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St. Charles Catholic, DLS were winners despite scoreboard
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By Ron Brocato
I spent a month in Natchitoches the week between Christmas and the New Year.
Clarion HeraldWell, it seemed like a month watching bits and pieces of nine football games in four days.
There is a spectacular fireworks display in Louisiana’s first settlement on the Cane River during the Christmas season, but I had glimpses of it from the window in my third-floor motel room or from the press box at Northwestern State University.
Although I was working for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, hustling statistics to the media and soliciting outstanding player ballots that week, I paid special attention to the happenings on the Turpin Stadium field on which two Catholic schools from the Archdiocese of New Orleans were vying for Prep Classic division championships.
Neither De La Salle nor St. Charles Catholic was successful in its bid to hoist the championship trophy, but they did acquit themselves as deserving the right to play for a title.
Under the tutelage of Hall of Fame head coach Frank Monica, St. Charles Catholic accepted every challenge fired at the Comets by three-time champion Lafayette Christian (LCA). After 48 minutes of bruising football, the Lafayette team limped away with a 12-7 victory in the D-III title game.But, the true victor was St. Charles Catholic. Monica’s teams have posted winning records every year he has been in charge of the football program, and, if I’m not mistaken, that’s 23 years at his fourth stop as a high school coach.
Will Monica call it quits on the sideline? His reply to that question: “I’ll stay involved in some way.”
The Comets, who won one state title in 2011 and finished as runners-up four other times, outplayed their stronger and faster opponent before losing by a scant five-point margin.
Their opponent struck first on an 80-yard pass just 12 seconds into the game. And, with the exception of a field goal, LCA didn’t tally another point until the final four seconds of the game when it forced a Comet safety.
St. Charles Catholic had more first downs (8-7), rushing yards (91-40) and converted more third downs (5-of-15) while holding its opponent to 1-of-10. The Comets’ points came in the final minute of the first half when Mandel Eugene returned an intercepted pass 83 yards into the Knights’ end zone. It was the longest return in the history of Class 2A/Division III.If this was Monica’s final game as the school’s most successful mentor, the men who officiate his games may toast each other in glee, but the Comets’ community will be losing a great coach and father figure to their young athletes. But his continued involvement will continue to keep the game officials on their toes.
But, how does a winning program replace a legend? If Monica remains as the school’s athletic director, the most logical replacement will be the current head baseball coach and football assistant Wayne Stein.The name of Frank’s son Nick, Archbishop Rummel’s head football coach, has entered speculative conversations. Nick would be a great replacement, but in the two years he has been at Rummel’s helm, the Raiders have won 19 of 21 games and the 2019 Division I championship.
And, I don’t see any course reversal for the Metairie Catholic League power or Monica leaving to follow his pop at his alma mater.
Resurgence at 5300
(DLS photos by Timothy Donelon)
De La Salle has been trying – to no avail – to win a state football championship since it became a “charter” member of the Catholic League in 1955. The Cavaliers had last played for a state championship in 1961. Since losing that year to Istrouma, 20-7, the school at 5300 St. Charles Ave., had fallen upon hard times.From 1971 to 2002, De La Salle had enjoyed just three winning seasons (two under Tom Gruber in 1975 and 1976). Nine head coaches came and went with negative results. Some were excellent coaches.
But they were victims of the legacy left by the great coach/AD Johnny Altobello. That legacy was built on the successes of his basketball and baseball teams. Football was the stepchild. Meanwhile, Altobello had a Hall of Fame career – 433-86 record on the hardwood with six state championships and four state runners-up honors; and a 206-77 record and four more state titles in baseball.
De La Salle became a co-ed school in 1992 and dropped out of the Catholic league in 2002 because of its smaller footprint.
Enter Ryan Manale, a former assistant at Rummel. Under the administrations of Mike Guillot, Mike Giambelluca and now Paul Kelly, De La Salle students are proud to wear 5300 on their school gear. And Manale, who brought in a staff that changed the Cavalier image, was instrumental in that turnaround.
Since his arrival, the school has enjoyed nine consecutive winning seasons and has been a playoff contender every year. His teams in 2017, 2019 and 2020 played for LHSAA Division II championships as he accrued a 76-26 record.
A year ago, St. Thomas More (STM) humbled his Cavs, 58-10, in the D-II championship game. De La Salle almost had its revenge on Dec. 28 when it played the reigning champions to a near draw before falling, 35-28.
The Cavaliers’ ground game rang up 312 yards, the most against STM by any team this year. Senior Montrell Johnson gained 182 yards and scored four times as the Cavaliers scored on three of four red zone chances and converted three fourth down. Most impressive was the time of possession, which favored De La Salle nearly 37 of the 48 minutes played. And, there’s more to expect at 5300.