The Saint Paul’s Football Wolves defeated district-rival Mandeville High School Skippers 21-18 on October 20, 2023. The Wolves remain undefeated and sit in first place in District 6-5A.
The stakes were high, the crowd was loud, and Hunter Stadium was packed. The stage was set for an instant classic in one of the biggest rivalry games in Louisiana.
The Skippers got the ball first and drove down to the 17-yard line of the Wolves; however, the Wolves’ defense stopped the Skippers on 3rd down to force a field goal, giving the Skippers a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Both teams went scoreless for the rest of the first quarter, but the Wolves started firing on offense in the second quarter as they drove down to the Skippers’ 34-yard line. Hunter Stadium roared in excitement as Saint Paul’s quarterback Brennan Keim threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brennan Villa to give the Wolves a 7-3 lead with 8:58 left in the second quarter.
After a series of punts by both teams, the Skippers finally put together a solid drive that ended in a 1-yard rushing touchdown by running back Nate Sheppard. The Skippers led 10-7 with only three minutes left in the first half.
This fueled the Wolves’ offense to get more points on the board. Keim continued to have an excellent game as he completed a series of passes and eventually threw another touchdown to Villa, this one being 24 yards. Fans filling Hunter Stadium erupted even louder than last time and jumped in excitement. The Wolves took a 14-10 lead into halftime.
Saint Paul’s sophomore receiver Brennan Villa bursts past the Skippers for the touchdown.
The Skippers and Wolves’ defenses were fired up and dominated the third quarter as they both forced a series of punts. In fact, the stingy defenses caused offenses to go scoreless in the third quarter.
Near the end of the fourth quarter, Wolves’ defensive end Austin South sacked Skippers’ quarterback Cade Jacob to force a punt. As a result, the Wolves’ offense got the ball back and finally put together a strong drive.
Saint Paul’s defensive end Austin South sacks Mandeville quarterback Cade Jacob.
The Wolves drove down to the Skippers’ 1-yard line but were stopped on third down. This left Wolves head coach Kenny Sears with a critical decision: should the Wolves go for a touchdown that could seal the game, while risking a turnover on downs, or should the team kick an 18-yard field goal and force the Skippers to score a touchdown to tie the game?
Coach Sears decided to go for it, and the gamble paid off. Wide receiver Ben Buisson took the handoff and scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown with only 1:20 left in the fourth quarter.
The game-sealing moment was electrifying and complete pandemonium in Hunter Stadium, as thousands of Saint Paul’s fans were jumping, screaming, and throwing each other around.
Coach Sears knew his offense could score the short-yardage touchdown when it counted the most. ”We felt like it was an opportunity to win the game… worst case scenario right there, [the Skippers] would have to go 99 yards to score. We trusted our kids to get us 1 yard to put us up two scores with just a minute left in the game, and I just felt like if we came off the ball, we could punch it in. I thought our guys did a great job of exploding off the ball and Buisson staying low to get it in.”
The play diminished any legitimate chance the Skippers had at winning the game. The Skippers still fought hard and put together an impressive drive, ending in a 5-yard rushing touchdown from running back Donovan McGown. Moreover, Cade Jacob ran in the endzone for a two-point conversion with 12 seconds left in the game. However, it was too little, too late.
The Skippers went for an onside kick, but Wolves’ linebacker Gavin Bourgeois recovered the ball. The Wolves lined up in “Victory Formation” and kneeled to win the game 21-18.
The Wolves improved to 7-1 overall with the win, while the Skippers fell to 4-4.
Wolves’ quarterback Brennan Keim had his best game of the season. He completed 19-of-23 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns and rushed five times for 12 yards.
An emotional Keim loved playing in this game and appreciated his supporting cast in a post-game interview. ”I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. This was the most fun I’ve ever had playing football. All glory to God!”
In addition, Wolves’ running back Cody Corales rushed for 90 yards on 18 attempts. The Saint Paul’s coaching staff is extremely excited about the talented sophomore’s future with the team.
Wolves’ wide receivers Brennan Villa, Stone Celestin, and Ben Buisson had great games as well. Villa had 2 receptions for 52 yards and two touchdowns; Celestin had 4 receptions for 92 yards, and Buisson had 3 receptions for 67 yards. Buisson also rushed for 14 yards and a touchdown on three attempts.
With a win against Ponchatoula High School next week, the Wolves can win the District 6-5A Championship for the first time since 2016. Mandeville will face Hammond High School at home next Friday.
Published by: CallahanLeahy2025
Back to Wolf Pack Press