McDonogh 35 and Carver to stage inaugural Wayne Reese Classic on Saturday

A week after Edna Karr and Warren Easton wisely decided to name their annual contest after the late Don Wattigny, McDonogh 35 and Carver are doing the same to honor Wayne Reese.

The first annual Wayne Reese Classic is set for Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. at Joe Yenni Stadium. It will be an annual event.

Reese coached at Carver for 11 years and at McDonogh 35 for 18 years. Booker T. Washington head coach Wayne Reese Jr. attended Carver while Carver head coach Byron Addison attended Carver.

Reese passed away in early April at the age of 75.

Frank Daggs, who was the top assistant to Reese for many years, is now the head coach of the Roneagles and he is thrilled to honor his mentor.

“We wanted to do something to honor Wayne and we knew we were playing each other so why not?” Daggs said. “It made a lot of sense. These two schools were a huge part of his legacy. Wayne loved coaching at both schools and he coached Byron Addison at Carver as well.”

McDonogh 35 rallied from a two score deficit to beat Thibodaux 14-13 last Friday night.

“Everybody is starting off slow,” Daggs said. “We start even slower because we don’t have the time like college or professional football. Once we get a couple of weeks down the road, we will be better. Every week is a scary time because of COVID-19. It was great to come back and win the game. We lost to Trovon Reed in 2009 by a point there. We lost by a point in 2010 to them. We lost to them by a point last year as well so it felt great to be on the other side of a one-point win against them.”

While his team did not play to its full potential, Daggs was pleased with the way his team reacted to adversity.

“We didn’t panic,” Daggs said. ” We buckled down and executed the way we had to. That was all you could ask for. It felt so good to win my first game but it felt better that had beaten us in close games. I know Wayne is smiling up there (Heaven). I’m so glad we won it and won it for him.”

Addison played for Reese at Carver as well.

“I think it’s an honor to have this named after a great man in Coach Reese,” Addison said. “He was always a mentor as a player and then after I became a coach. He was special. It is well deserved. I am just happy to be part of it. This is the right game to honor him. He left his mark at both of these schools. He touched a lot of lives. I learned so much from him about how to do things right. He transformed both schools and their programs.”

Carver opened with a tough 11-6 loss to John Ehret.

“We have a new quarterback and a new offensive line,” Addison said. “Not having a jamboree or a normal offseason really made it tough. We will improve.The mistakes we made on Thursday can be corrected. Those are mistakes we usually make in a jamboree. John Ehret is a good football team. It is a young team. There is no substitute for experience. We played well on defense. That will be our strength when usually, it is our offense that is our strength.”

Reese Jr. is thrilled about the creation of the Classic for many reasons.

“It is great to memorialize my father,” Reese Jr. said. “He was special in both school communities. Carver was a predominantly black school and McDonogh 35 was the first African-American high school in New Orleans. To say my dad went to Booker T. Washington was the second African-American school in New Orleans and he coached there as well. I wouldn’t be doing what I do without my father. Dad was most concerned about helping young men get beyond the ninth ward and the third ward. That is what meant most to him.”

Reese Jr. said his father did it against all odds.

“Dad went to inner-city schools funded and still made something out of nothing,” Reese Jr. said. ” I don’t think too many coaches did that. He did that at Carver. He did that at McDonogh 35. He did that at Booker T. Washington. Those schools have strong alumni. It is great to name it after him but it is great for the community as a whole. Two great African-American schools in New Orleans will go at it. My dad and his staff touched so many lives through Carver and through McDonogh 35. He helped so many people along the way. That is big. My mother, my sisters, my brothers are all excited about it.”

The Wayne Reese Classic will be an annual event. McDonogh 35 is scheduled to play Carver in week four next season.