Updated Story
Opelousas, LA- Great News for the City of Opelousas and the OHS football team. An agreement reached on Monday will reinstate the OHS Tigers' Division II Non-Select State Championship.
"The great news is that the kids were able to retain the title, and it's an excellent win for the city and the Parish," said St.Landry Parish School Superintendent Milton Batiste.
After two turbulent months, the Opelousas High School Football team can now call themselves state Champions again after lawyers representing the LHSAA and attorneys representing OHS head coach Jimmy Zachery agreed to a resolution.
In February, LHSAA stripped the title from OHS due to a question about a player's eligibility.
"It's been a long sprint of going back and forth, but I think it was worth the fight. I am just thankful that the LHSAA attorneys, our attorneys, could come together and reach an agreement. I think it's the best decision regarding the kids' interests," said Batiste.
The result of that agreement will allow the State Championship to be reinstated; however, Coach Zachery will remain on probation for the upcoming school year, and the school will have to pay back all awarded funds to the LHSAA.
Original Story
An agreement was reached Monday in the ongoing dispute between the Opelousas football coach and the high school athletic association - and it allows the Tigers to keep their title.
The Opelousas High School football team will remain State Champions, but coach Jimmy Zachery will remain on probation for a year, and the school must return all money they won to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Either the school or the school system will pay the LHSAA's legal fees under the agreement.
Last year, Opelousas High beat Cecilia High for the Division II Non-Select State Championship. A little over a week later, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month by Zachery, Cecilia filed a complaint with LHSAA over a student who allegedly wasn't eligible to play.
LHSAA investigators went to OHS to question players, and then issued a ruling in February that, because the student was ineligible due to residency issues, the team would forfeit all 2023 games that were played while that student was on the team roster. That was every game, including the championship game.
Additionally, Zachery was placed on probation for a year.
Zachery filed suit this month, asking the court to put a Temporary Restraining Order on the LHSAA and the school system to halt imposition of that ruling until he could have his day in court. The TRO was granted, and a hearing was set for April 16 to determine if the hold should be made permanent.
That hearing wasn't held, but all three parties - the coach, the school system and the LHSAA - appeared in court Monday to lay out their agreement before the court. The arbitration filed by the school is now moot, and the planned court proceeds are moot, the judge ruled.
We'll have more tonight on KATC TV3.
