By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — St. Charles Catholic churned out yet another season with at least eight wins or more, and two Comets that helped make it happen have been rewarded with All-State recognition.
Punter Patrick Juneau and offensive tackle Austin Troxler earned selections to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 3A All-State team after standout 2013 campaigns.
Fellow Comets Erron Lewis,  Connor Western and Jordan Favorite earned honorable mention.
Juneau played three positions for the Comets, not only the team’s punter but also its place kicker and an offensive guard who helped anchor the offensive line. A three-year-starter Juneau boomed his punts for an average of 44 yards a kick, continuing a tradition of elite Comet specialists.
“He’s been very, very reliable for us. He pulled triple duty,” said St. Charles coach Frank Monica. “He’s also a super, super student and was our best offensive lineman. He did both kickoffs and punts and was very multi-talented.”
He’ll likely best be remembered for a pair of big postseason field goal makes in the Comets state championship run of 2011: a game-winner in the state semifinals against Parkview Baptist and another that loomed large in a 9-7 victory over Amite.
“Before he made that semifinal kick, we actually pulled him out of the game (on the offensive line) on third down to give him a breather,” said Monica. “He’s given us a lift in several areas.”
Juneau went 2-of-2 on field goals this year and boomed 60 percent of his kickoffs for touchbacks.
Troxler is a two-year starter that, alongside Juneau, helped pave the way for a potent Comets rushing attack that saw Erron Lewis and quarterback Austin Weber combine for 1,750 yards and 35 touchdowns between them.
The Comet line was a stellar unit this season, often leaving foes completely overmatched – all eight SCC wins this season came by 28 points or more, and it paved the way for Lewis to top 100 yards in a regular season meeting with an elite Curtis defense.
“He’s a very cerebral player,” said Monica. “What he lacks in strength he had in knowledge and technique. He was certainly a big part of the success we had running the football.”
Monica said that the 6-foot, 215 pound Troxler earned his All-State accolades through relentless work each day.
“Every day, he was accountable,” said Monica. “He knew our system extremely well, an inside and out understanding of it. He lacked the elite physical attributes that maybe you look for, but you can’t easily replace a player with his smarts and understanding of how to play this game.”