by Joseph W. Gex II, Contributing Writer
BAY ST. LOUIS (GG) — The Saint Stanislaus Rock-A-Chaws have to go back to 2012 to locate the last season the program did not advance to the postseason. The streak is one of the longest in South Mississippi and it is highly likely that the streak will continue in 2025. However, not without its bumps and bruises as SSC will feature some youth drawing starts on Friday nights.
Saint Stanislaus head coach Tate Thigpen commented, “We graduated some players last year that had played a lot of snaps over the last few seasons. Obviously, we will be a young football team; however, I really like this team. They enjoy being around each other. The energy has been tremendous and the focus is much better. Over the summer, we did some culture building. This group is an extremely competitive group and is learning to be a team that can win. We have a roster of 43 players and 26 of them are freshmen and sophomores. Because of that there will be bumps in the road. However, we believe this team is equipped to handle that and learn from it.”
Some of the team’s key losses from a year ago include All-American kicker Evan Noel who is the program’s only five-star player in history and was an All-American in 2024. He signed with the University of Florida and set the Mississippi state record for longest field with a 61-yard kick against Pass Christian last year. Thigpen stated that he was worth points in any game.
Linebacker Andrew Whitney was a force in the middle for SSC last year. He was the paper’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and set the school record for blocked kicks with seven. Finn Williford and Henry Nunmaker, both linebackers, always seemed to find themselves in the right spot to make a play. Thigpen stated all three were worth a lot of tackles.
Some of the key returning players Thigpen referenced included RB/LB Brayden McDonald, OL/DL Garren Couey, WR Tripp Lee, LB Sal Riccardi, LB Jackson Wood, DB Max Rhodes, and QB Jayvien Thompson.
Like all programs, there are new faces that will be behind a facemask on Friday nights. The Rocks will look to OL/DL Brooks LeBouef, DB Lex Rhodes, WR Cayden Alexander, RB/LB Fisher Smith, RB/LB Jackson Halferty, WR Bennett LeMaire, LB Brick Compretta, QB Lew Monti, and K Jude Babin to establish themselves for the future of the program.
Thigpen added, “Many of the new faces have taken many snaps over the summer and in preseason training. They are proving to be tough as nails and making themselves very hard to deal with at the line of scrimmage. As a staff, we are very pleased to see that. This team is just as physical as any team I have had here. We have developed over the summer so now we have to translate that to the field. I expect our development to continue. This team appears to be driven in some of the same ways that previous teams were. As our young guys go, we will go.”
Thigpen returns as head coach of the program and he will be joined by defensive coordinator/linebackers/
The Rocks are set to open with a home game against Class 4A Forrest County AHS on Friday, August 29, at 7 p.m.
(Front Photo by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette, Inside Photo submitted by St. Stanislaus College Prep)
