By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Editor’s Note: This is the fifth part of a five part series featuring the upcoming schedules facing the five new prep football head coaches in the “Southern Six” coming into a new season.

Up next; New St. Stanislaus head coach Evan Gay)

BAY ST. LOUIS — A new head football coach is in place at St. Stanislaus.

But the first edition of his Rock-A-Chaw squad will be facing the same schedule they did last season.

Evan Gay was named the next head football coach at SSC back in January. Gay returns to Saint Stanislaus after previously serving as the program’s quarterbacks coach during the 2021 season. 

During the 2021 season, the Rocks went 4-6 with a first round appearance in the Class 3A state playoffs. Quarterback Alex Fabra threw for more than 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns and running back Davien Lagarde rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Since his time on the Rock-A-Chaws staff, Gay served as head football coach at The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, where he led the program to its best season in school history in 2024. Under his leadership, Webb earned its first playoff appearance since 2020, averaging 39 points and more than 400 yards of offense per game following the implementation of a new offensive system.

“I am truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as head football coach at Saint Stanislaus,” Gay said. “This is a school with a rich tradition, strong values, and a deep commitment to developing young men of character, discipline, and faith. My vision is to build a culture rooted in accountability, toughness, and brotherhood—one that challenges our student-athletes to excel not only on the football field, but in the classroom and in their daily lives.”

A Murfreesboro, Tenn., native, Gay left Tennessee in 2005 joining the army where he served two tours in Iraq. He began his coaching career in 2018 at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor as the Crusaders went 15-0 and won the NCAA Division III National Championship.

He was hired as the offensive coordinator for Covenant Christian Academy in Colleyville, Texas the following season and spent two seasons there on a team that went to the final four twice and went undefeated in 2020.

The Webb School did not field a football team last season, due to low player numbers.

St. Stanislaus is once again a member of Region 8-3A, and will battle Presbyterian Christian, West Marion, Tylertown and rival St. Patrick for the league title.

The Rocks, though, will face four longtime “Southern Six” foes in their pre-region portion of the schedule. After opening the season on the road in Brooklyn against Forrest County AHS, SSC will host Bay High and Moss Point before traveling a short distance across the Bay Bridge to face homestanding Pass Christian.

After a trip down I-10 and across the Alabama state line to face Mobile Christian, the Rocks will wrap up the non-region portion of their 2026 slate in Wiggins against Stone High.

Last season, St. Stanislaus finished 1-9 overall under the direction of then head coach Tate Thigpen and missed the state playoffs.