From the Coaches’ Perspective: What to Expect in a Highly Competitive Catholic League in 2024
by: Mike Strom // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Karr, the No. 2 ranked team in the GeauxPreps Class 5A preseason top 10, is a consensus selection by District 9-5A coaches to win the proverbial Catholic League championship.
There is another consensus opinion among these coaches, namely, that there are going to be some awfully good football squads from the now expanded eight-team league that do not qualify for the Division I Select state playoffs’ 24-team bracket as they cut each other up.
The addition of former Class 4A power Warren Easton from reclassification further strengthens an already rugged landscape that previously added Karr and John Curtis to the traditional Catholic school mix of Brother Martin, Holy Cross, Jesuit, Rummel, and St. Augustine.
All seven holdovers advanced to the Division I Select playoffs with Holy Cross earning a No. 1 seed followed by No. 4 Brother Martin, No. 5 Karr, No. 6 John Curtis, No. 16 Jesuit, No. 18 Rummel and No. 22 St. Augustine.
“I don’t think there’s a team in our district that can’t get beat by one of our district opponents,’’ said John Curtis coach J.T. Curtis, who is preparing for his 56th season as the state’s longest-tenured head coach with a career record of 623-80-6 and 28 state championships. “I would be very surprised if a team went through the district undefeated. I think the district is that balanced this year.
“I think any of the teams in our district are capable (of winning the league). If I had to tell you a leader, I probably would go with Karr, with what they have returning.’’
Coach Brice Brown’s Cougars appear to be loaded with blue-chip talent while returning 16 of 22 starters from a 10-2 team that won the Algiers program’s second consecutive Catholic League championship in as many seasons as a member. The Cougars advanced to the state semifinals before falling at home to No. 8 Acadiana in a mistake-plagued 30-24 decision.
“I think it’s hard to say (which teams will be numbers) two on down, but Karr is clearly the favorite,’’ said Holy Cross coach Scott Wattigny, whose Tigers earned the No. 1 seed in the Division I Select state playoffs in 2023 during his first season of directing his alma mater’s program despite finishing in a three-way tie for second place behind Karr. “It’s just hard (to predict). You take any one of those (other) teams and they could win the district. You’ve got to love it. If you want to play against great competition and high (end) talent, then this is the district to be in.’’
“The district is unbelievable,’’ said Jesuit coach Ryan Manale, whose team has been forecast to finish eighth. “All of the teams are among the top 15 to 20 teams in the state in my opinion. The talent (level) is something that’s never been seen before when you add Karr and (Warren) Easton to (John) Curtis and the rest of the Catholic League we had. I think it should be very interesting to see how this league is.’’
The highly-respected Manale is not shy about his team’s potential and points to it as further evidence of the extreme degree of difficulty of competing in this league that produced its last champion two seasons ago in 2022 when Curtis defeated Brother Martin, 23-0, in the Division I Select finals.
“I think we are a top 20 to 25 team going into the season,’’ Manale said. “A lot of people don’t say things like that. (But) I think we are a top 25 team regardless of classification. I think we have the experience to help us win some games early on and build some momentum for district. But I’m not looking ahead to district at all. I think we have just enough experience that if we get hot . . .’’
“It’s going to be hell (for the players and coaches). But it’s going to be fun for you guys (in the media and among fans),’’ said Rummel coach Nick Monica, who returns 16 starters from a Raiders team he directed to three consecutive playoff victories and the Division I Select state semifinals following a 4-6 regular season that included a 2-4 mark in league play. “The whole league is going to be interesting.’’
“This district is unbelievable,’’ said St. Augustine’s new coach, Robert Valdez, a Catholic League newcomer with state championship-winning mettle, having directed St. James to a 15-0 season and a Class 3A championship in 2019, echoing the sentiments of Jesuit’s Manale.
“In this district, you’ve got to prepare your body for the wear and tear, because (the league schedule) it’s going to be a blood bath,’’ Valdez, a New Orleans native from Algiers, who played at now-defunct O. Perry Walker. “The players are good. The coaches are good. (Opponents) knows what you’re doing. There are no secrets.’’
“The district is incredibly tough,’’ Holy Cross’ Wattigny said. “The schedule is incredibly tough. Every win is going to be incredibly difficult to come by.’’
Intangibles for every program are injuries and the development of depth once the season kicks off on Sept. 5.
“It’s going to be a battle for survival,’’ Manale said. “I think the last-place team in this league would win a lot of the other districts around the state.’’
“Teams are evenly matched,’’ Monica said. “A lot of (the results) is going to have to do with matchups and how healthy (a team is) each week.’’
“We’re really excited about the district with the addition of Warren Easton,’’ Brother Martin coach Mark Bonis said. “It’s got to be one of the best districts in the state if not the best. It’s got to be up there (nationally) in the country as well.’’
Bonis points to Rummel’s surge to the state semifinals last season as a No. 18 seed following an injury-plagued 4-6 regular season and 2-4 mark in Catholic League play. The havoc Coach Nick Monica’s squad created involved road victories at No. 15 Northwood-Shreveport, No. 2 Captain Shreve, and No. 7 St. Paul’s before being eliminated by eventual state champion Catholic-Baton Rouge, again on the road.
“So it says a lot about our district,’’ Bonis said.
Brother Martin is also embracing the challenge.
“It’s life,’’ Bonis said. “There’s two ways to approach life. You can look at things as being half-empty or half-full. You’ve got to control what you can control. (The challenge lies in) who we’re playing. But it is what it is. It’s a great opportunity.
“You’re playing the best teams in the state. To me, that’s why you choose to come here (to Brother Martin). Part of our football creed talks about playing any opponent, any time, any place. That’s in our creed. That’s who we are. That’s our tradition.’’
“We’re going to chop each other up and that’s a hard thing (to deal with),’’ J.T. Curtis said. “There could be a team that’s a good football team left home. There’s no doubt about that.’’