SCC’s Monica captures L’Observateur’s All-Parish Coach of the Year honors

Published 12:00 am Monday, January 12, 2009

By RYAN ARENA
Sports Editor

After losing a game to a hurricane, St. Charles promptly lost their first on field contest to the hurricanes – of Higgins, that is.

But just as all was not lost in the aftermath of Gustav and Ike, lets just say the Comets did a fine job of salvaging their season.

That Higgins loss would become a distant memory. SCC went on to win nine straight contests. SCC went on to win the District 9-3A championship. And SCC went on to capture a win over the rival Lutcher Bulldogs, the eventual Class 3A state champion, to clinch that district prize.

So its little wonder that St. Charles Coach Frank Monica would go on to be named the L’Observateur’s St. John Parish Coach of the Year.

Monica brought a young team into the season, one that would have to find a way to replace a massive amount of lost production from departed starters in quarterback Vincent Rollo and running back Jonathan Cancienne.

With so much youth, a season opening loss to Higgins was written off by many observers as just a case of growing pains.

Then, suddenly, the Comets grew up.

“We didn’t have a lot of seniors this year,” said Monica. “But the ones we had led very well.”

In a season that will likely be remembered for the team’s win over Lutcher, Monica points to another, perhaps overlooked game – leave it to a coach – as the pivotal moment of the season.

“The most important game of the year was the East Ascension game,” said Monica of his team’s first victory, a 21-6 win on the road over the Spartans. “After the Higgins game, we were at a crossroads. This team could have gone either way.”

Up is where the Comets went. The team’s lone win would soon be doubled. And they would pile up from there.

“We went on the road for three consecutive games, and won,” said Monica. “I was really concerned to have to go play three good teams after such a huge loss. But I liked the character and the chemistry the team showed me.”

It was that chemistry that would lead the Comets on Oct. 10. Not many expected SCC to defeat Lutcher, not after the two lopsided results of the previous year.

But in one of the area’s most exciting games of the year, the Comets stunned the Bulldogs, and put themselves in the driver’s seat for the district crown. They wouldn’t crash.

“It was a huge win for the program and the community,” Monica said. “We played as well as we possibly could play. To beat a program with such great coaching and talent, we had to really rise up and play over our heads. They’ve got so many weapons, it’s hard to stop them all.”

The streak continued through district play despite an injury to starting quarterback Marc Picciola the very next week. Backup Henri Faucheux stepped in and led the Comets to a come from behind win in that game over Brusly, then to wins over Port Allen and Plaquemine, and finally a playoff win over Rayne.

But the run ended a week later at the hands of Redemptorist, 27-14 at St. Charles.

“People see how we played against Lutcher and wonder, ‘Why can’t you play like that every week?’” Monica said. “I really believe that in one season, you go through so many emotions for 10 games. It’s impossible to keep that level of intensity. There are peaks and valleys.”

Still, those in the St. Charles community will undoubtedly remember a season that Monica credits not only to his players, but his coaching staff as well.

“They do such a super job preparing our players,” he says. “They go far beyond the call of duty. Those guys work with our players and tell me what to do. I have to give a lot of credit to them.”