Chalmette looking to make history

The Chalmette football team has a chance to make history with a victory Friday against Grace King at Joe Yenni Stadium.

Chalmette has had three consecutive losing seasons since rebuilding its football program since Hurricane Katrina.

But with a victory against King, Chalmette (4-3, 1-1) can have its first non-losing season since Katrina.

"We're just trying to get our fifth win," Chalmette Coach Jason Tucker said. "We're not even thinking playoffs, but five wins."

This could be the second week in a row that Chalmette makes history.

The Owls defeated Bonnabel 35-0 on Friday, their first District 9-5A victory of the season. It was Chalmette's first victory in a Class 5A district game in more than 15 years.

The win was especially important for the Owls, considering they lost to Ehret 35-14 in both teams' district opener the previous week.

Chalmette running back James Banks rushed for a 5-yard touchdown. Running backs Johnquel Jones and Jeffery Joseph had touchdown runs of 2 and 29 yards, respectively.

The Owls had a balanced attack with 164 yards rushing and 108 yards passing.

King (0-7, 0-2) is coming off a 36-0 loss to West Jefferson this past Friday. The Irish were held to 66 yards, including seven yards rushing.

But Tucker said he and his players aren't taking King for granted.

"We just want to stay the path and continue getting better," he said. "I think King's running back and quarterback do a good job. It's a situation where the record doesn't indicate how good they are."

But Chalmette's record does indicate a lot about the Owls.

It shows that the team has improved since last year and the football program is on the right track.

"Having our first non-losing season since Katrina is big for us," Tucker said.

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