Time has been on
Glen Cuiellette's side since last spring when he convinced the
Mandeville coaching staff that he should be the Skippers' starting quarterback.
"We were kind of undecided as to who our quarterback would be," coach Guy LeCompte said. "We had two that were in the same grade."
Glen Cuiellette, Mandeville
Courtesy photo
Cuiellette, a junior, soon distinguished himself both with his performances in practice and his work ethic afterward.
"He would stay an hour or two after practice and work with the receivers," LeCompte said.
Cuiellette's preparation, which LeCompte said is "second to none," has paid handsome dividends this season. That was no more evident than in Mandeville's 28-21 victory over Catholic (Baton Rouge) in a Class 5A state quarterfinal playoff game last week.
Cuiellette threw two touchdowns passes and rushed for two more. He scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard sneak with 6:45 remaining and then tacked on a two-point conversion pass.
Cuiellette's effort earned him New Orleans Capital One Bank High Yield Student Athlete of the Week honors and 13th-seeded Mandeville (10-2) a spot in the state semifinals against top-seeded Archbishop Rummel (Metairie) on Friday.
Undefeated Rummel (12-0) features quarterback Damian Williams, a previous AOW winner this season.
"They're the No. 1 team and undefeated for a reason," LeCompte said. "It's going to be a big challenge."
At least going on the road won't be as daunting as last season when Mandeville drove five hours for its semifinal game at West Monroe only to lose to the eventual state champions, 26-14.
Crossing the nearly 24-mile-long Lake Ponchartrain Causeway won't be nearly as difficult, but the Skippers will be met with another treacherous assignment.
Much of their offensive hopes will center on Cuiellette, who has become adept at running Mandeville's spread offense.
He didn't waste any time in showing his versatility against Catholic, which had beaten Mandeville during the regular season, 26-14.
Cuiellette began the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. With the score tied 7-7, he connected with
Zach Boudreaux for a 69-yard touchdown pass three plays into the third quarter.
Catholic fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, and on fourth down Cuiellette found Boudreaux again with a 24-yard touchdown pass. Cuiellette finished 18 of 33 for 322 yards, while Boudreaux caught eight passes for 190 yards.
Four of Cuiellete's most critical completions came during the game-winning drive after Catholic had rallied and taken a one-point lead, 21-20, on a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Cuiellette moved Mandeville into Catholic territory with a fourth-and-9 completion that proved to be a harbinger of the Skippers' impending good fortune.
"Glen's been steady for us all year," LeCompte said. "I'm not surprised by anything he does."
