Mandeville turned in a solid team effort Friday night in the district finale as the Skippers charted a steady course en route to a 35-21 victory over the Covington Lions on senior night at Sidney Theriot Stadium.

MHS (7-3), with its regular season ending victory over a game Covington squad, more than likely assured itself of hosting a first round playoff game.

The Skippers peeking at the right time after dropping its first two games earned its sixth consecutive victory and finished 6-1 in district one game behind St. Paul’s, which downed Fontainebleau to earn the district title at 7-0.

Mandeville running back Charles Jones is brought down by Covington’s Otha Peters (5) and Skylar Lott at left during Friday night’s district finale at Sidney Theriot Stadium. Jones tallied two TDs and rushed for 75 yards in the Skippers’ 35-21 victory. (Photo by Mike McCall) Pic 2: MHS running back Charles Jones is wrapped up by Covington linebacker Kyle Crouch during Friday Night’s final regular season game won by the Skippers 35-21. (Photo by Mike McCall) Pic 3: Mandeville receiver Chris Houlemard makes a move up field after catching a pass being chased by Covington’s Skylar Lott during Friday night’s final district game at MHS. Houlemard caught four passes for 160 yards including a 45-yard TD pass. (Photo by Mike McCall)

MHS coach Guy LeCompte said his team hasn’t quit in any game this season.

“It didn’t matter what our record was at any point in the season the kids played hard to win. I think that is a tribute to their character,” LeCompte said.

A number of Mandeville senior players, who were recognized before the game along with their parents, stepped up on both sides of the ball and helped the Skippers secure the key victory. Mandeville managed to come up with the big play at critical times.

Senior signal caller John Wenzel went 10-of-11 for 228 yards with two touchdowns, one to fellow senior Chris Houlemard covering 45 yards and one to junior Elijah Leveé for 15 yards.

LeCompte credited the Skippers’ offensive line with doing a great job pass blocking and for opening some running lanes early.

“They were able to give John (Wenzel) protection. He made some great throws, especially in clutch situations. The receivers made the catches and the runs after the catch. Offensively, our guys came around and it was a strong team effort,” LeCompte added.

“I’m really proud of the entire team on both sides of the ball. Those guys have been pulling together. We lost so many seniors last year and we had so many new inexperienced players. They came together really well.”

LeCompte also praised the play of the Skippers’ defense, which he said has been steady all season long.

Wenzel tallied the Skippers’ first TD from 18-yards out for a 7-0 lead following Kyle Pelligrini’s extra point with 3:17 left in the first quarter. Wenzel scampered into the end zone following a nice seal block from Christian Dragna.

Wenzel later linked up with Houlemard on a perfectly thrown 45-yard strike just over a Covington defender to make it 14-0 following Pelligrini’s PAT with just three ticks left in the opening period.

LeCompte talked about Houlemard’s big play potential.

“We just needed to get him the ball. He certainly made the plays when we got him the ball. He made the most of his opportunities,” LeCompte said.

CHS’ Otis Jacobs gave the Lions excellent field position on the ensuing kickoff returning the ball to the 44. Five plays later, the Lions were able to answer with senior quarterback Tyler Scott finding Jarius Bickham for 51 yards to make it a ballgame as Spencer Graham kicked the extra point to cut it to 14-7 with 10:30 left in the half. Scott and Jarius Bickham had big ballgames with Scott going 14-of-24 for 200 yards, while Bickham hauled in seven passes for 109 yards.

With 8:16 left in the second quarter, Jacobs gave the Lions excellent field position returning a punt 15 yards down to the Mandeville 22 yard line after the Skippers were forced to punt following a three-and-out from deep in their territory at the four.

Jacobs got into the act again returning the punt 15 yards down to the MHS 21. Facing third-and-five, Scott hooked up with David “Tank” Mizell for a 16-yard scoring toss trimming the lead to 14-13. Graham added the PAT to tie things with 6:40 left in the half.

With just 51 seconds before halftime, MHS called a timeout after stopping CHS forcing a punt. Mandeville took over at Covington’s 47 with 40 seconds left. Wenzel showed excellent clock management getting the Skippers down field and into the end zone, hitting Leveé on a 15-yard strike with just 12 seconds in the half. Pelligrini booted the PAT for the Skippers 21-14 halftime lead. Leveé caught three balls for 30 yards, while Tyler Spotts had two receptions for 37 yards.

Both defenses stepped up during the next possessions forcing punts. Late in the fourth quarter, pinned deep in their own territory from the five, MHS’ Wenzel punted to Jacobs, which proved to be a mistake. The fleet-footed returner, who had five kickoff returns for scores on the season, gathered the ball in and raced up field eluding tacklers to score on a 41-yard punt return. Graham’s point after tied the game at 21-21 with 1:17 left in the third quarter with the game still much in doubt.

MHS regained the lead on its next possession. The Skippers went 58 yards in eight plays with sophomore running back Charles Jones scoring from the six with 10:24 to go. Pelligrini tacked on the PAT at 28-21. Jones, the Skippers’ talented ball carrier, gained 75 yards on 23 carries, picking up tough yardage inside.

CHS picked up two first downs on its next drive, but stalled when Scott attempting to roll out on third-and-seven from the Lions’ 34 slipped down on the turf after being pressured by Everett Ellefsen (Big E) forcing a punt. MHS took over at its 13. After a first down, MHS faced a third-and-15 from the 18-yard line. Wenzel connected with Houlemard on a catch-and-run and by the time it was all said and done, the speedy wide out made a number of moves downfield and nearly outran the defense for a score, but was tackled by Jacobs with his closing speed at the one following a crucial 81 yard gain. Jones crashed over from there with 4:42 left and Pelligrini’s kick made it 35-21.

Houlemard accounted for four catches totaling 160 yards. Houlemard shared his thoughts about being one of the Skippers’ playmakers.

“I had a rout that was actually suppose to continue up a bit, but I saw the safety drop back deep so I just cut it off and caught the ball. I was able to make a move on some defenders and I was caught on the one. I was thinking about trying to pull a Reggie Bush and leap over, but I wasn’t feeling that,” Houlemard said.

Houlemard said it is a big momentum builder for his Skippers. “We have a head of steam going into the playoffs. We have to carry it on,” Houlemard added.

Following the Jones’ one-yard TD run the Lions did their best to fight back on the game’s final drive. CHS held the ball for 11 plays marching down field, but the Lions were whistled for two critical penalties and the Mandeville defense stiffened in the red zone and denied the Lions. CHS had first-and-goal from the one with just under two minutes to play, but a false start and a procedure call thwarted the drive. MHS’ Billy Brooks broke up a pass and nearly intercepted on a fourth-and-goal play from the six with 15 seconds left to shut down the scoring chance.

MHS senior linebacker Kris Rice, who transferred from Fontainebleau, shared his thoughts on the victory.

“We want to keep our dreams alive and make a deep run into the playoffs. We had a lot of players step up. We are a family now, not just a team. We do everything together and we are really gelling,” Rice said.

“Defensively, our coaches did a great job getting us in position to make the plays. You give us an opportunity to make the play and somebody is going to make it happen,” Rice added.

CHS second-year coach Malter Scobel referred to Crouch as a great kid and one of the best he has ever coached. Covington recovered from a dismal 0-4 start and closed the season at 4-6 finishing 4-3 in district putting together four straight victories before dropping the final two games.

Scobel referred to his team as being a very resilient bunch.

“Our players just kept plugging away and fighting. Mandeville made catches and we were right there. If we knock it down they don’t score. Give the credit to them, their kids made great plays. Guy (LeCompte) and his coaches do a great job,” Scobel said. “Our senior class did a good job of keeping everybody together and staying focused. Our program is getting better. The record may not show it much, but our program has gotten better.”