NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Saint Charles Catholic’s Wayne Stein is the Allstate Sugar Bowl Friday Night Football Coach of the Year.
Coach Stein’s Comets were one of the best stories in Louisiana high school football in 2021.
St. Charles Catholic was gearing up for a promising season one that was halted, briefly by Hurricane Ida.
The Comets then reeled off an unbeaten season that included wins over De La Salle, Newman, and four-time champion Lafayette Christian – Stein was in his first season as head coach.
“Being a young coach in the business, not only watching Friday Night Football, but being part of the Sugar Bowl, and things like,” Coach Stein told WGNO Sports. “I was able to win something in 2019. It means a lot.
“It’s something you reflect on after the fact lucky to have great people and great players around us to have an award.”
Stein was the defensive coordinator for the Comets under legendary head coach Frank Monica.
He said Monica taught him, much, including how to be blunt.
“We live in a day and age where someone always tells you what you want to hear,” said Stein. “I still value that right now. Call him on the way home, and ask him something about baseball or football and I’m going to get an honest opinion.
“Greatest gift he gave me is high expectations every single day, and that helped me grow. He let me fail as well. I really owe him the world for that.”
After Ida, Stein said his players and staff rallied to the aid of others.
He knew then the Comets could be special.
Stein shared, “I knew we had special guys during that 10-day span, and it carried over, throughout the year.”
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