the ball like 10 percent ofthe time last year. We’re going to throwthe ball at least 40 percent of the timethis year, even if our running game isworking. We’re going to be a balancedattack,” Bourg said.

Senior quarterback Steven Gaines isa third-year starter. He said he likes thepistol offense.

“We can run the option. We do a lotof zone stuff and we can throw the balldown the field still and we’re real bal-anced I think,” Gaines said.

Gaines said he’s trying to becomemore of a passer this year.

“I can run and everything, but Iwant to be able to pass the ball too,”Gaines said.

Gaines said the offensive line hasimproved. The leftside of senior guardWade Taylor and junior tackle ZackCollins return to the starting lineup.The newcomers are all seniors, includ-ing center Ben Farmer, guard JustinFernandez and tackle Christian

Flucke.“I think we have better athletes on

the line,” Gaines said. “I think we’rebigger and more athletic.”

The running back tandem of seniorJared Faciane and junior MarshallWadleigh will take care of the groundgame.

“Marshall’s like four yards everycarry and he could break a long oneanytime,” Faciane said. “We can catchout of the backfield and we can runpretty good too. So I think we’re prettygood.”

Faciane said he’s seen Gaines growevery year.

“From our freshman year all of theway to now, he became a lot better as aquarterback all around. He’s trying toput it all together this year,” Facianesaid.

Faciane said having a good passinggame is important to running the ball.

“It’s real important it keeps us bal-anced and it keeps the defense off bal-ance,” Faciane said. “The pass canopen up the run a lot too to get every-body backed up so you can run the ballsome,” Faciane said.

Founded 1981 • Head Coach Michael Bourg Jr. • 2010 Record 2-8 • Home Northshore Stadium

North

shor

e Hig

h P

an

thers

Aug. 26 – NHS Jamboree

Sept. 2 – Salmen

Sept. 9 - @Chalmette

Sept. 16 – @St. Charles

Catholic

Sept. 23 - Ponchatoula*

Sept. 29 – Helen Cox

Oct. 7 - @Fontainebleau*

Oct. 14 – Covington*

Oct. 21 - @Mandeville*

Oct. 28 – St. Paul’s*

Nov. 4 – @Slidell*

(*district game)

NHS tries to turn fortunes around

SEE NHS, PAGE 16

STEVEN GAINES JOSH DANKIN

Gaines spoke about therunning backs.

“Jared, he’s real fast. He’squick. He’ll bring the balland put it in the end zonetoo. Marshall, you couldprobably give it to himevery down and he’ll getyou three-or-four yardseverytime.”

Gaines said Wadleighfalls forward when he’s get-ting tackled.

The wide receivers areseniors Jake DiCarlo andQuinn Harris along withsophomore Alex Keys.

Defensively, Northshoreis going with the 4-3 thisseason after basing out ofthe 3-5-3 last year.

The Panthers return justthree starters, all seniors infree safety Josh Dakin, mid-dle linebacker StevenGuercia and outside line-backer Nick Ledet.

Six of the eight newcom-ers to the starting lineupare seniors, including out-side linebacker HankBadon, corners QuinnHarris and DwyneOverstreet, ends AlexRabalais and DelshawnHogan along with tackleGarrett Meyer. Juniorsstrong safety Dillon Kellyalong with tackler JoeyPrice are also in thePanthers’ starting lineup.

Dakin, who is a third-year starter, was a first-team all-district player lastseason. He tallied seveninterceptions.

“I’ve been working hardgetting faster and stronger,”Dakin said.

Dakin said successdefensively starts with theline.

“I think they’re going todo a good job and then thedefensive backs have to fillin and we’ll be alright,”Dakin said.

Ledet, who is starting forhis second year at line-backer, said the group islooking pretty good. He

said they’ve got a lot ofexperience.

Ledet said the key isstopping the run first and

pass second.Ledet talked about the

improvements he made.“I’ve gained 30 pounds,

got bigger, got faster andstronger,” Ledet said.

Ledet said he likes the 4-3 compared to the 3-5-3.

“I feel like we can stopthe run a lot better and stilldefend the pass pretty wellalso,” Ledet said.

The kicker is juniorRalph Price, who is also amember of the soccer team.

Coach Bourg said Pricehas taken a real interest in itto the point where he wentto the University ofAuburn’s kicking camp.

“I’ve got a guy workingwith him one-on-one andthat’s really helped out. Hewent to Milwaukee to aNational Kicking thing.”

Bourg said Price was tex-ting him telling him he waslike 1-2 from 50 yards andwas making all of his 20s,30s and 35s.

“The first time I watchedhim go out there and kick,the first kick was about 40yards and he just kicked itright through and helooked smooth doing it. Hewas raw and he has been

working this whole sum-mer,” Bourg said.

Based on last season, thePanthers have a challengingschedule, as nine of their 10opponents made the play-offs last year.

Bourg said the Panthersare playing a tough sched-ule this season.

“Five out of eight teamsin our district made theplayoffs. I think all five of

those teams are going to bebetter. We lose one of thoseteams in Hammond, so theonly two teams that reallydidn’t make it are us andFontainebleau,” Bourg said.

“Fontainebleau is goingto be better than they werelast year. Every game weplay is going to be extreme-ly tough. Hopefully our kidsare up to the challenge,”Bourg said.


» 2011 northshore panthersNo. Name Pos. Class1 John Metoyer WR Jr.2 Dalvin Populist QB So.3 Alex Keys WR So.4 Jamal Collins WR Sr.5 M.J. Johnson DB Jr.6 Alex Cuddy WR So.7 Quinn Harris DB/WR Sr.8 Jake DiCarlo WR Sr.9 Delshawn Hogan DE/TE Sr.10 Steven Gaines QB Sr.11 Hakeem Riley WR Sr.12 Dylan Kelly DB Jr.13 Chase Cunningham LB Jr.14 Carlos Martinez DB So.15 Paul Waddell DB Jr.16 Kain Cuseo DB So.17 Dwyne Overstreet DB Sr.18 Austin Green WR Jr.19 Edward Williams RB Jr.20 Joe Davis RB Jr.21 Darien Esteves RB Jr.22 Marshall Wadleigh RB Jr.23 Nick Ledet LB Sr.24 Josh Dakin S Sr.25 Jared Faciane RB Sr.27 Nick Houston DB Jr.28 Ray Dupuy LB So.30 Chance Carter DB So.31 Alex Rabalais DE Sr.32 Nathan McManus LB So.33 Jyron Schexnayder LB So.34 Bryce Perez RB So.35 Dylan Brune DB So.36 Brandon Ballard LB So.37 Dominic Ambo DB So.40 Jalen Rose DL Jr. 42 Brett Lambert TE Jr.43 Gary Impastato LB Jr.44 Hank Badon LB Sr.45 Codey Miller TE/DL Sr.49 Chase Evans DL Sr.50 Jordan Ruiz LB So.51 Garrett Meyer DL Sr.52 Steven Guercia LB Sr.53 Josh Harrison DL Sr.54 Patrick Sprung OL So.55 Joey Price DL Jr.56 Jacob Baroni DL Sr.57 Tyler Welch OL Jr.58 Steven Diecidue OL Jr.59 Chris Cliburn LB Jr.60 Tim Barkley OL So.61 Ben Farmer OL Sr.62 Aaron Shafor OL So.63 Evan Joffrion OL Sr.65 David Nicoletti OL So.66 Wade Taylor OL/DL Sr.67 Brandon Carriere OL So.68 Justin Fernandez OL Sr.69 Bradley Baker OL Jr.70 Michael Chatman DL Jr.71 Christian Flucke OL Sr.74 Thomas Morris OL So.76 Alex Munoz OL So.77 Zachary Collins OL Jr.79 Jeremy James OL So.80 Michael Dunn DE Jr.82 Bryan Nunez DB So.83 Ben Provenza DB So.84 Dauante Delaney WR Sr.86 Justin Molina WR So.87 Ralph Price K/P Jr.88 Jake Vallette TE Jr.91 Tristan Bennett DL So.93 Jim Schroeder DL So.

» FROM PAGE 15

NHS: Panthers look to improve from back-to-back 2-8 campaigns

JARED FACIANE NICK LEDET

QB STEVEN GAINES (AT RIGHT)



St. Paul’s Wolves football programcontinues to strive for the ultimategoal of winning a state championship.The Wolves, defending District 7-5A

champs captured the crown going 7-0in a very tough district before closingout the season with an impressive 12-1slate.

This season the Wolves are compet-ing in District 6-5A, which is a numer-ical change but they will still battle thesame district foes with the exceptionof Hammond High.

St. Paul’s long-time head coachKenny Sears (81-50) entering his 13thseason has established his Wolves asone of the elite programs on theNorthshore. Sears has a knack forguiding his charges to district titlesand playoff runs.

St. Paul’s playoff nemesis last yearwas Acadiana, who won the Class 5Astate championship, downing WestMonroe, 21-14.

The Wolves advanced to the statequarterfinals falling to Acadiana, 41-20.

St. Paul’s opens regular season playwith a mid-week Wednesday contestAug. 31, hosting the Karr Cougars witha 6:30 kickoff at Hunter Stadium.

Coach Sears said the game wasmoved up to accommodate Karr’srequest since the Cougars are playingLabor Day Sept. 5 (Monday) atCowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

After the mid-week opener, theWolves return to action Sept. 9 playingdefending Class 5A championAcadiana in the inaugural Allstate

Sugar Bowl Prep Classic in theLouisiana Superdome. In the opener,John Curtis tackles Westgate at 6 p.m.followed by St. Paul’s - Acadiana at8:30.

“It’s a great opportunity for our kidsto play in the Dome. If you want to getto the Dome in the end you are going tohave to go through a team likeAcadiana at some point,” Sears said.

“Playing tough schedules gets youimportant power points and it helpsprepare you for a tough district,” Searsadded.

Sears said before they get to week 2

against Acadiana his Wolves have to beconcerned about an extremely toughClass 4A state runner up Karr team inthe opener.

“I think we will be the only game intown opening the season against Karron a Wednesday (Aug. 31). That will bea big game in the middle of the weekfor us at home,” said the Wolves’ headcoach.

In week six, St. Paul’s squares offwith the Class 4A Salmen SpartansOct. 6 (Thursday). The game is beingplayed on a Thursday to accommodatethe Cox Sports Network game of theweek live airing.

Eight of 10 St. Paul’s opponentswere playoff teams last year. CoachSears said his club has a tough roadahead of them.

“We’ll take them one at a time andtry not to look ahead. We want to usethose games as learning tools andhopefully it will prepare us for districtplay,” Sears said.

The Wolves’ ground game is in thecapable hands of senior fullback DylanLong (6-1, 220), who is a punishingtype, but elusive runner. Long rushedfor 1,053 yards, averaging 7.6 yards perrush with 23 TDs.

Sears likes what Long accomplished

Founded 1911 • Head Coach Ken Sears • 2010 Record 12-1 • Home Hunter StadiumSt

. Pau

l’s Sc

hool

Wo

lves

Aug. 31 – Edna Karr

Sept. 9 – @Acadiana

Sept. 16 - McDonogh 35

Sept. 23 – @Covington*

Sept. 30 - Mandeville*

Oct. 6 – Salmen

Oct. 14 - @Slidell*

Oct. 21 – Ponchatoula*

Oct. 28 - @Northshore*

Nov. 4 – Fontainebleau*

(*district game)

Defending champs face tough road

SEE ST. PAUL’S, PAGE 19

SENIORS DYLAN LONG ANDPATRICK DUNCAN


in the off season. “Dylan put on some

weight and muscle. He hasworked on his speed andhe’ll have to be our work-horse,” Sears said.

Long talked about want-ing to make significant con-tributions.

“I feel like we are readyto make another good runthis year after a good campat Nicholls State. This teamhas really come togetherand we are ready,” Longsaid.

“Everyone will be goingfor that same goal of gettinga district title so it shouldbe another interesting year.I think it’s great that we’llhave an opportunity to playin the Superdome. It willgive us a chance to see howit feels to play there and itshould give us some fire towant to get back there toplay for a state champi-onship,” Long said.

Long, who runs a 4.6

forty, likes to break the lineof scrimmage and pick upyardage in junks.

“I like to call myself athrowback, runningbetween the tackles. I pridemyself in running hard toget those extra yards thatother backs don’t get.”

Long named NewOrleans Saints’ rookie run-ning back Mark Ingram hisfavorite NFL back, while

his throwback runner wasEarl Campbell.

Long will be joined in thebackfield by seniors KrisBrumfield and MerkellPowell.

Brumfield (5-8, 155)played in all 13 games, gain-ing 386 yards, averaging 5.9yards per carry, whilePowell (6-0, 190), played in11 games, picking up 364yards, averaging 7.2 yard

per carry. Sears said the Wolves

have an extremely talentedgroup of running backs ledby Long.

“We’re really excitedabout those guys helping tolead the way for us. Merkell(Powell) is probably moreof a power back while Kris(Brumfield) is more of aslasher and finesse typeback. Both gained tremen-dous experience last yearand contributed to our suc-cess,” Sears said.

Junior Justin Elzy andsophomore running backMarcus Gaines add addi-tional depth.

Long said he loves run-ning behind his offensiveline.

“I’ve been playing withthem since I was in theeighth grade. They are agreat bunch of guys andthey have worked hard dur-ing the summer,” Long said.

The Wolves’ offensiveline shapes up really strongwith returning starters jun-

ior center Kyle Cuntz (5-8,215) and senior guardShane Burkholder (6-1,265). The remainder of thestarting O-line includessenior offensive right guardGabe Emerson (5-11, 250)along with senior tacklesChristian Voelkel (6-2, 255)and Sam Welty (6-2, 275).

Emerson talked aboutthe season.

“I’m really excited andeveryone is pumped upready to play and we havecome together as a unit.Things are looking prettygood,” Emerson said.

“It is really special for usas offensive linemen tohave such talented runningbacks run behind us. Weknow they are always goingto be running hard for usand we’ll do our best to getour job done for them,”Emerson added.

Emerson said the O-lineis ready to protect theirquarterback.

“Patrick (Duncan) did agood job in camp and we

respect the way he controlsthe huddle. We have confi-dence in him and he makesvery smart decisions withthe ball,” said the offensiveguard.

Emerson said it was agreat accomplishmentgoing 12-1 last year but thisis another season and theyhave to make their nameagain.

Sears also said he feelsgood about his receivingcorps especially tight endRyan Malone, who was thesecond tight end last yearand gained valuable experi-ence.

“We like what he hasshown us in the off season.”

Sears said the Wolveslost a couple guys along theoffensive line but they feelgood about their guys com-ing in.

“We’re much bigger thanwhat we were last year. Welike having that size up

» FROM PAGE 18

ST. PAUL’S: Reigning district champs reloading for another playoff run

SEE ST. PAUL’S, PAGE 20

DANE STUBBS GABE EMERSON


front as much as we run theball,” Sears said.

Sears said he likes theway senior QB PatrickDuncan has come along.

“One big advantage thatwe have going into the sea-son is that he got to play in10 games last year backingup his brother (Alec). Wewere fortunate enough tohave that opportunity to gethim that experience,” Searssaid.

Duncan (6-2, 180) com-pleted 10-of-12 passes for161 yards with one TD inrelief of his brother.

“He certainly got somegreat experience last year.He brings a lot of skills tothe table. He has a firmgrasp of what we do onoffense. In a lot of respects,he probably knows it betterthan me,” Sears said.

“Hopefully, he’ll come inand do a great job for us.Thankfully, we have a lot oftalented guys around him,which will make his transi-tion as the starting QB easi-er,” Sears added.

Duncan said he’s excitedabout having the chance tolead the Wolves.

“I’m anxious to see what

happens and I think thisteam has a lot to offer thisyear. It’s important that Ihave earned the trust of myteammates,” Duncan said.

“Having an opportunityto work with them over thespring and summer I haveworked hard to gain theirtrust. I want them to knowthat come game time theycan have faith in me,”Duncan added.

“I want to be a teamleader and the rock in thehuddle. I want to be able todish the ball off and takecare of the football,” the QBsaid.

Duncan said his jobwould be a lot easier beingable to count on a numberof talented running backsbeing able to lead themdown the field.

“Our entire offense getsalong well and understandeach other. We havetremendous confidence ineach other and that is veryimportant.”

Duncan said junior tightend Ryan Malone (6-2, 215)would be key in the Wolves’passing game.

“He has good hands andI know he will go up andget the ball,” Duncan said.

Turning to the defensive

side of the ball, Sears saidthe Wolves obviously havesome big shoes to fillreplacing District MVPMickey Johnson and othersthey lost to graduation.Middle linebacker TylerTourelle last year’s toptackler with 67 solo stopsand 21 assists is at South-eastern Louisiana Univer-sity.

The Wolves return fivedefensive starters includingsenior corner back DaneStubbs, senior Tyler Tam-boli, senior linebacker Mit-chell Blaise, senior de-fensive end Mason Coleand junior free safety JayWashington.

“We feel good about oursecondary with DaneStubbs back and JayWashington along withstrong safety TylerTamboli. Having thosethree guys back along withcornerback Gray Wester-velt leading the pack ofguys, we should be strongback there again withspeed,” Sears said.

Stubbs (5-9, 190), a sec-ond team All-District selec-tion last season, led theWolves’ secondary withseven interceptions, whilemaking 50 tackles includ-

ing 33 solo stops.“We have a great group

of guys coming back. Iexpect big things out of theteam and we are looking foranother successful playoffseason,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs, who ran a 4.5forty at a Princeton camp,said he likes the makeup ofthe secondary.

“We have a number ofguys coming back. We havea lot team speed on thedefense with a bunch ofguys that run 4.7 and under.I think our speed is going tobe our strength along withour tackling technique,”Stubbs added.

“I’ve had Tyler and Jaywith me since I’ve beenplaying varsity. Gray willstep in there and do finethis year. Coach SamFrancis works us hard dur-ing drills and we like to getgood breaks on the ball outof the secondary,” Stubbssaid.

Sears bragged on hislinebackers led by seniorMitchell Blaise at outsidebacker and senior BrandonDe La Houssaye at middlelinebacker.

Junior linebacker EdDuplessis, who runs a 4.5forty, and played a lot of

special teams, is a tremen-dous athlete according toSears.

Sears likes the speed atlinebacker and feels goodabout the Wolves’ overallteam speed.

The Wolves’ defense isled up front by Cole (6-2,215) along with juniorGustavo Garcia (6-3, 220),who split time at end anddefensive tackle last year.Sophomore Justin Scior-tino (5-10, 220) and MattClark (6-3, 225) will proba-bly split time at end.

Sears said junior ZackMangrum (5-10, 220) had agreat spring and summeralong with freshmanTremaine Chatman (6-1,295).

Sears said he feels likehis team has depth and theWolves’ philosophy ofrotating guys in keepingthem fresh has kept up theexperience level on thedefense.

The Wolves are solid inthe kicking game with sen-ior Trent Domingue, theAll-District kicker, whoboasted a strong leg lastseason, booming a numberof touchbacks.

Domingue earned a spoton the Ray Guy Pro-

kicker.com Top ProspectList earlier this summer.

Domingue was one ofthousands of high schoolathletes that attended theRay Guy/Prokicker.comKicking Academy, which isheld annually in over 50cities across the nation.

Domingue made 58 of 62point after touchdowns,while clicking on 3-of-4field goals.

“Trent has attended anumber of summer campsand is ranked in the top fivekickers in the state. I thinkhe is also ranked in the top50 in the nation. His punt-ing and kicking hasimproved so much. Wehave a strong kicking gamecoming back,” Sears said.

Domingue averaged 32.3yards per punt last season.

“He has consistentlybeen out in that 40 to 50-yard range knocking themdown with great hang timeon his punts. That’s a bigplus for us and probably 80percent of his kickoffs wentinto the end zone for touch-backs last year,” Sears said.

“We’re happy to haveTrent back and feel we canprobably put together astrong special teams crewaround him,” Sears said.

ST. PAUL’S: Fell to eventual state champion Acadiana in 2010 playoffs» FROM PAGE 19

» 2011 st. paul’s wolvesNo. Name Pos. Ht. Wgt. Class.1 Derek Drago RB 5-7 135 92 Trent Domingue K/P 6-1 140 123 Merkell Powell RB/WR 6 190 124 Marcus Gaines RB/WR 5-6 155 105 Ed Duplessiss LB 6-2 205 116 Peter Yager QB 5-9 140 107 Jacob McDonald DB 5-10 130 98 Jay Washington DB 6-2 190 119 Reed Wilson SE/DB 6 180 1210 Collin D’Angelo QB 6-2 160 1111 Josh Nunez DB 5-8 130 912 Stephen Gulley SE 5-9 160 1013 Casey Spinelli K/P/LB 5-10 170 1114 Patrick Duncan QB 6-2 180 1215 Kris Brumfield RB/WR 5-8 155 1216 Ryan O’Krepki QB 5-7 125 917 Dane Stubbs DB 5-9 190 1218 Logan Cook SE 5-6 145 919 Winston Duffour DB 5-9 130 919 Turner Valois SE 5-10 165 1020 Joseph Cherry DB 5-7 125 921 Gray Westervelt DB 6-2 190 1022 Dylan Long RB/FB 6-1 220 1223 Justin Elzy RB/FB 5-5 155 1124 Adam Rush FB 5-8 170 925 Nick Noggerath DB 5-7 140 1126 Jordan Smith LB 5-10 205 1127 Tyler Tamboli DB 5-9 170 1228 Peyton Tabor DB 5-8 140 929 John Paul Lea RB 5-5 115 930 Blake Boyd DB 5-7 125 1031 Trey Couvillion RB 5-7 140 932 Jay Simoneaux DB 5-7 155 1033 Wesley Tate RB 5-7 160 11

34 David Stechmann LB 5-11 1135 Turner St. Romain DB 5-8 140 936 Sean Lozes DB 5-9 155 1137 Marcus Leydecker LB 5-7 165 938 Michael Brands RB 5-5 125 939 Peter Stegeman LB 5-11 175 1140 Jackson Murrell DB 6 160 1041 Luke Posner DB 6 165 1042 Jase Stubbs LB/FB 6 205 1043 Cole Landry FB/RB 5-7 165 1144 Mitchell Blaise LB 5-10 190 1245 Cullen Toups RB 5-6 140 1046 Hudson Dudley DB 5-11 180 1147 Marc Gremillion DB 5-11 165 1048 Brandon Darce LB 5-8 175 1149 Christian Berry DB 5-10 145 1150 Brandon de la Houssaye LB 6 200 1251 Lewis Melton OG 5-11 295 1252 Ross Hodgins C/OG 5-10 170 1052 Shelby Stumph LB 5-8 135 953 Garrett Melton OG 5-8 170 1053 Da’Monta Thomas LB 5-7 215 954 Jacob Macheca C/LB 5-9 190 1255 Stephen Dolan DE/LB 6-1 210 956 Mason Cole DE 6-2 215 1257 Tucker Faust DT/DE 6-2 230 1058 Harris Schwing LB 6-2 160 1159 Shane Burkholder OG 6-1 265 1260 Gabe Emerson OG 5-11 250 1261 Tanner Brunner OT 5-8 180 962 Chris Wooley C 5-10 190 963 Drew Bennett OG 5-10 185 964 Tyler Maurin OG 5-6 190 965 Christian Boelkel OG 6-3 255 1166 Kyle Cuntz C 5-7 220 11

67 Ross Bourne LB 5-10 135 967 Tanner Stuard OG 6-1 230 1068 Brandon Charitat OG/C 6-2 220 1169 Zack Derbas LB 5-7 160 970 Drake Pierce DT 5-8 140 1271 Sam Welty OT 6-2 275 1272 Brad Clawson OG 5-11 230 973 Zachary Mangrum DT 5-10 220 1174 Joe Mason OT 6-1 230 975 Trey Klechak OT 6-1 215 976 Joe Bradford DT 6 220 1277 Tanner Warner OT 6 205 1078 Stephen Leblanc OT 6-3 265 1179 Parker Jaquillard OT 6 225 1080 Kyle Katich SE 5-7 130 1181 Andy Short SE 6-1 190 1282 Ryan Malone TE 6-2 210 1183 Hayes Hayden LB 5-8 183 984 Matt Clark DE 6-3 225 1085 Mickey Quigley TE 6 185 1186 Kyle Swords TE 5-11 155 987 Jalen McCleskey SE 5-3 105 988 Tim Dawson II TE 6-2 190 1089 Jimmy Farris SE 6 145 1090 Tremaine Chatman DT 6-1 295 991 Parker Richerson LB 6 180 1092 Jonathan Eskine LB 6 160 993 Justin Sciortino DE 5-10 220 1094 Austin Davis LB 5-10 170 1095 Germaine Chatman DT/DE 6-3 245 1096 Chase Cochran DE 5-9 135 997 Nick Blaise DT 5-9 215 1098 Gustavo Garcia DE 6-3 220 1199 Benard Penn DT 5-9 245 9


By Chris KinkaidSt. Tammany News

Slidell’s Tigers are ready to makeanother playoff run this season.

The Tigers are a postseason team in

most years, but they have not won aplayoff contest since 2005 and havenot hosted one since 2006.

Artie Liuzza, who enters his 29thyear at SHS, begins his fifth year as thehead coach with a 21-21 record andthree postseason appearances.

Quarterback Bradley Myers entershis second season of calling signals forSlidell.

Liuzza said Myers (5-foot-9, 170)and junior Austin Sigsworth (6-1, 200)would both see playing time.

“They both throw the ball prettygood,” Liuzza said. “Bradley’s fasterand Austin’s bigger.”

Myers said he feels last year’s expe-rience would help him this season.

“First year quarterback is tougher.You’ve got to get in the playbook,direct traffic and what not. I’m lookingforward to this year, making plays forthe offense and planning on victories,”Myers said.

He also feels he’s better at readingdefenses.

“I had coach Stephen (Liuzza, a for-mer SHS QB) last year and I’ve gotcoach (Artie) Liuzza this year, so it’smuch the same. They keep on helpingme every year. It’s all about pre-snapread and I’ve definitely learned thatthis year over the spring and summer,”Myers said.

The running back group one return-ing starter in senior Antonio Marshall,who played every game last year, but in

a running back/wide receiver role.Liuzza said Marshall would be playingjust running back.

One of Slidell’s big losses isJonathan Miles, who graduated lastseason after running for 1,667 yardsand 23 touchdowns.

Senior Errol Leiger is new to thestarting lineup.

Myers talked about Marshall andLeiger.

“They’re both fine backs. They canboth do their part. It’s not just one backthere, it’s both of them. They sharetime and they’re going to give teams ahard time,” Myers said.

Liuzza described Marshall as atough runner, more of a slasher and adownhill type back.

Also for Slidell, Montell Williams

Founded 1908 • Head Coach Artie Liuzza • 2010 Record 6-5 • Home L.V. McGinty Sr. Stadium

Slid

ell H

igh

Tig

ers

Aug. 26 – Chalmette

Jamboree

Sept. 1 – @Holy Cross

Sept. 9 - Rummel

Sept. 16 – Lakeshore

Sept. 23 - @Fontainebleau*

Sept. 29 – Covington*

Oct. 7 - @Mandeville*

Oct. 14 – St. Paul’s*

Oct. 21 - West Jefferson

Oct. 28 – @Ponchatoula*

Nov. 4 – Northshore*

(*district game)

Slidell going for another playoff run

SEE SLIDELL, PAGE 22

BRADLEY MYERS JEREMIAH MAAT


» 2011 slidell tigersNo. Name Pos. Ht. Wgt. Class3 Stefan Shirah WR 5-7 142 Jr.4 Jonathan Populis WR 5-8 145 Sr.5 Reggie Howard DB 5-0 102 Jr.6 Jordan Bello WR 6-2 155 So.7 Jamil Evans DB 5-11 177 Jr.8 Lamelle Norman WR 6-1 198 Sr.9 Austin Sigsworth QB 6-1 200 Jr.10 Bradley Myers QB 5-9 170 Sr.11 Matt Conaway QB 5-9 165 Jr.12 Stephen Dieck QB 5-10 138 So.13 Ryan Rucker WR 5-8 149 So.14 Lloyd Brown DB 5-8 178 Sr.15 Khalil Burdine WR 6-0 161 Jr.16 Jessie Carter DB 5-2 117 Jr.18 Jared Nelson QB 5-10 141 So.19 Brennan Broussard LB 6-0 205 Sr.20 Bryan Wiley DB 5-8 165 So.21 Josiah Mullen DB 6-0 170 Sr.22 Antonio Marshall WR 5-11 176 Sr.24 Errol Legier RB 5-8 170 Sr.25 Montel Williams RB 5-7 170 So.26 Jaquan Donaldson RB 5-4 156 So.27 Brent Carroll LB 5-6 157 Sr.28 Tyler Ruano DB 5-9 152 Jr.29 Courtney Rutledge DB 6-0 155 Jr.30 Justin Brewer DB 5-10 155 Jr.32 Lawrence Harvey LB 5-11 185 Jr.33 Christian Legier RB 5-8 160 Jr.35 Greg Mendez DB 5-6 151 Jr.38 Maison Martin LB 6-1 170 So.39 Brandon Crawford LB 5-5 171 So.40 Denzel Dawson DB 5-7 190 Sr.42 Jeremiah Maat LB 5-11 170 Sr.44 Aaron Miller LB 5-10 213 Jr.45 Andrew Lusch LB 5-10 193 Jr.46 Robert Bradley DE 5-11 195 Jr.47 Chaz Mince LB 5-6 146 So.48 Josh Ohler DL 5-8 250 Sr.49 Kyran Nelson LB 5-5 194 So.50 Cody Downs DL 5-11 235 Jr.51 Michael Brant OL 5-10 192 Fr.52 Cody Nelson OL 6-0 218 So.58 Walter Ladner OL 6-4 246 So.59 Chance Johnson OL 5-9 171 Jr.60 Herbert Cooper DL 5-10 240 So.61 Alex Forbes OL 5-8 160 So.62 Jordan Harvey OL 5-7 180 So.64 Silas Parker DL 5-7 265 Jr.68 Mike White OL 5-9 209 Jr.70 Richaud Bonds OL 6-2 300 Jr.71 Cameron LeBeau OL 5-8 215 Jr.72 Mickey Wortmann OL 6-5 259 Sr.74 Brett Kincade OL 6-1 184 Sr.75 Tyler Mcshan OL 5-9 195 Sr.76 Kevin Brown OL 5-9 247 Sr.77 Montrel Ross OL 5-8 324 Jr.78 Mickayle Tidell OL 6-1 337 Jr.79 Jason Huntington OL 5-11 273 Sr.80 Tim Perkins WR 6-0 190 Jr.82 Jonathan Ohler K 5-8 127 So.83 Courtney McKain WR 5-11 152 Sr.84 Sean Harrison WR 5-9 132 Jr.85 Jared Marks WR 5-7 124 So.86 Austin Wills K 5-9 155 So.87 Aaron Broussard K 5-10 139 So.88 Tabor Gamblin K 6-0 175 Jr.89 Desmond Kirksey WR 5-5 134 Jr.90 Joseph Englutt DL 5-9 200 So.91 Dennis Ducre DL 5-11 244 So.93 Gavin Toussaint DE 6-0 220 Sr.95 Daniel Alfred DL 5-5 172 Jr.96 Matt Guidry DL 5-7 190 Sr.

will see time at runningback and wide receiver.

The offensive line fea-tures just two returningstarters, both seniors in leftguard Kevin

Brown (5-9, 247) andright tackle JasonHuntington (5-11, 273).

Senior left tackle MickeyWortmann (6-5, 259), sen-ior right tackle BrettKincade (6-1, 184) and jun-ior right guard Mike White(5-9, 209) are newcomers tothe lineup.

“That’s where we’regoing to have to showimprovement each weekbecause we really only havetwo real returning starters,”Liuzza said. “We had oneguy (Brett Kincade) thatplayed in some spots wheninjuries occurred.”

The wide receiversinclude Williams alongwith seniors Lamelle Nor-man and Jonathan Populis.

Defensively, Slidell willplay the 3-3 after going withthe 4-3 last season.

The Tigers return sevenstarters, but nine have play-ing experience. Liuzza saidthat experience should helpwith guys knowing what todo.

“We’re a little ahead ofthe eight ball that way. It’snot like you have to go backand re-teach. We did that inthe spring. They knew itbecause they caught onquicker and we did thatthrough the summer.That’ll benefit us,” Liuzzasaid.

Slidell’s linebackingcorps features all returningsenior starters, BrennanBroussard (6-0, 205), BrentCarroll (5-6, 157) andJeremiah Maat (5-11, 170).

Maat plays middle line-backer.

“I’ve got to make sure

everybody lines up rightand make sure everybodyknows their job,” Maat said.

Maat said the lineback-ers are looking pretty good.

“We all experienced itlast year. We all went to theplayoffs last year, so weknow what to expect,” Maatsaid.

Maat enters his second-year starting, but played hissophomore year. He saidthe last two years wouldhelp him this season.

“I know what to expectduring a game. I know whatto look out for more now,”

Maat said.When asked the key for

the defense having success,Matt said, “pursuing theball, making tackles and notmissing any opportunities.”

Both ends seniors GavinToussaint (6-0, 220) andMatt Guidry (5-7, 190) arereturning starters.

Liuzza said Toussaint is agood end.

“He’s going to be a three-year starter. He’s quick offthe ball, he’s strong and realintelligent, so all of thosethings kind of play in hisfavor,” Liuzza said.

Tackles senior JoshOhler (5-8, 250) and juniorSilas Parker (5-7, 265) arenewcomers to the startinglineup.

“Defensive line wise, wehave about six guys that wefeel pretty good about thatcan rotate in there if wehave to. That’s the groupthat has the most depth,”Liuzza said.

In the secondary, bothsafties and senior LloydBrown and junior Jamil

SLIDELL:Looks toimprove

over 2010

QB BRADLEY MYERS (FILE PHOTO BY ALLYSON O’KEEFE)

» FROM PAGE 21

SEE SLIDELL, PAGE 23

“I know what to expect during a game. I know what

to look out for more now.”JEREMIAH MAAT

Slidell linebacker


Evans are back.Slidell gets punter Brous-

sard along with junior kick-er Tabor Gamblin back.

“Brennan was kind of on-and-off kicking last yearbecause he had some in-juries and things like that.Gamblin can be pretty good

and then we have someyoung kids after that too. Inthe kicking departmentwe’ll be alright I think,”Liuzza said.

Slidell hits the road forthe regular season openeragainst Holy Cross Sept. 1 ina battle of Tigers at NewOrleans’ Pan AmericanStadium.

SLIDELL: Opens 2011against Holy Cross

» FROM PAGE 22

“Defensive line wise, we haveabout six guys that we feelpretty good about that can

rotate in there if we have to.That’s the group that has the

most depth.”ARTIE LIUZZA

Slidell head coach

northshore football 2011 preview 6-5a

Documents

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