(COVINGTON, La.) — Last Friday, September 14th, the St. Paul’s Wolves football team traveled the six hours north to Memphis, Tennessee, to take on the nationally ranked Christian Brothers Purple Wave. The Wolves dropped their third straight, losing 31-24. The Wolves plan on getting back on track this week against district rival Northshore High.

St. Paul’s, coming off a disappointing loss, hopes to bounce back and continue their district success. The Wolves district record has been astonishing the past ten years, going 62-6 while dominating their opponents. The Wolves continue to seek the success of previous years in district play. Last year, the Northshore game was one of the closest in recent memory. The Wolves kicked off their district season last year with a slight victory over the Panthers .

Senior QB Jack Mashburn has led the way for the Wolves through the first three games of the season. The biggest threat to other teams, Mashburn is the leading passer and rusher for St. Paul’s on the year. He has passed for 552 yards and rushed for 153 yards through the first three games of the season. He also totals seven touchdowns so far. Senior WR Nick Stanton has led the way for the receiving group with 17 catches for 237 yards with one touchdown. Junior RB Carter Elie has four touchdowns on the year with 134 rushing yards and 20 receiving yards. Senior LB Michael Phillippe has been quarterbacking the defense while leading them with 34 tackles. Senior DT Chandara Kim has had two sacks on the season with multiple quarterback hurries after three games. Senior DB Kyle Conigliaro picked off the Christian Brothers’ QB twice on Friday.

The Panthers’ offense has solely been relying on their running game for the first three games of their season. With 426 yards on the ground, the passing game has been less than sufficient with 91 yards through the air, and only completing 39.5% of passes up to this point. Senior RB Branyan Bounds has 296 yards on 62 carries with two touchdowns. While the offense might have been struggling, the defense has been playing above par on the season. 17 players have had at least one tackle on the season, and eight players have over ten tackles. Junior LB Kershawn Fisher has already racked up four sacks and five quarterback hurries. The Panthers’ defense has also forced seven turnovers in only three games.

If the Panthers plan to beat the Wolves, which they haven’t done since 2008, the offense will have to step up and their defense will have to play their best yet. St. Paul’s, 0-3, have a clean slate in district play. The Wolves’ defense has a chance to stop the Panthers and get good field position for their offense. St. Paul’s is still a powerhouse in the 6-5A posing a threat to its district opponents including the Panthers.  Northshore’s passing game will have to be able to move the ball better than they have all season to beat the Wolves who are seeking to turn their season around and start a solid winning streak .