For weeks, the St. Aloysius Flashes had Sept. 29 circled on their calendar.

A home game, against a rebuilding Riverfield Academy team that is struggling as much as they are, seemed a perfect opportunity to finally end a 15-game losing streak.

And then Sept. 22 happened.

St. Al (0-6) lost five starters to injury in last week’s road loss at Central Hinds. It left an already-thin roster with only 15 healthy players for this Friday’s game vs. Riverfield (1-5) and was a sharp blow to a team that can’t seem to catch a break these days.

“No excuses. It’s the next man up. But at the same time, when can these kids catch a break?” St. Al head coach Bubba Nettles said. “My heart’s going out to these kids, these seniors, where it just seems like every time we’re going to get something going something happens. It becomes so frustrating for these young men. My hat’s off to these young men who keep showing up.”

Besides taking some key players out of the lineup completely, the wave of injuries is forcing Nettles to shuffle others around the lineup.

Starting quarterback Carson Smith, for example, moved to receiver because of a shoulder injury that limited his ability to throw. Sophomore Sadler Lambiotte replaced Smith at quarterback and scored a rushing touchdown against Central Hinds.

Another sophomore, running back Pierson Smith, also had his workload increased after starter Thompson Fortenberry dislocated his thumb. He scored a touchdown against Central Hinds as well.

Fortenberry and Carson Smith could play Friday, Nettles said, although how much or where would be a gametime decision.

“We will in some form or fashion have enough to play football on Friday. It is a massive challenge. A lot of the younger kids are going to have to step up and take the reins,” Nettles said. “No matter how many hills they put in front of us, this young group of kids is going to climb that hill.”

St. Al has not won since beating Park Place 12-0 in its season opener in 2022. Each of the last two seasons has been a frustrating challenge, as injuries quickly depleted the roster and sapped momentum.

Nettles praised his players for enduring all of it and continuing to scrap and claw for a win or two that would make a lot of the pain — both physical and emotional — vanish into thin air.

“In terms of morale, they’re still ready to play some football. It’s just one more hill we have to climb,” Nettles said. “One more game we should be evenly matched and we’re all looking forward to, now all of a sudden it’s tilted in their favor and we’re going to have to go out there and do what we can.”

FRIDAY’S AREA GAMES
All games start at 7 p.m.
Riverfield at St. Aloysius (Radio: 101.3 FM)
Porter’s Chapel at Hillcrest (Radio: 104.5 FM)
Sharkey-Issaquena Academy at Tallulah Academy
Jefferson County at Port Gibson
Madison Parish at Abramson