25 Teams in 25 Days: St. Stanislaus Rock-A-Chaws

We’re inching closer and closer to the start of high school football season, and this specific team truly can’t wait to flip the script this upcoming fall. Day 11 of 25 Teams in 25 Days takes us to the St. Stanislaus Rock-a-Chaws!

St. Stanislaus football has endured its share of growing pains over the past two seasons, but a familiar face is giving Rock-a-Chaw football a fresh start. After serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2021, Evan Gay returns to Bay St. Louis as the head coach, and his impact has already been felt throughout the program.

“They have gotten bigger, stronger and faster. We’ve been working really hard in the weight room and we get out on the track in the summer and work on our sprinting technique and stuff like that, and they’ve done really well. I have an unbelievable coaching staff, and we’ve got so much experience, so that gives me a lot of confidence. We went out and had a great spring game at USM and have just been building off of that over the past few weeks this summer, and I’m excited to get these guys on the field and see how they compete,” said Head Coach Evan Gay.

The transformation goes beyond the weight room. Players say Gay has established a culture built on accountability, confidence and belief—one that’s brought new energy to the program.

“This year we’ve seen a lot of growth due to Coach Gay’s coaching style and the way he makes us do things the first time the right way. His authority really helps us. Also, a lot of our kids now really want to put in the effort due to the good coaching staff. They know we can win, so they’re going to put in the effort no matter how hard it is,” said Salvatore Riccardi.

“I’m really looking forward to having a changed environment from last year. It’s a lot of new players, a whole different coach and a whole different team. Everything just feels different in a good way for us, so I think it’s going to go really well based on how we’ve been practicing since spring football. The energy is up, everything is up, and everything just feels different. It’s just a whole different environment. Everything is flowing and is natural to us. It’s second instinct,” said Liam Hayes.

With 44 players on the roster and six to seven starters returning on both sides of the ball, the Rocks believe they have the depth and experience to compete with anyone on their schedule.

“I’m excited to see our offense get on the field. We have some weapons that I’m excited to unleash on Friday night and see how those guys compete, and then our defense is coming along really well. They’re practicing really hard, so we think we’re going to have a really good team, and I think we’ll be able to compete with just about anybody,” said Coach Gay.

“The offensive line isn’t big at all, but everybody has good technique and good footwork. Strength in the weight room has gone up by a huge amount, and our run game is really going to do some numbers this year—and our passing game, for sure,” said Riccardi.

“Mainly our route running. I spend a lot of time with our receivers and working on all that stuff. The route running is really important to our football because we’re all quick and fast, so if we can put our routes on point, that’s really going to help us along with our quickness and speed. We also have what some call a football brain, where a lot of us, including our receivers and running backs, just have the brain of a football player—being able to know where to go, which way to cut and throw—and all that plays a big role in how we’ll win,” said Hayes.

The Rocks will get their first chance to prove that new mindset on Aug. 28, when they open the 2026 season on the road against Forrest County AHS.