All game long, the Mandeville offense chipped away at the Covington defense.

A 4-yard run here. A 10-yard catch there, and that consistent grinding offense led to a 10-point halftime lead.

Then, in the third quarter, the Skippers delivered the knockout blow as junior Luke Demelo caught a bubble screen on the sideline and raced 44 yards for the back-breaking score as the Skippers earned a 26-9 District 6-5A opening win at Jack Salter Stadium on Friday night.

“It was a great win,” Demelo said. “We started this season kind of slow, but I think this is our turning-point game. We’re not going to give up no matter what. We showed that tonight.”

Demelo, who had a 39-yard TD in the first half, finished with four catches for 96 yards. Freshman quarterback Krew Collura finished 15-of-22 passing

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