Coach Carroll Oliiver could have taken the easy road.
His Acadiana Christian School Lions, who are making their football debut as a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, could have assembled a schedule of junior varsity teams for the 2026 football season.
Schools that join the LHSAA play two seasons before they're officially cleared to compete for district and postseason honors. Most new programs schedule a handful of games against junior varsity squads.
Not the Lions, though.
ACS, which is located just south of the New Iberia city limits in south Louisiana, is 4-4 on the year against a slate of varsity opponents. The Lions, who have Class 1A enrollment - the smallest division - came close to knocking off a Class 4A team in Morgan City. (32-22 loss).
"It's every coach's dream to have a successful season," Olivier said. "We wanted to have a successful season against the odds that were stacked against us."
No Stranger to Winning
Before joining the LHSAA, the Lions made repeat appearances in the ACEL eight-man finals.
The school was also a powerhouse in other sports, including girls basketball, track and field and volleyball, in its previous league.
Overcoming a Slow Start
The 2026 season didn't begin swimmingly well, however. The Lions were handed losses by margins of 50-0 and 48-6 by North Central and Springfield
ACS turned around and won four of its next five, however, scoring at least 38 points in three wins. Its wins were vs. Pickering, Gueydan, Plain Dealing and Oberlin, a achool that produced one of the state's most prolific rushers in Cedric Skinner about 15 years ago.
"The biggest thing has been the resiliency and buy-in from the guys," Olivier said.
The return of team captain Brent Henry from injury coincided with the Lions' winning streak. In five games, the senior has rushed for 691 yards on 79 carries with 10 touchdowns in the team's veer offense.
"He's been electric," Olivier said.
Juinor quarterback Silas Johnson has been stellar, as well, rushing for 236 yards on 39 carries with five touchdowns and completing 30 of 53 passes for 314 yards and three TDs with only one interception.
"Silas is a three-year starter at quarterback with a great command of the offense," Olivier said.
Offenisve Line Play Has Been Cruical
6-foot-3, 325-pound lineman Gunner Robin has been a mainstay along with Hunter Metz, Maxan Nguyen and seventh-grader Kayson Roberts,
"We're not the biggest team," Olivier said. "We're not the fastest team. We just play hard and play for each other."
Defense is the Calling Card
Olivier said the Lions' strong suit is its defense, which has gotten two interceptions from Henry and one from Johnson.
"We've played lights out on defense and forced two turnvoers a game," Olivier said.
Henry and Benjamin Kerlegan have notched two sacks apiece. Metz also has a sack. Sophomore Landon LaPorte and Henry lead the team in tackles with 30 and 27, respectively.
Looking for One More Opponent
The Lions' final scheduled opponent for the season, Thrive Academy, canceled the remainder of its games after a brawl during its game against Capitol High.
Olivier, whose goal was to finish the season on a winning note, is looking for a team to play after ACS lost to Block High this week.
"It Wasn't a Mistake"
In a preseason interview, Lions linebackers coach Terry Powell predicted that ACS would have a successful debut season.
"We're real," he said. "It wasn't a mistake that we went to the finals in eight-man football as many times as we did. We're coming for you. We're not coming for second place. We don't play to lose, but most of all, we want to represent God the right way."
Silas Johnson Will Lead the Lions Again in 2027
The Lions, who have a 25-man roster, will graduate seven seniors, with Johnson returning for his senior season next year.
"We ran more of a Wing-T in eight-man football, but we're switching over to a Slot-T offense," said Johnson, who was wearing a practice jersey with the words "Prove Them Wrong" during a preseason interview. "It's faster way of playing. I'm just excited to be able to show off my real capabilities because last year, I only really got to run the ball a ton."
The Lions' success is even more meaningful, considering that the school is competing with several other local programs for students in New Iberia, which has a population of around 30,000.
The city also has Class 5A New Iberia, whose campus sits only a mile or two north of ACS, Class 4A Westgate, Class 2A Catholic New Iberia and Class 1A Highland Baptist.
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