MHS hosts Slidell in opener

Mandeville (8-1, 6-1), the No. 7 seed, takes on district rival Slidell (5-4, 4-3), No. 26 seed, at 7 tonight at Skipper Stadium.

MHS clinched the 6-5A district title with last week’s 25-17 victory over Covington, while Slidell came up short to cross town rival Northshore, 29-26, in a thriller.

MHS downed Slidell, 24-21, in their district meeting on Oct. 2.

Mandeville senior running back Will Bunns has ignited the Skippers’ offense during the past two weeks, gaining 200 and 182 yards, respectively, in Mandeville’s run to the district title. Two weeks ago, Bunns carried the ball 28 times in the Skippers’ 14-7 victory over Northshore, and last week he lugged it 24 times in the win over Covington. Bunns scored on a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter to help seal the deal.

Senior quarterback Andy Bertoniere passed for two TDs in last week’s victory. He found Brandon Weeden on a 14-yard touchdown and hit Chris Houlemard from 32 yards out. Kody Keowen, the Skippers’ starting cornerback, also tallied on a 6-yard run being used in a short yardage package.

MHS coach Guy LeCompte has credited his offensive line with coming up big the last two weeks controlling the line of scrimmage.

Mandeville’s defense continued to be a formidable foe, holding Covington to 171 yards of total offense. Skippers’ senior cornerback Jerry Mitchell picked off a pass and posted five solo tackles. Senior linebacker Jeff Rebouche contributed five individual tackles, including one for a loss. Barret Fritscher had three primary tackles, two assists, a sack and a forced fumble. Hayden Harper delivered three individual stops, two assists with one stop for a loss for the Skippers.

Slidell senior signal caller Blake Forbis, who has sparked the Tigers’ potent spread offense, hit on 15-of-32 passes last week for 188 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He connected with Armand Williams on a 44-yard scoring strike. Forbis was also the Tigers’ leading ground gainer with 112 yards on 18 carries, including a 29-yard rushing TD in the second quarter.

Tigers’ junior running back Jaron Wiggins finished with 71 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns on 1- and 2-yard runs last week against Northshore. Senior receiver Tyler Ziegler caught six passes for 53 yards last week.

Slidell senior strong safety Chad Livingston, who has two interceptions on the season, picked off a deflection to halt a Northshore drive at the Tigers’ 8-yard line last week. He has also recovered three fumbles.