BAY ST. LOUIS — St. Stanislaus welcomes Tim LaLa back into the Rock-A-Chaw family as the 2023 football season looms on the horizon.
A former SSC assistant coach, Lala became the seventh head football coach at SSC since the 2000 season several months back when he replaced Nate Encrapera at the helm of the Rocks. He comes back to Bay St. Louis from Pascagoula High, where he served as the strength coach, special teams coordinator, and defensive backs coach for the Panthers for the past several seasons.
In addition to being a familiar face, Lala will be guiding SSC into some recognizable waters this season also as the Rocks remain in Region 8-3A even though the Mississippi High School Activities Association is implementing a seventh classification for the first time ever in the state.
Although Region 8-3A did undergo a bit of a revamp, St. Stanislaus will see a few familiar foes in Region 8-3A once again this year as fellow “Southern Six” Catholic rival St. Patrick is once again in that number again as the Fighting Irish return to league play in the MHSAA after playing as an independent last season.
Also, West Marion is back in the region fold as is Perry Central. New entrant Tylertown rounds out the region.
St. Patrick’s return forced perennial state power and defending Region 8-3A champ out of the loop and back into Region 7-3A.
The Rocks’ 7-5 mark last season was the best of Encrapera’s five-year tenure, although St. Stanislaus qualified for the postseason all five years under his direction, and SSC advanced to the second round of the Class 3A South State playoffs last season where they were eliminated by eventual state champion Raleigh in a hard-fought 30-21 loss thanks in large part to the play of Raleigh’s Class 3A “Mr. Football” Suntarine Perkins.
Louisiana Tech commit Jacob Bradford tops the Rocks returning starters list, after the 6-foot-3, 260-pound two-way lineman finished the season with over 100 total tackles for the second straight year last season plus he had 14 quarterback hurries.
Placekicker Evan Noel is back as well, and was a weapon on special teams after he was eight of 13 on field goal attempts and converted 35 out of 38 extra point attempts accounting for 59 points.
Here are the complete list of team schedules for Region 8-3A
REGION 8-3A
PERRY CENTRAL
Coach: Nick Griffin
A. 25 Heidelberg
S. 1 at Amite County
S. 8 at Wesson
S. 15 North Forrest
S. 22 Greene County
S. 29 at St. Patrick
O. 6 open
O. 13 West Marion
O. 20 at St. Stanislaus
O. 26 Tylertown
ST. PATRICK
Coach: Oscar Glasscock
A. 25 at Sacred Heart
S. 1 at Bowling Green (La.)
S. 8 Sylva-Bay Academy
S. 15 at Ben Franklin (La.)
S. 22 Centreville Academy
S. 29 Perry Central
O. 6 at West Marion
O. 13 St. Stanislaus
O. 20 at Tylertown
O. 26 open
ST. STANISLAUS
Coach: Tim Lala
A. 25 Forrest Co. AHS
S. 1 at Bay High
S. 8 at Moss Point
S. 15 Pass Christian
S. 22 at Escambia Academy (Ala.)
S. 29 Stone
O. 6 Tylertown
O. 13 at St. Patrick
O. 20 Perry Central
O. 26 at West Marion
TYLERTOWN
Coach: Osborne Holmes
A. 25 at Center Point (Ala.)
S. 1 Scott Central
S. 8 at Jim Hill
S. 15 Harrison Central
S. 22 at Lawrence County
S. 29 West Marion
O. 6 at St. Stanislaus
O. 13 at Poplarville
O. 20 St. Patrick
O. 26 at Perry Central
WEST MARION
Coach: Mason Woodrow
A. 25 East Marion
S. 1 at Columbia
S. 8 at Lumberton
S. 15 at Sumrall
S. 22 Collins
S. 29 at Tylertown
O. 6 St. Patrick
O. 13 at Perry Central
O. 20 open
O. 26 St. Stanislaus
