MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / September 1, 1999

LAPLACE – It’s not for a district title or for a playoff spot this time around but that doesn’t mean the hoopla surrounding the Riverside-St.

Charles Catholic game will be any the less this year.

Unlike in recent years when the game often decided positioning in district play, this time it will be for bragging rights alone with St. CharlesCatholic having moved up to Class 3A.

“It’s a normal, non-playoff, non-district rivalry,” Riverside coach Mickey Roussel said. “The hoopla is still there but it will probably come later inthe week.”St. Charles Catholic coach Frank Monica, a veteran of Rebel-Comet wars inbaseball, said a rivalry game like this in the first week can either be good or bad for a team depending on how it handles it.

“You don’t want to get so emotional high that everything after it is downhill,” Monica said. “But your sense of urgency to prepare the teamalso increases. It could be a positive effect or a negative effect. But like Itell the players, after this ballgame, there are still nine more regardless of the outcome. But it certainly heightens awareness of where your teamis at.”Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at St. Charles Catholic’sThomas Dupuy Stadium.

The teams are coming off different outcomes in the Roussel’s Goodyear River Parishes Jamboree last week. Riverside defeated St. James, 19-7,while St. Charles Catholic fell to East St. John, 10-6.The Rebels were led by senior running back Casey Remondet who rushed for 154 yards and a score on 15 carries. Damian Melancon and Mike Schoenboth saw action at quarterback with Melancon throwing for 27 yards and a touchdown and running 60 yards for another score. The defense held St.James to 134 total yards. The secondary, which had been a question markgoing into the season with only one starter returning, allowed only one completion for 20 yards while picking off three passes.

“I feel pretty good about the defense,” Roussel said. “We should be able tostop the run and the guys that are back there (in the secondary) now stepped up for us.”Roussel said the victory over a higher classification school should help build the team’s confidence, comparing it to last year when the Rebels hung with Destrehan in the jamboree and then took off from there to finish the season undefeated.

St. Charles Catholic also hung with a high classification team beforefalling short against the Wildcats. A couple of penalties and sacks halteda final opportunity to drive for the potential winning score Friday.

“The effort was commendable but we didn’t win the game,” Monica said.

We have a lot of room for improvement. I was pleased with the effort but Iwas also displeased with a lot of things I saw.”Monica said his team will have to step up this week against a Rebel team that has won the last five in the series.

“They are the type of football team that doesn’t give you anything,” Monica said of the Rebels. “You have to earn everything. They are not goingto beat themselves. We have to execute to stay close in the game.”

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