Comets, Pelicans set for big district collision/Riverside looks to make it two in a row

Published 5:14 pm Tuesday, October 9, 2012

by RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Order has been restored at St. Charles Catholic. And it comes not a moment too soon.

The defending Class 3A champion Comets began this season ranked No. 1 in the LSWA 3A poll. But a likely-distracted Comets team lost a pair of heartbreaking, down to the final possession losses to Vandebilt Catholic and Northshore in the wake of Hurricane Issac.

The Comets team that fans have seen over the past three weeks, though, much more clearly resembles the team that dominated en route to a 15-0 record: St. Charles beat Miller McCoy, Jeanerette and most recently Donaldsonville by a combined 154-12 mark.

That the Comets seemingly have fixed their early season ills is important in the face of their next two game stretch: back-to-back District 7-3A matchups with 4-1 Port Allen and 5-1 Brusly, beginning with Port Allen at St. Charles on Friday night.

“These games,” said St. Charles coach Frank Monica, “represent the pivotal point of our season.”

Port Allen fell 48-0 to the Comets last season, but regrouped to go on a run to the 3A quarterfinals, where the Pelicans fell to Parkview Baptist.

Though the results of the past three games suggest a bounce-back to 2011 levels for St. Charles, this year’s Comet team is still very different from that of a year ago, with most starters from that squad having graduated last summer.

Port Allen will bring a veteran unit to LaPlace, one whose strengths contrast with those of Donaldsonville; while Donaldsonville boasted more speed and talent than strength, Port Allen is known for its size and physicality.

That begins with quarterback and Texas A&M commitment Darian Claiborne, who accounted for a pair of touchdowns last week in his team’s 28-6 win over St. James. Claiborne is 6’1, 225 pounds and poses a dual threat to a defense; he also plays two ways and is a cornerstone on a Port Allen defense that allowed just 61 total yards of offense to St. James.

“They do a lot of things on offense,” said Monica. “They’ll line up in two back and pound you with their tailback. They’ll come back and spread you out with Claiborne. Last year we couldn’t tackle him. He’s a year older now, and he can also throw it on you. It’s a big challenge for our defense.”

Defensively, Monica said that Port Allen’s size up front would boast a challenge, especially along the edges where the Pelicans have ends that are 6’2 and 6’4 respectively.

“All but one guy in that front seven is 220 or better,” said Monica.

“This is a team that reached the quarterfinals. They expected to be here. Actually, they likely expected to be 6-0. We know what they’re about.”

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Riverside earned the first victory of the Bill Stubbs era last week in an all-around dominant effort at home over Cohen, 67-6.

It was the second gaudy offensive showing in three weeks for a young Rebels’ offense, after falling 62-50 to South Plaquemines almost three weeks ago.

Deuce Wallace completed 9-of-12 passes for 146 yards and collected his second career four touchdown passing night. Tailback Jonquial Sanders rushed 11 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns and also hauled in a touchdown pass.

Riverside’s defense also made its share of big plays. Xavier Ray, Dustin Madere and T.J. St. Pierre each scored on defensive returns.

Stubbs remains even-keeled after the win, just as he was in the wake of each of Riverside’s defeats this season: the final result on the scoreboard, he said, is secondary to continuing to establish the process of building a sustained winner.

That said, he admitted the victory provides a welcome boost for his players.

“It gives us a little more of a push at practice, for sure,” he said.  

The Rebels have a break from district play this week as they take aim to make it two in a row. Miller McCoy is set to visit Reserve Friday, the Lions looking for their first win at 0-5.

After watching the film on McCoy, Stubbs said that he doesn’t see the talent level one typically associates with a winless team.

“They’re big and athletic,” said Stubbs. “It’s hard for me to understand why they aren’t winning, because they look good on film.

“They remind me a little of South Plaquemines. They don’t run the ball like South Plaquemines runs it, but athletically they’ve got some similarities. We know their quarterback is going to throw the ball a lot.”

McCoy fell a week ago to a 1-4 Grace King team, 35-21. King, however, represented the Lions’ only matchup against a non-winning team, after losses to St. Amant, Newman, St. Charles and Karr.

Stubbs said that he wants to see more consistency out of the running game on Friday; otherwise, the idea is to continue to get the ball into the hands of Sanders and receivers Herb McGee and Von Julien, the team’s leading playmakers this season.

“We want to get the ball to them,” said Stubbs. “That’s three right there where, when we drop back, you’ve got to cover them all.”

“But McCoy presents a few problems defensively. They’re pretty good in the secondary. I think they’re going to come in and put their best (defensive backs) on our best (receivers), throw ‘em in the hopper and see how it comes out.”