By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

The refrain is consistent from the St. Charles Lady Comets: they’re headed home this Friday.

When top-seeded SCC opens play against Sterlington Friday at the state softball tournament, its senior class will be stepping on the field at Frasch Park in Sulphur for the fourth time in four years.

SCC sports six senior starters. They were Monica’s first freshman class when he took over the program four years ago.

“He calls us his babies,” said St. Charles senior Candace McGaff.

They’ve been the foundation for what’s already been an outstanding season. There was little surprise when St. Charles drew the top seed in Class 2A before the playoffs.

The Comets (26-4) have lost only four times all season — all to highly ranked Class 4A and 5A foes. SCC is 12-0 in Class 2A after two lopsided playoff wins and have won 14 of their last 15.

The one loss came on April 12 against Lutcher, but the circumstances surrounding it were of more concern to the Comets. SCC led 2-1 in that game before standout pitcher Courtney Western’s leg buckled underneath her as she delivered to the plate.

Western suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn meniscus in her knee.

But St. Charles holds out hope that Western can return for Sulphur. Wearing a brace on her knee on Friday, she pinch-hit, drew a walk, and ran to first amid cheers from the Comet fans.

Her availability would be a serious boon. She’s 15-1 on the season and had rattled off a streak of four straight games without allowing a run. At the plate, SCC’s leadoff hitter sports a .567 batting average and an .892 slugging percentage.

“In a lot of ways, we want to win for her,” said McGaff. “You don’t know when she’ll be able to play — if she can’t go on Friday, maybe she can on Saturday. We want to get there.”

On the mound, junior Megan Louque has shown herself to be more than capable of leading the Comets. She’s 11-3 on the season, including 3-0 since Western’s injury.

“We miss Courtney, no doubt about it. But we have a ton of confidence in Megan,” said Monica. “She’d be the top pitcher on large number of teams.”

This Comets team is a more complete unit than the one that fell a year ago in the quarterfinals at Sulphur on a game-ending play at the plate.

“That was heartbreaking,” said Louque. “It just makes us push even harder.”

That team pitched well and played defense but struggled at the plate at times. This team has gotten the big hit more times than not.

For Monica, the days leading up to SCC’s first game are about as important as the game itself.

“I remember talking to (Lutcher coach Blake Orgeron) last year at Sulphur and how he talked about what a good week of practice they had.

“And lo and behold, they become the 3A champions,” said Monica. “The team that has the best four days of practice is likely going to win this thing.”

Monica preached the same mantra to his team a year ago. But coming off of a state championship, his players might not have been as receptive.

“We were sluggish,” said McGaff. “I don’t think we were ready. I feel like we just want it more this year.”

Said fellow senior Kadie Levatino: “We’re much more focused. We know how we need to prepare now.”

The Comets’ senior class earned honors as the winningest class in SCC history this season when it won its 14th game, or 90th win overall. That class now sits at 105 wins.

And perhaps counting.

“I’m getting bored looking at that sign,” said Monica, referring to the sign on SCC’s field displaying its 2008 state championship.