By the time the month of November winds down, most high school football players have started the transition from football to some other sport or hobby or become focused on their favorite college or professional football teams.
Not so with seven high school football players from St. Charles Parish who journey each day to St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace for what has turned into a historic season.
The focus of the young men remains squarely on one goal – bringing home their school’s first state championship in football.
Since the beginning of the season, these players have traveled west along Airline Highway to join their Comet teammates from LaPlace. On Dec. 10, they hope to board a bus headed east with only one destination in mind – the Dome.
The Comets ended their regular season with a commanding 58-0 victory over E. D. White to become the first team in the River Parish school’s history to finish the regular season 10-0. In the first round of the State playoffs, the Comets prevailed 49-6 over Kaplan High School, which lead to a second round match up against Patterson High School last Friday.
Throughout the regular season, St. Charles was the top ranked team in Class 3A, with Patterson holding onto the number two spot and sporting the most prolific offense in that classification. In a near unprecedented matchup of such top ranked teams so early in the playoffs, the Comets prevailed by a score of 31-6.
The victory not only advanced the Comets to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, but it also marked a milestone for legendary head coach Frank Monica, who chalked up his 200th win. Year end and year out, Monica and his staff have relied on discipline and strong character building philosophies to draw out every ounce of effort and determination from their players. The objective is simple yet highly effective – start with players, end with men.
As a master of motivation, Monica set this year’s motto as “Prime the Pump,” and oh how the Comets have done so.
Through the first 12 weeks of the season, the Comets outscored their opponents 555-36, scoring an average of 46.25 points per game, while giving up only three points per game. In total, the Comets racked up six shutouts and ended the regular season without giving up a single point in the final four games.
Throughout the season, no opponent scored more than once in any single game. Just as impressive is their turnover ratio. The stingy Comet defense forced opponents to turn the ball over 34 times, with an astounding 24 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries. Aside from their individual performances, the most distinguishing feature shared by these seven players with their teammates is one not reflected on the statistical chart – chemistry. The Comet team intends to rely on that intangible to keep the “Pump Primed.” Rest assured, our seven local players from St. Charles, who journey each day to St. Charles, will have their hand not only on the pump but in that chemistry.
The Comets will travel to play 26th-seeded Rayne this Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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