LAPLACE — Coming off of an overwhelming victory Friday, the St. Charles Catholic Comets (5-1) are looking to keep the momentum going this week when they take on the Newman Greenies (4-1.)

Newman was defeated by Riverside Academy Friday 41-14. It was the first loss of the season for the Greenies.

“I think Newman is going to be looking for a rebound,” SCC head football coach Frank Monica said. “They are hungry because they feel like they can play better than they did. We have to be ready to match that intensity because we’re expecting them to put forth a great effort. We have to match that effort.”

Monica said to keep up their intensity, the Comets will just be practicing.

“Hopefully we can have good practices because that normally cultivates into good games,” Monica said. “The thing is we need to practice better and be thorough and cover all the little things that need covering and might come up during the course of a game.”

SCC dominated the Sophie B. Wright Warriors Friday in a dominating 42-0 homecoming victory. Monica said his team went back to the basics after losing the week before.

“We tried to simplify the offense and the defense,” Monica said. “We had to make sure our kids played hard, not confuse them and put a lot on their brains. We made sure our plan was simple and efficient to allow them to go faster.”

Monica said it is always difficult keeping the players focused after a crushing win.

“You always have the problem of keeping the kids focused,” Monica said. “It’s a problem for coaches because you never know who is going to come out of the locker room. It’s an age-old problem for years and it hasn’t changed because we still play the game with human beings, not computers.”

Monica said concentration and preparation are the keys to a successful football game.

“The most important thing is maintaining concentration through regimented practices,” Monica said. “And you have to make sure they watch film. The Boy Scouts have the best motto — Be Prepared. I think that when you’re prepared, the game takes care of itself.”

No matter how well SCC is playing this season, Monica thinks there is always room for improvement.

“We’re not a thorough playoff contender at this point,” Monica said. “We need to improve on a lot of things first.”

By Courtney Griggs