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October 25, 2004

Fontainebleau 'Ds' beat Slidell
Ducre rushes for 229 yards, Defense tough all night long
By Joe Parfait

MANDEVILLE - Fontainebleau and Slidell high schools met Friday night in a game that would decide who would challenge Covington for the District 5-5A championship. Both teams met at the Dawg Pound with one district loss chasing the undefeated Lions. After 48 minutes of aggressive play by two evenly matched teams, Fontainebleau came out the victor by a score of 22-16.

"It is a monkey off of our back.. I have never felt such a monster on my back in my 15 years in the coaching business. As much as I tried to deny it, it was a huge monkey on our backs," said Fontainebleau coach Larry Favre after beating Slidell for the first at Fontainebleau.

The game was determined by two "D's." The "Ds" stand for Ducre, as in Christian Ducre, and defense, as in the Fontainebleau defense. Ducre rushed 30 times for 229 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldog defense came up with two Stephen Liuzza interceptions, four sacks and a safet, and made Liuzza's night miserable by being in his face all night long.

"Christian is the best high school player I've ever coached. I've coached many good ones. The kid has dominated every football game he has ever played in for three years at this school. He said to me in the third quarter, 'Coach, please keep giving me the ball.' I told him I would, and the rest will be history," Favre said of his star running back.

From the start of the game Fontainebleau (6-2, 4-1) let Slidell know it planned on making history on this hot and muggy October night. The Bulldogs had never beaten Slidell in the school's history. In fact, Slidell has embarrassed the Bulldogs the last three times the teams have played.

On the second play from scrimmage Fontainebleau quarterback Ben Cunningham scrambled for 65 yards down the left sideline to the Slidell 11-yard line. Kory Ryan grabbed Cunningham by the back of his jersey to make a touchdown saving tackle. The Bulldogs were not be able to punch the ball into the end zone. But with 8:47 left in the first quarter,Justin Beitzel kicked a 20-yard field.

The second time Fontainebleau got possession of the ball it was at the Slidell 48. The Bulldogs ran 10 plays and got as far down as the Slidell 10 but again could not put the ball in the end zone. Beitzel attempted a 36-yard field goal that was wide to the left.

The first quarter ended with the Bulldogs on top, 3-0.

Liuzza was intercepted on Slidell's first possession of the second quarter. On the second play of the period Kyle McWilliams stepped in front of Liuzza's pass at the Fontainebleau 45 and returned it to Slidell's 41.

The Bulldogs could not advance the ball. Fontainebleau lined up for a 57-yard field goal by Beitzel. The kick was short, and James McManus downed the ball for Fontainebleau at the 2-yard line.

On Slidell's first offensive play Rudy Odom got to Liuzza and caused a fumble. The ball rolled out of the back of the end zone for a Fontainebleau safety and a 5-0 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff the Bulldogs got the ball at their 39. They were able to drive down to Slidell's 13 where the drive stalled. The Bulldogs lined up for a 30-yard field goal attempt, but Slidell jumped offsides. Then Beitzel hit a 25-yarder to make the score 8-0.

The Bulldogs threatened once more in the first half. Blake Guidry picked off a Liuzza pass at the Fontainebleau 41 and returned it to midfield. On the next play Ducre ran down to the Slidell 23 but fumbled the ball and Slidell recovered it.

Slidell received the second half kickoff and couldn't do anything with it. Fontainebleau got possession at the Slidell 49 after the punt. Six plays later, all by Ducre, he danced into the end zone from 7 yards out. Beitzel kicked the extra point and Fontainebleau led 15-0.

With 2:45 left in the third period Slidell took possession at midfield. Six plays later Liuzza hit Brian King, who was standing all alone at the goal line, for a 34-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers went for two points and were successful on a Liuzza pass to Percy Caye. With 15 seconds left in the third period the Tigers had closed to within a touchdown.

Slidell made a bold play with 5:29 left in the game. Facing a fourth-and-2 from their own 30, the Tigers tried a fake punt that was read by the Fontainebleau defense. The ball was snapped to Josh Buelle, who was buried by a host of Bulldogs at the Slidell 27.

Again, Ducre was the workhorse. He ran the ball five times, and on the fifth time he took it from his 15, bowled over Slidell's Justin Miller around the 10 and walked into the end zone. With 2:39 left Beitzel made it 22-8 with his kick.

The Tigers would not give up. On the ensuing possession they drove from their 26 on a mixture of passes to Dustin Moreau, runs by Ryan Tott, a run by Liuzza and a Fontainebleau personal foul penalty to score with 38 seconds left in the game. Moreau caught a 7-yard pass from Liuzza to get on the board. The Tigers went for two points, and Tott ran the ball in to make the score 22-16.

Fontainebleau's Herbie Lacassagne recovered an onsides kick by the Tigers, and the Bulldogs ran the clock out to complete the history making night.

The Bulldog defense limited Slidell to 223 yards of total offense. Liuzza passed for 168 yards by going 18 of 40 for two TDs and two INTs. Jordan Haddad was Slidell's leading rusher with 16 yards.

Fontainebleau had 346 yards of total offense, 309 came from the ground game.