By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — St. Charles may be done with district play after last week’s victory over Lusher, a dominant 50-6 effort that secured the Comets runner-up status in District 11-3A.
But that doesn’t render the Comets home game with Grace King this Friday night as unimportant. A victory for the Comets could secure a home playoff game for St. Charles next week, and St. Charles coach Frank Monica said that makes for plenty of motivation for his players to continue a strong run.
“We want to get that home game,” said Monica. “And just as importantly, we want to be playing well as we get into the playoffs. We need a victory, and we need to practice and prepare well this week so we can go in on a good performance.”
It will also be the Comets’ senior night, and Monica said that that group especially wants to head into the playoffs riding a wave of momentum.
“They want to get us that fourth win in a row,” he said. “But we know Grace King is coming here with nothing to lose. They’re going to sell the farm this week.”
Grace King is 2-6 this season. The Class 5A Fighting Irish is coming off of a 40-12 victory over Ben Franklin last week.
Monica noted that Grace King (2-6) has faced some tough competition this season, taking on the likes of Karr, Hannan and West Jefferson.
“They’re more athletic than we thought before we put the film in,” said Monica. “They’ve got a couple of running backs, that are pretty explosive, a couple of defensive players that can really disrupt you, especially at defensive end and middle linebacker. Those guys are rangy and make a lot of plays. They’ve got 12 seniors as well, and those guys are going to be looking to end on a high note.”
One of those running backs, Eric Rocket, is coming off of a 12 carry, 167 yard, three-touchdown game against Ben Franklin. The other, Russell Kelly, rushed for 105 yards and a score on four carries.
The St. Charles (6-3) defense, however, has made a habit of limiting opposing playmakers, especially of late. The Comets have allowed just six offensive points over their past four victories, outscoring their opponents by a combined 170-8 margin in those wins.
 “I think early in the season, because of the competition we were going to see early on, we installed some things that we usually wouldn’t have so early.’
“I think that probably helped us in the long run,” said Monica. “As the season’s gone on, we’ve been able to simplify things, solidify guys in their positions. Some guys that were dinged we’ve been able to get back. All of that has helped.”
The Comets have been taking the ball away consistently. Connor Western leads the Comets in interceptions with four while Andrew Poulos has two of his own.
The biggest area of improvement, Monica said, has come in the team’s tackling.
“We’ve got a bunch of little gnats out there,” Monica joked. “And it’s important that everyone runs to the ball and is in position. We’ve become a much better tackling team and it’s shown in the results.”