Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy
2023 Record: N/A
District: 5-2A
Head Coach: Hunter Landry
Note: This will be the first varsity season for the Tigers under the LHSAA
Well, there's a new sheriff in town and it's name is Lafayette Renaissance.
A school that's been in existence for a little over a decade but this season, their football team is fully eligible to compete in district action and even a state title.
They've had an influx of coaching experience join the team in the offseason, as that'll be a key advantage for their 2024 season.
"Coach, Fauck alone, and what he brings in last year, being the liaisons for us, has opened up doors just for our coaches and our kids that is mind boggling", says assistant head coach Tony Chapman. "Bringing in the rest of the crew, a crew that's been in the state championship the last seven years. So, it gives us opportunity and understanding to work with somebody who's been doing it for a while this year."
"Of course, with the coaching change, with all the coaches that we have coming over, and with the experience they're bringing, with the names that they have, it's super duper exciting", says offensive line coach, Christopher Davis. "You know, it is what it is, it's all eyes on us."
The Tigers will be competing in district 5-2A, paired with the likes of Notre Dame, Welsh and Lafayette Christian. It's not an easy stretch but a necessary one for growth.
For seniors like Jaquelle Smith and Dwayne Johnson — who've been itching to get to this point of their high school careers, they say they're happy to finally make it this far, anxious to line up against their opponents and ready to showcase their brand of ball.
Being able to compete for a state title and all that is amazing, but that's saying that, it helps us build better, come together, make us work harder", says senior running back Dwayne Johnson.
"I wouldn't say we weren't ready. We weren't all the way ready, like we weren't to our full potential", says senior wide receiver Jaquelle Smith. "I feel like we still working on right now.... each day."
Davis says about a decade ago, it might've been about 20 kids on the roster working out, but now there's 80-plus 9th through 12th grade kids on the roster.
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