NEW ORLEANS — St. Charles Catholic head football and baseball coach, Wayne Stein, has been selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Boys’ Prep Coach of the Year.
Coach Stein guided the Comets to a pair of state championships this past school year, including LHSAA Division III football and baseball state titles.
Stein, in his first year as the St. Charles Catholic football coach after taking over for the legendary Frank Monica, directed the Comets to an undefeated record and the LHSAA Division III state championship – he then followed that by directing the Comets to the LHSAA Division III Baseball State Championship to give him a very rare double championship.
The Comets won the football title on the strength of their defense and special teams. The defense did not allow a point in seven of the first nine games. In the championship, two blocked punts and three made field goals keyed a 32-27 victory against Lafayette Christian.
More impressively, Stein achieved this success in his first season despite having to deal with tremendous challenges after Hurricane Ida devastated his school’s community. Despite the severe damage, the entirety of the St. Charles Catholic football program and school family regrouped, galvanized their resolve and rallied around each other.
“I hope all of our players, coaches, administration and fan base can take pride in awards like this,” Stein said. “It’s not a one-man job; I deserve the least credit for everything we accomplished. Every time an award is given to any of us, we can all feel proud. And I’m very proud to represent our community with an award from an organization like the Sugar Bowl.”
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, selects annual award winners in a variety of categories; it also selects Amateur Athletes of the Month and each year’s Hall of Fame class.
Overall, 27 individuals and four teams will be honored for their 2021-22 achievements at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Awards Banquet on July 30.
Honorees are currently being announced over a month-long period, wrapping up with the Corbett Awards for the top male and female amateur athletes in the state on July 25 and 26.
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee has recognized outstanding high school coaches for the New Orleans area since 1962. Stein also collected the honor in 2019 after leading the St. Charles Catholic baseball team to a state title. Monica was recognized with the award in 2011-12 after leading the Comet football team to its last state title prior to 2021.
(Courtesy Allstate Sugar Bowl Media)