S. Paul’s Wolves (7-2, 4-2), the three time defending district champs, close out the regular season tonight at Hunter Stadium, hosting the Fontainebleau Bulldogs (4-4, 2-4).

The Wolves downed the Covington Lions 9-7 last week, while the Bulldogs were edged by Ponchatoula 7-6 in a critical loss.

SPS edged Fontainebleau 13-10 last year, which clinched the district title for the Wolves with a 7-0 record.

St. Paul'€™s defenders Trevor Tamboli and Matt Koepp chase down Covington running back Phillip Bickham in last week'€™s game played at CHS. (Fill Photo by Mike McCall)

St. Paul’s head coach Ken Sears said every game in the district has been a battle this season.

“This is a critical game for us. We need to have a sharp focus going into tonight’s game,” Sears said.

Sears thinks his Wolves have accumulated enough power points to get into the playoffs one way or the other.

“We want to enter the playoffs with momentum. A win should secure a home playoff game. Obviously, it’s important to play at home so you don’t have to worry about traveling that first week,” Sears added.

Mandeville has a one game lead in District 6-5A as the Skippers travel to Covington tonight to square off with the surprising Lions who are also in the hunt for a potential playoff berth depending on the outcome of that game.

“We have to focus on playing our best against Fontainebleau, and let the other stuff take care of itself,” Sears said. “We have to take advantage of our opportunity this week. We can’t worry about other things that are out of our control. If things work out reference a district title than so be it.”

St. Paul’s defense has been consistent throughout the season for the Wolves.

Sears said the Wolves’ defensive unit is probably the healthiest it has been in a while.

“We got some guys back last week. We feel like we have our rotations set, and are ready to go.”

Sears said the key to defending the Fontainebleau Wing-T offense is for his players to handle their assignments.

“We have to make sure we control our gaps. We must wrap up their ball carriers. They are deceptive on offense with their play fakes.”

Senior defensive back Greg Blasiar tops the Wolves with 68 tackles of which 54 are solo stops. He has one interception and has broken up three passes. He has caused two fumbles. SPS senior middle linebacker Jordan Bodenheimer, a nemesis for Wolves’ opponents, has registered 67 tackles with 50 being primary stops.

Bodenheimer comes in with three sacks, three tackles for losses and one caused fumble.

Bodenheimer finished with seven tackles against Covington including a sack.

Wolves’ aggressive pass rusher junior defensive end Houston Bates tops the club with 11 sacks. He has recorded 53 tackles, including 22 solo stops with 14 tackles for losses. He has caused two fumbles, which were both returned for touchdowns.

Senior Beau Trist leads the Wolves’ secondary with three interceptions. He has also broken up eight passes, and has 18 individual tackles.

St. Paul’s over the years has been known for its running game. Wolves’ sophomore running back Mikhail Washington has gained 583 yards on 81 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush with six touchdowns. Fellow sophomore Stephon Smith has 466 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry with a team high seven TDs. Senior fullback Josh Pereira is next with 288 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per rush with two touchdowns. Junior Julien Lamothe is another back the Wolves can go to. He has 180 yards, averaging eight yards per carry with two scores.

Wolves’ sophomore quarterback Alec Duncan has connected on 46-of-92 passes for 780 yards. Senior Patrick Huval leads the Wolves with 26 receptions for 545 yards, averaging 20. 9 yards per catch.

Sears said he thinks his offense will have to play a game of patience. “Fontainebleau plays so well on defense. We will have to pick our spots to throw the ball,” Sears added.

Sears said he is expecting a tough game because Fontainebleau also has a shot at making the playoffs with a victory. Sears said the Fontainebleau defensive front four is pretty good. “They are an explosive group that gets off the ball really well. They are a formidable bunch.”

The Bulldogs’ defense has been the strong suit this season led by leading tackler Kris Rice, the Dawgs’ junior linebacker, who has recorded 40 primary stops and 21 assists. Rice has two interceptions, three caused fumbles with two fumble recoveries including one which he returned for a touchdown in last week’s game against Ponchatoula for the Bulldogs only points. Last week, Rice contributed six individual tackles and four assists.

FHS coach Gregg Hudson said senior defensive tackle Darrel Brown had a strong outing, posting 12 tackles along with a sack. Brown has 32 solo stops, 14 assists and 10 sacks. Senior defensive end Gerald Gruenig, the Bulldogs’ sack leader with 13 was in on seven tackles last week. He has 29 primary tackles and 13 assists with a fumble recovery.

Jeremy Fos tops the Bulldogs’ secondary with four interceptions.

Hudson said the Bulldogs’ defense has done a good job this season keeping them in games.

“Our offense has to find a way to put points on the board. We have to be able to get the ball in the end zone. The defense can’t continue to spend so much time on the field.”

The Bulldogs were flagged for an uncharacteristic 14 penalties totaling 140 yards in last week’s loss to Ponchatoula.

“It was unbelievable to get that many penalties in a game. We had a number of holding penalties called,” Hudson said.

“We have told our players that tonight’s game is like a playoff game if they want the season to continue. Our players have had a good attitude at practice. We just need to get them to translate that to he field on Friday night,” Hudson added.

FHS’ Perrin Sims picked up 88 yards on 22 carries last week, giving him 391 yards on the season, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Senior fullback Clay Fritscher the Dawgs’ leading rusher gained 41 yards last week, putting him at 582 yards on 101 rushes for a 5.7 yard per carry average. Fritscher filled in last week for junior quarterback Addison Melancon, who was out of the lineup due to a concussion. Melancon returns to the lineup tonight against the Wolves. He has completed 49-of-108 passes for 675 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. Senior Vinnie Tonagel comes in with 235 yards on the season, averaging 4.1 yards per rush.