The home standing Slidell Tigers got little resistance from the Carver Rams Friday at L.V. McGinty Stadium, easily spoiling Carver’s opener, 63-14.

It was Carver’s first game in three years due to Hurricane Katrina.

Slidell scored three unanswered touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to cruise to a 42-0 halftime lead before emptying its bench in the second half, giving mostly junior varsity players the chance to participate.

Out of the hold of Blake Forbis, Slidell'€™s Chris Barnes, who was 9-for-9 on extra points, puts his foot into a kick during the Tigers'€™ victory over Carver at L.V McGinty Stadium. (Photo by James Elorriaga)

“The kids really prepared this week in practice, and we came out and jumped in front allowing us to play everybody,” said Slidell coach Artie Liuzza.

Carver, once a perennial favorite in Class 4A in the metro area, had mostly freshmen and sophomores playing as they hadn’t been open as a school until this fall, much less fielded a team, because of the destruction of the Ninth Ward, where the school is located.

The Tigers scored their first touchdown just over four minutes into the contest when Zachary Johnson darted first 8 and then 7 yards to put Slidell up 7-0 with the PAT courtesy of Chris Barnes, who was a perfect 9-for-9 on extra point attempts and sent all but a pair of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

Slidell upped its lead to 14-0 less than two minutes later when Todd Davis blocked an attempted Carver punt from its own 20, which was recovered by Jason Smothers setting up the Tigers at the Rams’ 11-yard line.

One play later Blake Forbis connected with Tyler Ziegler on an 11-yard pass reception, and the celebration commenced.

With 10 ticks left on the clock in the opening stanza Forbis threw his second touchdown pass, this one to Armand Williams, good for six from 22 yards out.

Forbis tacked on his third scoring toss, this time hooking up with Ziegler again on an 18-yard strike, just a minute into the second quarter.

On the ensuing drive Carver got its only big play of the night as quarterback Nick Adams hit receiver Johnell Davis streaking down the left sideline on a fly pattern, which covered over 50 yards, but before Davis could finish the play Romero Garcia ran him down, stripping the ball from his grasp and giving Raphael Marks a fumble recovery to set up Slidell’s next score. Marks would later also pick off a pass.

Jaron Wiggins dashed in on a 6-yard tote, and the Tigers were up 35-0 midway through the second frame.

Jonathan Miles added the final touchdown of the first half for Slidell, busting in from 4 yards out on a one-play drive set up by Chad Livingston’s 34-yard punt return down to the 4.

By halftime the Rams had a negative 18 yards rushing, while Davis was the only player that had positive yards with five grabs for 93 yards.

Slidell received the second-half kickoff before Forbis was picked off by Jeremy Sylvan, ending the Tigers’ chance to go up 49-0, which a series later they would do.

Anthony Thomas did the honors from 2 yards away to put the Tigers ahead 49-0 with the reserves in action.

The Rams finally got on the scoreboard at the start of the final quarter when Adams and Davis, their only offensive producers, hooked up on a 21-yard toss to bring the score to 49-6 as the Rams two-point run attempt was stopped.

Sophomore quarterback Bradley Myers widened the gap to 56-7 on a 19-yard scamper for the Tigers midway into the fourth quarter.

Adams and Davis hooked up again with just two minutes remaining to play on a 5-yard reception and, with Adams’ two-point run, the score was now 56-14.

Cody Leake, the third quarterback of the night for the Tigers, gave Slidell its final six of the evening on a 21-yard bolt.

Mercifully, Napoleon Stallworth intercepted Rams’ signal caller Davis to end the contest.

District action begins this week with Slidell, 1-1, hosting Covington, 1-1.