LAPLACE — SCC coach Frank Monica called his team’s football opponent Friday possibly “the best team in New Orleans,” and it’s not an exaggeration.

De La Salle enters the game 7-0 and quite comfortable making the trip to St. John the Baptist Parish, having done so a month ago to defeat Riverside Academy 42-21 in Reserve.

Now, the Cavaliers return with quite a bit of momentum, fresh off a throttling of St. James High last week, 63-7, where they rushed for 339 yards and were able to remove many of their starters midway through the third quarter.

De La Salle will use as many as seven offensive linemen at a time, Monica said, leading the way for one of the state’s dominant rushing attacks.

“They are gigantic up front,” Monica said. “The only thing that is missing from their helmet is a fleur de lis, because they look like the Saints. Their two backs are hard to knock down. Their quarterback is really a wildcat guy, and he throws it well enough to scare you.”

The Cavaliers were led last week by Quarterback Julien Gums, who ran for 49 yards and two touchdowns, and Ryan Hamrick, who finished his day with 11 carries for 206 yards and three scores.

Not to be outdone was the De La Salle defense, which held St. James to 185 total yards.

Monica said his Comets (7-1) would need to use their offense for long, sustained drives to keep De La Salle’s offense off the field and away from scoring opportunities.

“We’re going to have to throw the ball more, take some shots down the field and get them to back off us just a little bit,” Monica said. “Again, we’re usually a nickel-and-dime type of offense. We just need to move the chains. We would be happy with four yards. If we can get four yards, that is an effective and efficient play.”

SCC enters the game fresh off a 40-0 road win over Haynes Academy and a three-game winning streak with two shutouts.