St. Paul’s handles business at Hammond, 27-6

The elephant in the room is no more.

After a 27-6 victory at Hammond, St. Paul’s (3-2, 2-0) can finally turn their attention to Covington, a Friday game which could arguably be for the District 6-5A title although there would be four more games remaining following that contest.
Hammond (0-5, 0-2) is still searching for their first victory and will be at Fontainebleau next Thursday, October 5.

The Lions, a 30-10 winner at home against Slidell, will come into the contest at Hunter Stadium with a perfect record (5-0, 2-0). A win by either team will put them in the driver’s seat the rest of the way.

Following the battle for the Brown Jug, Covington has Fontainebleau (home), Northshore (away), Hammond (home), and then Mandeville (home).

St. Paul’s remaining schedule is slightly more of an uphill climb with Ponchatoula (away), Slidell (home), Mandeville (away), and Fontainebleau (away).

Early in the game against Hammond, the Wolves struggled with a pair of turnovers and reached the locker room at halftime with a 13-0 lead.

The defense came up big in the opening minutes of the second half, pinning the Tornados deep inside their own territory, forcing a fumble that was recovered by senior linebacker Paul Gremillion in the end zone for a touchdown and a comfortable 20-0 lead. Defensive back Conrad Robinson continued to wreak havoc with quarterbacks in the district, snagging a pair of interceptions.

Toward the end of the third period, Corey Williamson finished off a drive with a six-yard run for a touchdown, extending the margin to 27-0. A late touchdown by Hammond prevented the shutout.

“On offense, we’re still struggling, and trying to find our rhythm,” said Williamson. “The defense executed very well. But, I think we are coming together.”

Starting in place of injured quarterback Johntae McDowell, Jack Mashburn finished 11-for-15 for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

While the margin of victory was wide, the margin for error against Covington next week will be much thinner. The coaching staff will address in practice next week the main areas of focus.

“It was a great defensive performance, but still too many turnovers,” St. Paul’s coach Ken Sears said. “Too many penalties. We can’t have those.”

St. Paul’s Stats
Running – Corey Williamson, 20-87, 2 TD; Jack Mashburn, 7-15; Grant Grosch, 3-15; Mason Impastato, 3-5; Cameron Vidal, 3-4; Gabe Ingram, 1-2
Receiving – Grant Grosch, 4-62; Grant William Robinson, 2-36, TD; Nick Stanton, 1-16; Cameron Vidal, 1-7; Mason Impastato, 1-4. Gabe Ingram, 1-3; Corey Williamson, 1-2
Passing – Jack Mashburn, 11-16-1-128, TD