LAFAYETTE — Leadership is easy to spot during a Lafayette Renaissance football practice.
Whether he's encouraging teammates between drills or setting the pace during workouts, senior edge rusher Ansinneo Charles has become the voice the Tigers rally around.
As Lafayette Renaissance prepares for another season after reaching the playoffs in each of its first two years as a varsity program, head coach Hunter Landry believes his defensive captain has taken on the role of an extension of the coaching staff.
"He holds guys to the same standard that he holds himself, and that we hold the kids to," Landry said. "It's nice to have basically another coach on the field."
Charles embraces that responsibility.
"I'm a vocal leader and I lead by example," Charles said. "The coaches point me out because I'm doing everything right — running through drills, stretching, bringing energy. They want the other guys to be like me."
His relentless work ethic is fueled by more than football.
Charles said his mother is his biggest motivation and the driving force behind everything he does.
"That's my heart for real," Charles said. "I'm doing this really trying to retire her."
That motivation translated into a breakout junior season, helping establish Charles as one of Acadiana's top defensive prospects. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound edge rusher has drawn recruiting interest from Louisiana, Syracuse and Mississippi State, among others.
But Charles says his focus remains on helping Lafayette Renaissance reach new heights before moving on to the next level.
"I'm trying to win the state championship my last year," Charles said. "Then go to the collegiate level and work there, show these NFL scouts that I'm a player, I'm a playmaker. I can perform on Sundays."
Landry believes Charles has the tools to achieve those goals.
"The sky is the limit for him," Landry said. "You can have all the physical intangibles needed to get there, but if you don't have the work ethic and the mindset, then you're behind. He has those things."
Charles understands that his teammates follow his example, a role he says the coaching staff challenged him to embrace from the beginning.
"This is important because the coaches told me from the first week that I was going to be the leader," Charles said. "Ever since I stepped up to that, everybody's been following, and everything's been going good."
With expectations continuing to rise for the Tigers, Charles believes the team's commitment has never been stronger. Now, his goal is to help lead LRCA to its first appearance in the state championship game this December.
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