It’s been that kind of season for the Slidell Tigers.

Justin Betts bulled in for a two-point conversion in overtime, giving Hammond a rain-soaked 34-33 victory over Slidell in District 7-5A play Friday night.

“We both made mistakes throughout the game, but both teams played,” said Slidell head coach Artie Liuzza, whose team lost leads of 13-0 and 20-7.

Slidell’s Jaron Wiggins is tackled by Hammond’s Deunté Robinson (21) and Caleb Brumfield during the first half of Friday’s game in Hammond. (Daily Star Photo by Mike Kiral)

“They connected on some and we made some mistakes and we connected on some and they made mistakes. You hate to lose a game like that but you have to give Hammond credit. They hung in there.”

Slidell (4-5, 2-4) closes out the regular season against Northshore on Friday.

The Tigers scored first in the overtime and appeared to have sewn up the victory when Austin Miller threw incomplete for Terrance Bridges on fourth down from the five. But a pass interference call kept Hammond (4-5, 3-3) alive and the Tornadoes capitalized, as Betts went up the middle from the three on the next play. After a Hammond timeout, Betts hit the line, then spun through the left side for the conversion.

“We’re at home,” Tors coach James Gillyard said of the decision to go for two. “These conditions around here, I feel we have a home field advantage. Home field advantage has its perks and I like told the kids, this weather, our field, why not?” Slidell took a 33-26 lead to start the overtime when C.J. Hampton fell on Jonathan Miles’ fumble in the end zone. Chris Barnes added the extra point.

Hammond rallied from deficits of 13-0 and 20-7 to take a 26-20 lead on Betts’ two-yard run with 2:47 left in the game. Harris Beall’s extra point was blocked. The key play of the drive was a fake punt, as Betts took the snap as the upman and hit Bridges over the middle for 11 yards.

Slidell answered after Darion Causey returned the kickoff to the Tigers’ 42 on Miles’ 23-yard run up the middle. An errant snap helped Hammond halt Bradley Myers on the conversion, keeping the game tied at 26 with 1:12 left.

Miles’ 39-yard run on the first play of the second half set up Randal Meyer’s 9-yard keeper off the right side with 10:36 left in the third quarter to give the Tigers a 20-7 lead.

Hammond answered on its next possession on Miller’s 1-yard keeper set up by his 30-yard pass to Mark Bridgewater. Beall’s extra point cut the deficit to 20-14 with 8:08 left in the third. On Hammond’s next drive, Bridges made a one-handed juggling catch over the middle, then cut left for the 54-yard score. The extra point was wide, but Hammond had tied the game at 20 with 4:01 remaining in the third.

A fumbled snap on Hammond’s opening possession of the game gave Slidell the ball at the Tors’ 20 and set up Miles’ five-yard TD run two-and-a-half minutes in.

Michael Norman intercepted a Miller pass at the Slidell 45, and the Tigers converted that with Jaron Wiggins’ two-yard TD for a 13-0 lead.

Norman grabbed another interception at the Slidell one on the next possession, but Hammond cut it to 13-7 on Miller’s 27-yard pass to Bridgewater with 5:34 left in the half.

“They’re talented and they have a lot of speed and they made some catches and executed a couple of times,” Liuzza said. “We blew some coverages.

That’s going to happen. These are high school kids and sometimes that happens. The kids played hard. I’m proud of the way we played. It’s just been one of those years I guess.”�