One year after St. Aloysius College moved into a new school building, Jesuit did the same, forsaking Baronne Street for Carrollton and Banks. The Jays began classes in their new facility on September 19 with St. Al starting the next day. (Rugby Academy didn't start until September 30.) However, Coach "Hippo" Phillips had jumped the gun on all the schools in the city by practicing his Saints gridders each morning for several weeks before school opened.

Phillips had lost some fine seniors from his 1925 squad:

• Linemen: Frank Donze, Anthony Bologna, Frank Gambino, and All-Prep Anthony Cuccia
• Backs: Harry Stille and Leonard Enderle

In addition, the best back on the '25 squad, FB Sal Brocato, transferred to Rugby. On the positive side of the ledger, Phillips welcomed not only his returnees but also players who had been at Verrina Academy on Napoleon Avenue, which had morphed into an all-girls school. Brother Emmanuel, S.C., remained the AD, in which capacity he drove the truck back and forth daily to City Park bringing the squad to practice.

The Saints would compete in Class B for the third year in succession. In addition to the emasculation of Verrina, the lighter league also lost McDonogh-Jefferson of Gretna which had entered the league but not fielded a team in 1925. However, Samuel J. Peters High School of Commerce on Broad Street at Tulane Avenue, called "Commy High," entered a B squad for the first time. Rugby, Isidore Newman Manual Training ("Manual" for short), and New Orleans Academy returned to complete the five-team circuit. Class B games would contain 12-minute quarters.

Class A again consisted of Warren Easton, Jesuit, Holy Cross, and Delgado Trade School.

The major problem facing the New Orleans Preparatory School Athletic Association was the inaccessibility of Heinemann Park, the Tulane-and-Carrollton home of the New Orleans Pelicans baseball team that had hosted most of the prep games in recent years. Heinemann had leased his facility to greyhound racing for the fall. So the schools would have to find other venues. Tulane was completing its new stadium, which made its old field available. In addition, Holy Cross had a park, and Audubon Park could be used. However, collecting admission would be difficult at these last two locations.

Brother Emmanuel scheduled two practice games for the Saints prior to their first league clash with Rugby October 15.

The Picayune announced that Aloysius would play at Reserve that day. But there was no article on the game the next day. Was it cancelled? There is no reference to it in giving Aloysius's record as the season progressed.

The next game was the opener for the "Gold and Blue eleven," as the TP referred to Holy Cross, meaning the school had forsaken its green color. However, they were still referred to as "the Micks." Coach Joe Lynch welcomed 25 players, with the only returnee being Captain Johnny McVitch, "a dandy broken field runner" who "seems head for a banner year."

Thatcher began his article on the game thusly:

Prep school football, as played in the modern way of sensational forward passes, is generally benefiting from the new rules this year. It has made the lighter, speedier teams come to the fore, incidentally helping along Class B contenders of the local league. Practice tilts during the past two weeks has shown New Orleans Academy, St. Aloysius college and a few others quite capable of holding up under the attacks of heavier, more experience Class A elevens.

• Aloysius again failed to score on the Micks but finished 27 points closer than in '25.
• McVitch scored both TDs, while Roy broke loose on several long runs. McVitch accounted for seven of HC's nine first downs and also intercepted a pass "in the danger zone and stopped every play that came his ways."
• According to Thatcher, "Reisch and Kelly showed up best for Milton 'Hippo' Phillips' charges."

• The champions of the last two B seasons met in the opener before "close to 1,000" fans.
• Sensational triple-threat QB Adolph Jastrum, the Saints' tormentor in '25, romped again, scoring three TDs for Coach Steve Owen's eleven. Even more amazingly in an era when teams rarely converted extra points, "Addie" drop kicked all four PATs.
• In Q1, Rugby lost a fumble but immediately ran an interception back to the Saint 25. Rugby drove to the 2 from where Jastrum fought over.
• SA took the ensuing kickoff and drove to midfield before running out of steam. Jas returned the punt to the SA 15. Then he ran to the 3 from where FB Sal Brocato, a Saint the previous season, plunged over.
• Before the half, Jastrum scampered 10y into the EZ to culminate a drive.
• The Red and Black mounted their only threat at the start of the second half. Jaubert and Bagille's runs moved the ball to the 13. However, Jaubert was thrown for a loss, and then Rugby intercepted a pass.
• Near the end of Q3, Jastrum intercepted a Guidry aerial and ran it back 57y to paydirt. There was a claim of clipping by a Cadet on the runback, but nothing came of the question.
• The uptown squad was driving again in the closing minutes but Chassaignac's INT ended the threat just before the final whistle.
• TP reporter Gene Thatcher wrote that the Saints wilted "with many injuries under the viciousness of Rugby that cost the winners many yards in penalties."

Both teams brought 0-1 records into the game before "another large crowd." Gene Thatcher branded it "an interesting though loosely-played game." The contest was a tale of two halves.

• SA outplayed Newman in the first half, having the ball in Green and White territory throughout the first two periods. "Mainly through the work of little Oulliber," the Saints worked the ball to the 10 in Q1. However, Reisch fumbled into enemy hands.
• Q2 saw Hippo's boys reach the 20 only to be stopped on downs. After receiving a punt, SA marched again on a 20y pass from Oulliber to Reisch and some gains through the line by Jaubert. Bagille then entered the fray and fumbled on his first play with MT recovering.
• Coach Lester Lautenschlaeger, a law school student fresh from a Hall of Fame career at Tulane, unleashed Henry "Red" Menge on several long end runs to give a glimpse of what was in store after intermission.
• In Q3, "brilliant work" by MT's other back, Scott, advanced the ball to the Saint 10. There the Greenies caught the fumbleitis that plagued SA in the first half. Reisch pounced on Scott's miscue to stem the threat. Jaubert then punted out of danger.
• Q4 saw both teams lose yardage on bad center snaps as the game rocked back and forth until MT took over with five minutes to play. Menge returned Jaubert's punt 15y to the 40. After Scott lost three, Menge sped around RE to the 12 where four or five Saints knocked him out of bounds. Scott rammed up the middle to the 7. Menge and Scott plunged to the 4. On fourth down, with time winding down, Menge pushed over.
• Thatcher: "The new forward pass rule found its first victim when Manual was penalized five yards for unsuccessfully trying two consecutive tosses. They should have been given an additional five yards for the third straight failure too."
• "Jaubert continued his elusive tactics that make him one of the most feared ball carriers in the lighter division."
• MT did not substitute the entire game. SA, with some players apparently out with injuries from the Rugby game, used only 13.
• Manual's victory was its first in two years.

About 500 spectators made the trek to the Ninth Ward to watch undefeated NOA meet the winless Saints. SA again failed to cross the goal line but held the Academy scoreless for 48 minutes to gain an upset tie. Thatcher: "The heavy St. Aloysius eleven displayed its best form of the year."

• Q1 was uneventful except for a 20y run by Jaubert.
• With five minutes left in the half, NOA bogged down at the SA 35 and punted to the 10. Oulliber fumbled on the first play, and the defense claimed it at the 12. However, the half ended after a 2y run to the 10.
• The seesaw battle continued after intermission. SA made its deepest penetration of the game to the 20, but Bagille fumbled. Cartwright Eustis of NOA scooped up the pigskin and ran to midfield. From there the favorites drove to the 11, but four runs gained only 8y. Guidry then punted out of danger.
• In the dying moments, NOA opened up its attack. However, an INT ended the threat just before the game ended to give SA "a moral victory."
• For the second week in a row, the Saints' opponent made no substitutions.
• NOA remained unbeaten in league play and could still win the championship by defeating Rugby on November 4. However, it was not to be as the Blue and White defended its Class B championship 16-0.

After a week off, the Saints looked forward to ending the season on a winning note against S. J. Peters High School of Commerce, which was fielding its first football team. Alas, the season-long bugaboo, fumbleitis, kept SA scoreless for the entire prep season.

• Play took place in SA territory most of the afternoon. However, the Saints tallied more first downs in the uneventful first half.
• Lester "Red" Mallory broke the scoreless deadlock when he galloped 50y to pay dirt in Q3.
• More excitement was packed into the last period than in the previous three stanzas combined. Oulliber fumbled at midfield, after which Commy drove to the 10. But then it was their turn to fumble, Oulliber gathering in the stray pigskin at the 3 and advancing it to midfield. However, disaster struck when Reisch fumbled right back. R. Stewart picked it up and ran 60y for the clinching TD.
• Reisch, Jaubert, Chassaignac, Flynn, and Bruchez were commended for their play.

After first and second place finishes in its first two seasons in Class B, St. Aloysius finished last in 1926 with an 0-3-1 record. Obviously, you can't win a game if you never score, and the Saints were fortunate to hold NOA scoreless. Particularly dispiriting were providing Manual with its first victory in two years and dropping the finale to Commy High's rookie team.

The fact that the squad had some talented performers is evidenced by the presence of two players on the Times Picayune first team Class B squad and an additional duo on the second team.

First team: "Red" Bruchez RG (although he played C all season), Howard Jaubert LHB
Second team: Peter Chassaignac RG (and second team captain), Wilfrid Montz RT
Honorable mention: John Flynn E, Cory HB

The 1927 season would see a new coach try his hand at resurrecting the SA program.

1927 Season

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