When Slidell and Salmen meet at Spartan Stadium on Friday night, the rivalry will end a 14-year hiatus of the teams’ meeting on the football field.

The story of that rivalry is a long and winding one that began in 1969.

Slidell and Salmen last met on a football field on Sept. 10, 2010. The Spartans ran away with a 49-6 victory in a contest that ended four years of consecutive games between the schools that saw the Spartans outscore the Tigers by a combined 123-41.

Artie Liuzza, Slidell’s coach at the time, told The Times-Picayune after the 2010 season that the Tigers were replacing Salmen with Rummel and the current 14-year hiatus began.

“I know some people will make the assumption that since we haven’t beaten them, that’s why we’re not playing them, but that’s not the case,” Liuzza told the paper. “The bottom line is that we are trying to prepare for our district competition, and we want to play the teams whose styles of play help us do that. It’s doing what’s best for our program. But I know that no matter what I say, some won’t take that as a valid reason.”

Eric Chuter, a Salmen assistant at the time and now the Spartans’ head coach, remains one of those skeptics.

“The series was dropped by (Slidell) twice in 2000 and 2010, and they blame fights, crowds and safety. But it was really dropped because they couldn’t beat us. You can print that,” Chuter said.

Ahhh, yes, 2000. That year, the Spartans scored a 21-3 victory. The post-game featured verbal jousting, pushing and shoving, and finally vandalism at Slidell High, according to a Times-Picayune article.

The next morning, then-Slidell Principal Joseph Buccaran said conditions were not safe and essentially pulled the plug on the series, leading to a seven-year break. 

“At times, it was intense, to say the least,” said former Slidell coach Wayne Grubb (1985-2006). “It was a typical rivalry football game like Alabama-Auburn, Ole Miss-Mississippi State. The kids knew each other. They played together in Little League. They competed against each other in other sports. Of course, when you compete against people you know, you really want to do your best. I think that’s always what we got out of every game.”

Grubb and then-Salmen coach Jerry Leonard made plans to renew the rivalry in the mid-2000s. In 2005, the two teams met in a jamboree — Slidell won 22-14 as Ryan Tott scored two first-half TDs — but two days later Hurricane Katrina hit.

Then, in 2007, the teams met on the field again on Sept. 7, which turned into an exciting 22-21 Salmen victory. The eventual winning point was scored early in the game when a bad snap on an extra point attempt turned into a 2-point conversion. A late Salmen TD and successful PAT provided the difference.

Now, the teams will meet as district opponents in the newly formed District 7-5A. Salmen leads the series 22-15, with the last Slidell win in 1991. The Spartans have won the last 13 regular-season meetings.

“It’s going to be an exciting atmosphere,” Chuter said. “I’m sure it’ll be a playoff atmosphere around here. I’m sure it’ll be standing room only. People have been begging for this game for a long time, and now, it’s here. For us, we can’t make it any bigger than it is — it’s a district game. We’ve got to keep it in context. Our job is to take care of business on the field, and then, if we do that, we can celebrate with all the fans after the game. Up until then, we have to treat it like just another game.”

While Chuter describes it as just another district game on the field, it also holds a little more importance for both teams. The Tigers (1-6, 0-1) are trying to break a five-game losing streak after falling to Covington, 7-6, last week.

Tigers’ first-year coach Damon Page said he expects his team to focus on the task at hand.

“This game has been talked about since I stepped on campus,” Page said. “It’s a big deal to the community and the kids, but our approach really isn’t going to change too much. We want to keep the kids focused and locked in on football. This is a district game, and this district is still open. We have an opportunity to secure a spot in the playoffs, and that’s what we’re focused on.”

For Salmen, it’s a chance to continue their march toward a second-straight district crown as the Spartans (4-2, 2-0) have won four of their last five games, including a 42-14 win over Fontainebleau last week.

But one thing is certain: Friday night’s atmosphere will be electric — one could say it will be 14 years in the making.

The full parish schedule is below, but first, our Farmer Football 5 rankings for the week.

FARMER FOOTBALL 5

1 | Mandeville | 7-0, 2-0 (Last week: 1)

This week: at Ponchatoula

The Skippers shook off a sluggish start against Hammond to earn their seventh straight victory. Mandeville has to remain focused against Ponchatoula this week to set up a chance to lock up an undefeated district crown against St. Paul’s in Week 9.

2 | Lakeshore | 6-1, 1-1 (Last week: 3)

This week: at Loranger

The Titans move up a spot after a dominating 42-21 district win over Pearl River. It was an impressive bounce-back performance after a last-second loss at Franklinton in Week 6. It was also an impressive performance for a defense that was down four starters due to injury.

3 | St. Paul’s | 5-2, 2-0 (Last week: 5)

This week: vs. Northshore

The Wolves are finally getting healthy, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Back-to-back 40-plus point performances against District 6-5A opponents has the Wolves on a roll. Now, they have to continue that momentum against Northshore before the end of the regular-season season gauntlet that is road games at Mandeville and Covington. 

4 | Covington | 6-1, 1-1 (Last week: 4)

This week: at Hammond

The Lions stay put after grinding out a 7-6 win at Slidell. It wasn’t a pretty game, but they found a way to win. Now comes a road test against a good Hammond team. 

5 | Pope John Paul II | 6-1, 1-1 (Last week: 2)

This week: at Independence

Northlake Christian handed the Jaguars their first loss of the season in another tough district battle between the schools. The Jaguars will be better from this experience, and they’ll get another test in Week 9 against Pearl River. 

On the fringe: Northlake Christian