Northshore High hosts jamboree tonight

Three local football teams open up the season in the Northshore Jamboree tonight.

Two contests will each feature a pair of 15-minute halves.

The action gets started at 6:30 when Salmen takes on John McDonogh followed by Slidell and Northshore in the second game.

Last season, these four teams played in the Salmen Jamboree with the same match ups.

In the Salmen-McDonogh game, the Spartans won, 26-0.

Salmen ended up going 6-4 on the year and made it to the playoffs. The Spartans’ season ended with a 13-7 loss to Neville in the bi-district round of the playoffs. The Trojans recorded a 4-6 record.

Senior Julien Troullier is the quarterback of Salmen’s spread offense. Last year, the signal caller reeked havoc on defenses with 2,115 all-purpose yards on offense and combined for 21 touchdowns. He threw for 1,275 yards with 11 scores and ran for 840 yards, while getting into the end zone 10 times.

Troullier’s main target is senior Isiah Tate, who caught 47 passes for 751 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

McDonogh coach Lionel Roberts said he is looking forward to seeing how his team deals with a challenge.

“I’m excited about getting this season started,” Roberts said. “I’ve got a lot of young players, and I’m curious to see how they will react to a tough opponent.”

The Trojans have several players going both ways, including junior running back/ cornerback Dirone McBride and offensive lineman/defensive lineman Otis Danzler, and Akeem Baldwin plays outside linebacker, safety and is the backup quarterback to junior Melvin Davis.

McBride showed his versatility by earning first-team all-district for 10-4A at corner and was a second-teamer at running back, gaining 250 yards. Roberts said McBride didn’t get many interceptions but did a good job in coverage.

Defensively, McDonogh bases out of the 5-3 and tries to get pressure on the quarterback.

“Our philosophy is that the best defense against the pass is the pass rush,” Roberts said.

Defensive end Patrick Tobias recorded 11 sacks last season, while Eugene Domino posted five.

But Roberts knows that if they don’t get to Troullier, it could be a long night for the Trojans.

McDonough also features good defensive backs. Free safety Jamyron Bee picked off eight passes last season.

The Spartans’ 3-3-stack defense will be facing a McDonogh offense that runs various sets, but primarily uses the I-formation.

Salmen’s defensive unit returns six starters from last year’s team, including the entire line with tackles Isame Faciane (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) and Joe Rudolph (5-10, 260). The nose tackle is Malcom Pichon (6-3, 350).

Senior middle linebacker Dedrick Parson (6-0, 205) is the Spartans’ returning leader with 85 tackles, and he sacked opposing quarterbacks four times.

Slidell-Northshore

In the second game, Slidell and Northshore will hook up in an inner-city battle. Last season’s jamboree game went to Slidell, 14-10.

Slidell ended up going 5-5 and falling in the first round of the playoffs, while Northshore had a 6-4 mark and missed the postseason.

Northshore is fighting the injury bug early on as senior wide receiver Andrew Cossé, sophomore wide receiver/ quarterback Breck Kline, corner back Dwayne Joseph and senior defensive back James Wigstrom are all out with various injuries.

Northshore coach Mike Bourg, who enters his third season as the Panthers head coach, said he has confidence in the players, who will replace those who are hurt.

“We’re injured and we’ve got some key players out, but I know the other guys will step up,” Bourg said. “If we can get through this week without injury, we could be full force for Salmen.”

One player who will be there for Northshore is junior quarterback Jervious Epherson, who helped his team score 20 points in a 15-minute quarter against Belle Chasse during last Friday’s scrimmage.

His main weapon is senior Archie Ambo (6-2, 175). Bourg said sophomore receiver Mitchell Cossé, younger brother of Andrew, and Adam Chopin will see time at wide out.

The starting running back for Northshore is senior Channing Wise.

Bourg said he isn’t worried about the final score but expects to have a lot of intensity out of his team, especially since the Panthers are playing a rival.

“If we don’t go onto the field with a little fire in our soul, then I didn’t do a good job of getting ready,” Bourg said.

The NHS coach added that he’s only concerned about his team getting better.

“The only thing I look for is if we got better, not what the scoreboard says,” Bourg said. “Did we learn from our mistakes against Belle Chasse?”

Slidell’s offense will operate out of the spread with senior quarterback Blake Forbis calling signals for the Tigers. Last season, Forbis hit on 144-of-233 for 1,398 yards and five touchdowns.

His main target is junior wide receiver Armand Williams, who caught 34 passes for 442 yards and two scores.

The Tigers will have a pair of running backs with juniors Zachary Johnson and Jaron Wiggins getting carries.

Like Bourg, second-year coach Artie Liuzza said his main focus is improving.

“It’s like a scrimmage with kicking. These are games where you try to correct mistakes you made in the scrimmage,” Liuzza said.

One part of jamborees that coaches like to evaluate is the kicking game. For some teams, this will be the first time they will kick in a live-game situation.

Senior Stephen Mullet will handle the punting for the Tigers, while junior Chris Barnes is going to be the place kicker.

Liuzza said he is looking forward to seeing these guys perform.

“In kicking, we’re doing OK, but you really don’t know until you get to do it live,” Liuzza said. “The jamboree provides that.”

Defensively, Slidell returns five starters from last year’s team, led by senior defensive tackle Jason Smothers. Last year, Smothers was in on 31 tackles and recorded eight sacks.

Slidell opens the regular season next Friday on the road against Holy Cross in a battle of Tigers, while Salmen hosts Northshore in the Spanther Bowl.