LAPLACE – The 2019 football season was a landmark year for the St. Charles Catholic Comets. A beautiful new stadium represented the tenacity of Comets family and fans who banded together to make home games possible. It was also Coach Frank Monica’s 50th year coaching, and this season made him the winningest coach in the history of River Parishes football.

At times it seemed St. Charles Catholic was a team of destiny with a tendency to come from behind and take the big win in overtime thrillers. The most impressive of all was the nail-biting double overtime victory in which the Comets overpowered Catholic New Iberia 43-42 to earn a ticket to the state championship game.

Destiny did not lead the Comets to a championship title, however. St. Charles Catholic fell to reigning state champions Lafayette Christian 41-14.

The loss doesn’t discount the work the Comets put in this season. The team was fortified with 15 seniors who helped start the year with a four-game winning streak.

St. Charles won against South Lafourche 31-3 in the season opener, which was followed by a 23-21 win against Lutcher. The game against De LaSalle went to triple overtime before the Comets took the 26-23 win. E.D. White was easier to overcome, allowing St. Charles Catholic its first 36-0 shutout win of the season.

East Ascension was the team that ultimately gave St. Charles its only regular season loss. The game ended in a score of 14-6, leaving the Comets hungry for redemption.

The winning streak restarted the next week with a 28-0 shut-out win over Port Gibson High School during a road trip to Mississippi. It was followed with wins against Franklinton, 35-6, Isidore Newman, 28-27, South Plaquemines, 32-6, and Cohen College Prep, 35-0.

A 9-1 regular season record earned St. Charles a first-round bye in the playoffs. The road to the championship game included a 40-15 win over Episcopal in the quarterfinals and the 43-42 thriller against Catholic New Iberia in the semifinals.

Keenan Gauff was a standout with more than 500 yards rushing this season. Justin Dumas proved to be a standout at quarterback and a leader on offense.

Monica said it was a season of many distractions, from the construction of the new stadium to three unusual Thursday night games.

Monica gave his team credit for staying focused and putting up some tremendous last minute wins.

“In the final game, we didn’t play as well as expected and I think that was because of emotions, but I’m very proud of the coaching staff and the players,” Monica said. “We played one of the toughest schedules we’ve ever had. To finish the season 11-2 is a credit to the players.”