After finishing last season with a 3-5 record, second-year head coach Carroll Olivier is ready to lead Acadiana Christian to an even higher level.

The Lions will once again be playing eight-man football in the Association of Christian Educators of Louisiana (ACEL) league, which has grown from four teams to six teams across the state.

Despite playing with three fewer players, Olivier said the game isn’t any easier than normal football, and sometimes, it’s even harder.

“It is very difficult to prepare to coach 8-man football,” Olivier said. “I think a lot of people look at it like it’s easy, but we have a bigger field and a lot of man-to-man matchups. It’s tough to prepare for teams defensively. Having a small team presents problems too. I’ve come to practice before with just 11 guys, and sometimes they aren’t your best guys, so you have to figure it out.”

Last season the team struggled with a small roster, forcing several players to play on both sides of the ball. This season, Oliver expects to have more athletes to go around.

“We’re praying to be able to have at least four starters on each side,” he said. “We’re going to have to play three or four guys play both ways but we’re hoping to be able to take them off of special teams. Last year, we had eight guys who played everything, they never came off the field some games. That was tough.”

The Lions lost two crucial seniors last season in Ridge Darden, the Lions’ leading receiver, and Cameron Savoy, an All-State lineman on both offense and defense. With his son, Ty, making a return as starting quarterback, Olivier will have a familiar starting point to rebuild his offense.

“We’re trying to keep the offense balanced and I’m pretty excited about it,” said Olivier. “Sanford (Edwards) took the reins as offensive coordinator this season and he loves to pass the ball. I think we have some weapons this year, especially with the emergence of Noah Lanclos at wide receiver and Brandon Judice, two guys that catch the ball really well.”

Edwards, a familiar face in the local football community, said that he is excited to take over as OC this year. Unlike a new coach, he already has a leg up thanks to his relationship with his starting QB.

“Ty is a very smart kid, especially in football,” Edwards said of Ty Olivier. “I’ve been knowing him for a while, since I coached pee-wee football with Carroll. We have a nice bond outside of sports so it works well on the field. We might not always agree and we might butt heads, but we both know how to get to the end and be successful.”

Edwards said his plan is to run a fast-paced offense focusing on passing the ball and spreading defenses. Paired with Carroll Olivier’s penchant for a hard-nosed running game, the offense should be able to pick up yards regardless of what opposition defense can throw at them.

At pre-season 7-on-7 tournaments, ACS is already showing their potential.

“We had a spring 7-on-7 against the Abbeville Blue Knights and they were pretty good and they had a lot of good athletes,” Olivier said. “We went toe-to-toe with them and ended with a tie, so I’m happy with that. We followed that with a trip to Southeastern and did well. Brandon Judice went absolutely crazy, he had to have at least seven touchdowns out there. He’s very crafty and he’s a student of the game, so they couldn’t do anything against him. We did well, lost a few games by a single possession and we won our last game.”

The Lions will once again play their home games at New Iberia Senior High. The ACEL season begins on August 7 and will run through October 13.