Countdown to Kickoff 2022: St. Stanislaus Rock-a-Chaws

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) - It’s been a decade since St. Stanislaus missed the postseason. Whatever they’ve been doing has worked. But, of course, that’s not stopping the Rocks program from reaching even higher.

“We changed a lot of things up from what we’ve done in the past,” senior running back Chandler Chapman said. “We’re building more leaders, players are taking more initiative to build the team, and we have a lot of new coaches. They’re bringing new things to the table, we’re bringing new players, everything is changing.”

Three of those new coaches have experience at the collegiate level. And the new faces don’t stop on the sidelines - there’s a new one under center in Hudson Osborne, who just moved from Baton Rouge in January, but already feels right at home with his new offense.

“It’s definitely a family. the coaches, the players, it’s a tight-knit, close group,” he said. “If you ever need anything, they’re really there for you. We have three great receivers: Canye Bankston, Ethan Galloway, and Brady Logan, those guys are guys to look out for this season.”

Jacob Bradford is one of four returning starters on both offensive and defensive lines. A leader in his own right, but surrounded by others as well. After all, you don’t need a ‘C’ on your jersey to set the tone.

“There’s a lot of leaders. Everyone has a part of a leader,” Bradford said. “There might not be one leader the whole time, but every little aspect, someone’s a leader in it. Everyone wants to be a leader, and that’s good.”

“There’s no one name that pops up. It’s been a community thing where everyone takes ownership of their role,” head coach Nate Encrapera said. “We say all the time, if it has to do with football, it’s your responsibility.”

The Rocks open with a jamboree against Moss Point, and follow it with a date with 4-6A powerhouse D’Iberville. A fierce non-district schedule before their gauntlet of region play, but all by design.

“The emotions of the local rivalries, too, we want to prepare those guys for the pressure games at the end of the year,” Encrapera said. “If you’re fortunate enough to make the playoffs and you’re playing on the road in a hostile environment, we want to get them used to those types of atmospheres so they can gain confidence and persevere in those situations.”

The track record speaks for itself at St. Stanislaus. But with some new faces meshing with old winning habits, the 2022 Rock-a-Chaws are aiming to set a new bar.

“We take a lot of pride in it, because everyone has high expectations for us, we try to live up to those expectations,” Chapman said. “We’re just trying to be great, we’re going to do that this year.”

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