Covington High Fighting Lions host unbeaten Parkway in Class 5A semifinals

Covington High successful first-year head coach Greg Salter, the grand son of the legendary former head coach Jack Salter, leads his Fighting Lions onto the field going into last week's quarterfinal road game with Central Baton Rouge. Photos courtesy of mccallphotos.com.

Covington running back Joshua Bickham (5) picks up some of his 118 yards rushing against No. 11 seed Central of Baton Rouge in last week's 20-14 quarterfinal win. Bickham also tallied two touchdowns in the Lions' 20-14 win.

Garrald McDowell bulls his way over for a one-yard TD versus Central in last week's quarterfinal victory.

The victorious Lions celebrate their quarterfinal victory as they advance in the Class 5A state playoffs. The Lions host No. 2 seed unbeaten  Parkway (12-0) from Bossier City in tonight's semifinals at Jack Salter Stadium. 

If you are a high school football fan in the Covington area Jack Salter Stadium is the place to be tonight as the No. 14 seed Covington Fighting Lions  do battle in the LHSAA Class 5A semifinals hosting No 2 seed and unbeaten Parkway Panthers from Bossier City. Tonight's Lake 94.7 broadcast game of the week begins with the 6:45 pregame show. The Panthers come in riding a 12-0 unblemished record. CHS, 9-4, under first-year head coach Greg Salter has maneuvered its way through the first three rounds of the playoffs rolling past Airline 48-13 in the bi-district opener at Jack Salter Stadium followed by a quality 27-21 victory over No. 3 seed East Ascension on the road. Covington continued its playoff run last Friday night sneaking past No. 11 Central of Baton Rouge 20-14 also setting up tonight's semifinal showdown with undefeated Parkway. The Lions' offense is triggered by senior Dylan Savarese, the school's single-season passing leader with 2,162 yards. Savarese has 16 TDs and 11 interceptions. The Lions' are averaging 31.6 points per game in the playoffs. Senior all-purpose back C.J.Sims is battling an ankle injury, which only allowed him to carry the ball two times last week. Running back Joshua Bickham picked up the slack rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns, while Garrald McDowell, a potential SEC signee, who has been offered a scholarship by the LSU Tigers, tallied on a one-yard run. The Lions' defense is also getting the job done in the playoffs shutting down the opponent's offense keeping Covington in games. McDowell,the Lions' leading tackler with 109 stops, including nine sacks, spearheads the defensive front with a team-high 69 solo tackles and has forced four fumbles. Seniors Colt Clemons and Hewson Knight have also reached the century mark with 100 tackles each, while senior Broderick Bankston leads the Lions' defense with 11 sacks, registering 96 stops. The Lions' defense has intercepted 21 passes including three each in the last two games sparked by Andrew Breeland, George Brister and Lamarco Jacobs with four picks each on the season.