The St. Paul’s Wolves are set to play the Mandeville Skippers in a district rivalry matchup in Hunter Stadium tonight, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m.

The Wolves will be entering the game with a 7-1 overall record, and a 5-0 district record. Last Friday, the Wolves defeated the Slidell Tigers 48-14 on the road.

In last week’s victory over the Tigers, the Wolves went into halftime with only a seven-point advantage in a closely contested 21-14 first half. The second half was a whole different story as sophomore quarterback Johntae Mcdowell led the Wolves to four more touchdowns. Two of McDowell’s four touchdown passes were to junior receiver Grant Grosch. The Wolves also ran for two rushing touchdowns: one by junior running back Corey Williamson, who rushed for 76 yards on 13 carries, and the other by McDowell.

Second half defense has been the saving grace for the Wolves this season. Against the Tigers, not a single point was scored after the first half. Moreover, throughout the entire game,  the Tigers were only able to rush for 44 yards against the Wolves defense.

The Wolves will be playing without starting running back Corey Williamson tonight as he suffered a season ending knee injury last week against Slidell. The Wolves will turn to junior running back Logan Davenport in Williamson’s absence.

The Skippers will be entering the upcoming game with a 6-2 overall record and a 4-1 district record. Last Friday, the Skippers dominated the Hammond Tornadoes in a 55-2 home game victory at Sidney Theriot Stadium.

The Skippers’ offense is led by junior quarterback Darren Steele. Steele, a former St. Paul’s student, is starting for the first time against his former school. Also, the Skippers have shown an impressive running game combo with Steele and senior running back Fritz Walker.

The Skippers only district loss was to the Ponchatoula Green Wave in week four. The Skippers lost to the Green Wave 23-9. Earlier this year, the Wolves beat Ponchatoula in a decisive 29-15 victory.

Last year, the Wolves defeated the Skippers in a low scoring 7-0 thriller in Mandeville’s Sidney Theriot Stadium. This year, the game will be at Hunter Stadium, and, if the Wolves can pull out a victory, they will clinch the District 6-5A title for the second consecutive year.

For score updates during the game, follow @thepaperwolf on Twitter.