North shore football round up (postseason opening week)

Class 5A
No. 2 Covington (10-0) vs. No. 31 Thibodaux (4-6): The Lions can mark two items off the list with the District 6-5A championship and the undefeated regular season. Last season, they limped into the playoff with a losing record, seeded 25th, falling 31-17 to 8th seeded Hahnville. This season, they stayed healthy and played with a huge chip on their shoulders. With the career rushing leader in Devin Brumfield and the leading passer with Josh Alfaro, reaching the Superdome could be a possibility.

Winner plays either No. 15 Ouachita Parish or No. 18 Terrebonne

No. 16 Slidell (7-3) vs. No. 17 Dutchtown (6-4): The Tigers’ 14-7 victory at Northshore earned them their best record in 10 years, and coach Larry Favre proudly proclaimed, “Slidell is back!” But, Jacob Guidry, Tito Simmons, and company aren’t done yet. They played themselves into the school’ first home playoff game in nearly 10 years, with No. 17 Dutchtown.

Winner plays either No. 1 West Monroe (10-0) or No. 32 Central-B.R. (4-6)

No. 28 Northshore (5-5) at No. 5 St. Amant (9-1): The Panthers were a few plays away from a perfect district record, but had trouble getting the breaks to go their way, but the good news is that they are in the playoffs, and that represents a fresh start. It’s a tall order, traveling to face No. 5 St. Amant, but Northshore is due, and the Gators might be looking ahead to the next round.

Winner plays either No.12 Airline (7-3) or No. 21 Chalmette (7-3)

No. 29 Mandeville (4-5) at No. 4 Zachary (8-2): No team did a bigger about-face than the Skippers after a dreadful 0-3 start after a coaching change. Josh Buell and his team settled down and won four of their next five, including a 28-14 upset over St. Paul’s. Though ending the regular season with a 27-7 loss at Covington, the surge in confidence could be the great unknown, facing a formidable foe in Zachary.

Winner plays either No. 13 John Ehret (7-3) or No. 20 Haughton (7-3)

Division I
No. 7 St. Paul’s (6-4) vs. No. 10 Holy Cross (5-5): There’s a new vibe after a quarterback change with the Wolves as Jack Mashburn takes the reins. In his second full game, against Fontainebleau in the regular season finale, he completed 13 of 23 for 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and ran for 64 yards. With a potent passing game now, and running back Corey Williamson have a solid second half of the regular season, all of a sudden, confidence is back up. They will need it when battle tested Holy Cross team invades Hunter Stadium on Friday.

Winner travels to play No. 2 John Curtis (9-1)

Class 4A
No. 2 Lakeshore (10-0) vs. No. 31 Pearl River (4-5): The first phase of the Titans’ dream season is complete, and now the more difficult part begins. Yes, the odds seem insurmountable for the Rebels, but give them credit for flirting with a winning record this season. Lakeshore is on a mission and will move past Pearl River into the second round.

Winner plays either No. 15 South Lafourche (6-4) or No. 18 Tioga (6-4)

No. 9 Salmen (8-2) vs. No. 24 Lutcher (4-6): That fact that the Spartans finished the regular season 8-2 is impressive. What is even more impressive that five of their games were decided by seven points or less, and they won all of them. Team chemistry is why they’ve won games this season which escaped them during the 2016 campaign. As a reward, the Spartans have a first-round home playoff game with the Lutcher Bulldogs.

Winner plays either No. 8 Northwood-Shreveport or No. 25 St. Martinville

Division II
No. 8 Hannan (8-2) vs. No. 9 Vandebilt Catholic (7-3): The Hawks reeled off seven straight victories to start the season before losing two straight. They finished off with a hard fought 30-27 victory on the road at Bogalusa to claim the eighth spot in the postseason. They host a very formidable team in the Terriers which started off the season with three straight victories over teams from Class 5A.

Winner plays No. 1 De La Salle (9-0)

Division III
No. 12 Northlake Christian (3-7) at No. 5 Riverside Academy (3-4): The Wolverines stopped a four-game skid with a 14-8 win at Pope John Paul II in the ninth week of the season, but they must travel to face a juggernaut in the Rebels, who feature one of the top quarterbacks in the Metro area with Jordan Loving.

Winner plays either No. 4 Dunham (9-1) or Pope John Paul II (2-8)

No. 13 Pope John Paul II (2-8) at No. 4 Dunham (9-1): It was a tough season for the Jaguars and it gets even more difficult as they travel to East Baton Rouge to take on Dunham.