The Lafayette Area All-Stars won their third straight I-10 Bowl all-star game against the Lake Charles Area All-Stars on Saturday with what might have been the Lafayette team’s best squad so far, team coordinator Terry Martin said.

But what really showed in the team’s 17-7 win at St. Thomas More was how good the coaching is in Acadiana, said Martin, head football coach and athletic director at Loreauville High School. The players, who play in a variety of systems, easily recognized concepts just from the names their all-star coaches gave them, he said.

“It’s pretty amazing to see,” Martin said. “The level of coaching in our area is unbelievable.”

LHS assistant coach Jamar Lewis was one of the defensive coaches for the Lafayette team. Retired Acadiana coach Ted Davidson served as head coach, with Jason Faulk and Fred Menard of Cecilia and Ben Mouton of Comeaux also on the defensive staff and Clint Harrison of Cecilia, Gavin Peters of Carencro, Shane Savoie of St. Thomas More and Bart Vitte of Teurlings Catholic on the offensive staff.

Several Teche Area players also were on the roster, including New Iberia linebacker and UL Lafayette signee Ja’Braylon Spencer, linemen Colby Hebert of Catholic High and Jax Harrington of Erath, and St. Martinville skill players Marcus Cormier, Travien Benjamin and Markavon Williams. Harrington, like Spencer, signed with the Cajuns on Wednesday.

“It was nice coming out and playing with a different group of guys,” Spencer said after signing with the Ragin’ Cajuns on Wednesday. “I never played with any of them all season. I played against some of them. It was fun. It was nice, and we came out with the win.”

The team ran a different defense than NISH uses, he said, with different stunts. After spending most of practice with the offense practicing separately from the defense, the sides would come together for about 30 minutes of scrimmage work to finish up the day.

“It was nice playing with some of the guys going to bigger schools,” Spencer said. “I played with a couple of D-I commits, played against some D-I commits, so it was all nice, a lot of competition. There was a lot of talk on the field but it was fun.” 

The week started off with a challenge for both teams. The coaches found out at the last minute that neither UL Lafayette nor McNeese State would allow the squads to practice at their facilities as they had in previous years, so the teams had to find a place to practice the four days leading up to the bowl game. Most area schools with artificial all-weather playing surfaces are using the fields for soccer or lacrosse right now, Martin noted, so they couldn’t be used for the practices. While Loreauville has an all-weather surface and no soccer team, the drive would’ve been prohibitive for some players from schools like Notre Dame. Fortunately, though, Martin was able to secure Breaux Bridge High School’s stadium for use as a practice site, since he’d worked there and knew the principal and coaches. That made the trip much easier for players to make.

“Everything came together right at the last minute,” Martin said. “But just like the last two years, once you get started, it’s all fun.”

One of the interesting factors in the all-star games is that players from rival schools that may not like each others’ teams are thrust onto the same team and learn to work together pretty quickly, Martin said. It’s also amazing how many players regret that their high school careers are done with once the game is finished, he said.

Though several of the players signed letters of intent with colleges this week, and others will end up playing in college somewhere, for many it’s their last organized football game.

On the field, though, the talent showed. Lafayette’s all-stars allowed only 44 yards in the first half by the Lake Charles offense, with Spencer making several tackles and getting a sack. Lafayette’s squad finished with six sacks and two interceptions. Spencer also got in on a couple of special teams plays.

“It just highlights how much ability we have in this four or five parish area,” Martin said.

Martin also noted the quality of character for the players chosen. That’s to be expected because their coaches put up players who are not only good athletes but also of high character for the honor, he said.

Lafayette Christian Academy’s Martin Lee was named Most Outstanding Player for his team, but Terry Martin said several players could’ve easily been given the honor.

“The linebacker from LCA (Lee) was really impressive all week with his work ethic and attitude,” Martin said. 

Rayne’s Darian Richard showed a great attitude all week as well, sending encouraging messages to his teammates in group messaging. He played running back, tight end, H-back and deep snapper in the game.

Lafayette Christian Academy quarterback Zachary Clement also had a great game, Martin said.

“He’s as good a thrower as I’ve seen in a long time,” Martin said. “He pulled down the ball and ran for a touchdown. He also had a beautiful fade ball to set up a touchdown, and later had a beautiful fade ball for a touchdown.”

Running backs Grant Arceneaux of STM and Noah Bourgeois of Notre Dame also played well, Martin said, showing as smaller players that it’s not just size that matters on the football field.

And as for whether the game means anything to the players, Martin noted that the Lafayette players, many of whom are in a district with Lake Charles area teams, definitely want to win.