St. Charles LB Dellary Oubre making name for himself

Published 12:03 am Wednesday, August 16, 2017

LAPLACE — There might have been a few St. Charles Catholic fans who got annoyed by the press box announcer in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome last December.

It had nothing to do with the other team scoring more points, either.

It was the fact that the announcer, no matter how hard he tried, just couldn’t pronounce Comets linebacker Dellary Oubre’s name correctly.

For 48 minutes or more, Oubre was De-Larry. Of course it didn’t bother Dellary (it’s pronounced Dell-airy) one bit.

“It happens all the time,” he said.

The good news, at least, is they were saying his name.

Chances are announcers will be saying it a lot this season too.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior middle linebacker was one of the team’s leading tacklers as a first-year starter last season.

In a tough loss to arch-rival Riverside Academy in the 2016 Division III state championship game, he came through with eight tackles.

Dellary Oubre stayed in shape by playing on the St. Charles baseball team in the spring and on the Townsend Homes American Legion team in the summer.

Not one to take time off, Oubre spent the spring and summer playing first base for the baseball team.

With an extended season behind him, Oubre is expected to do even more this season as one of only four defensive starters returning.

“He’s gotten so much better this year,” said Comets coach Frank Monica. “He worked hard. He got strong. He’s gotten so much more physical. He’s blowing up linemen and running to the ball. The second play (in the spring game) against Terrebonne, he blows up the lineman and runs down the ball carrier on the sideline.”

Oubre said he worked very hard to be a better player this year.

“I started growing into the role towards the end of last season, because I knew I was going to have to step up, regardless,” he said.

“I knew all the seniors were going to leave, so I really started learning the system and paying attention. I started studying plays and formations. I started looking at certain keys to help me line up the team better. It slows the game down a lot. I can actually, like, kind of predict what’s going to happen in some formations.”

Monica said Oubre is a coach’s dream, one like he’s never had before.

“We’ve never had a linebacker that size,” Monica said.

“He looks the part. He looks like he belongs there. He’s strong. He doesn’t miss. He’s always where he’s supposed to be, and he’s bringing a different mentality to the defense. He’s going to call the signals and he’s going to line people up right.”

Leadership is the challenge at the moment, Oubre said, as he tries to get his teammates together.

“We’re having a commitment problem right now,” he said. “Guys are missing, skipping practice. We try to work at them and remind them. They have to do the work.”

Oubre said he needs his teammates if he’s going to achieve his ultimate goal — getting that elusive championship ring.

The Comets were so close last year, defying predictions to reach the championship game only to lose to their biggest rival in the Superdome.

“The goal is always the ring,” he said.

Monica said Oubre is up to the task.

“The kids look up to him because he’s solid,” Monica said.  “You don’t have to worry about whether he’s going to show up. You don’t have to worry about whether he’s going to back down on a play. I can’t think of a better kid that you want to follow.

“He’s a kid that you want your daughter to marry. He’s going to have to be a leader whether he wants to or not.”