LAFAYETTE PARISH (LAFAYETTE) — From dress-up days to the dance, homecoming is always an exciting time for students. But for one Lafayette high school, this year’s celebration has been a bit more hectic.
Lafayette Christian Academy’s football team was gearing up for its homecoming game against Lake Arthur High School this Friday — until that game was canceled.
“Uh, I mean, I was kinda disappointed ‘cause it’s football, and being a senior, you want these last games, moments with your brothers and your friends,” said senior wide receiver Jace Babineaux.
Babineaux said his senior season has gone well so far, with the Knights holding a 9–1 record. But on Wednesday morning, the school posted on social media that Lake Arthur had forfeited Friday’s matchup.
As for why, Lafayette Christian officials declined to share details publicly.
“That’s some stuff that we kinda talked about as administration that we just wanted to keep behind the curtain a little bit,” said Head Coach Matt Standiford. “You know, stuff that principals have dealt with, and there’s really no need for us to put it out there.”
KATC reached out to Lake Arthur High School, which directed questions to Benjamin Oustalet, assistant superintendent for Jeff Davis Parish Schools.
Here's Oustalet's full statement:
The Jefferson Davis Parish School Board and Lake Arthur High School regret that our football team will not compete in the scheduled game against Lafayette Christian Academy on Friday, November 7, 2025. This decision followed careful consideration of our current team circumstances, always with the safety and well-being of our student-athletes as our top priority.
While we understand the disappointment this brings to both school communities—particularly to our players, coaches, and the LCA Homecoming festivities—we appreciate everyone’s understanding and support. Lake Arthur High School values its ongoing relationship with Lafayette Christian Academy and looks forward to future contests that reflect the sportsmanship and mutual respect shared between our schools.
He later explained that the team had an unexpectedly large number of varsity players with injuries.
“Man, it’s tough, you know, ‘cause you don’t ever wanna talk about another school,” Standiford said. “You’re not in their situation, you’re not in their shoes to understand really what they’re going through.”
Despite the canceled game, Standiford said Lafayette Christian plans to keep the homecoming spirit alive.
“We’re still gonna go throughout the rest of this week celebrating. The dance is still gonna go on, and the kids are gonna have a lotta fun,” he said.
Babineaux said the team will maintain that positive energy as they prepare for the postseason.
“Obviously, we’re gonna have our fun, do our thing, but these next two weeks we gotta stay focused and grind,” he said. “We can’t slack off. We gotta stay focused on our end goal — the state championship.”
Lafayette Christian’s next home game is scheduled for Nov. 21, marking the start of the playoffs. The school announced that the homecoming court will be presented during halftime of that game, when the king and queen will also be crowned.
