First Baptist Christian School opens Thursday against four-time defending state champion John Paul the Great
The First Baptist Christian School Eagles do not have to wait long to find out how good they can be in 2026.
After last week’s scheduled season opener against Natchitoches Parish Christian Academy was canceled when NPCA was unable to field a team, First Baptist will open its season Thursday, Aug. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Broussard Sports Complex. And the opponent could hardly provide a tougher opening test: four-time defending state champion John Paul the Great.
For fourth-year Eagles head coach Grayson Standiford, however, this season is about more than seeing whether First Baptist can compete with the standard-bearer in its league. After the Eagles produced the winningest season in program history with a 5-5 record last year, Standiford believes his veteran team is ready to take another step.
Asked what constitutes a reasonable goal for the Eagles this season, Standiford needed only five words.
“Playing for a state championship.”
Senior core gives Eagles reason for optimism
First Baptist enters the season with a 20-player roster, including seven seniors, and much of the optimism begins with two-time All-State running back and linebacker Benji Moore.
Moore rushed for 1,000 yards last season and has twice earned All-State recognition on both sides of the football.
He will be joined in the backfield by one of the most intriguing additions to the Eagles’ offense — 6-foot-5 senior quarterback Luke Smith.
Smith gives First Baptist a true passing threat in an offense that Standiford believes could be particularly difficult to defend.
“He is a six-foot-five pocket passer that can run a little bit,” Standiford said. “I don’t want to put pressure on him, but he might be one of the top five quarterbacks in Acadiana at any level. He can really sling it.”
And Smith will have experienced targets.
Gavin Francis, an All-State wide receiver last season, returns, as does Luke Page. Former quarterback Judah Pritchard moves into the slot, where the Eagles can take advantage of his versatility as both a runner and receiver.
That combination could make the Eagles considerably more dangerous through the air than they have been in the past. First Baptist provided a preview of that potential during seven-on-seven competition this summer, going 9-2 against competition that included LHSAA programs Pine Prairie, Berchmans Academy and Mamou, along with a victory over Lafayette Christian Academy’s second unit.
Strength in the trenches
For all of the offensive skill talent, the Eagles’ ability to make it work will depend on a veteran group up front.
Nate Hill, last season’s league Defensive MVP, is slated to play guard. Carter McLemore will line up at center, with sophomore Aiden Esler at the other guard position.
Many of those same players will anchor Standiford’s defense. Hill, McLemore and Esler will be joined up front by Page, while Moore and freshman P.J. Matthews are expected at linebacker. Pritchard and Francis will man the corner positions.
The experience of that group is one reason Standiford sees senior leadership as the defining strength of this year’s team.
“They realize that they have to carry the weight of the team,” Standiford said, “but they realize that they can’t do it without everybody else.”
The Eagles also have a group of eighth- and ninth-graders getting their first taste of tackle football. Standiford said summer participation was excellent and several of those younger players have already begun making contributions.
The champions come to Broussard
There will be little time for the younger Eagles to ease into varsity football.
John Paul the Great has won four consecutive state championships, and its veer offense has proven exceptionally difficult for opponents to solve.
Standiford knows exactly where Thursday’s game will be decided.
“If you can stop the veer, you have a chance,” he said. “And nobody’s really done that the last four years. I think they’ve won four straight state championships. Don’t think they’ve lost in four years. … It’s about getting in those gaps and stopping that running attack.”
The Guardians have already demonstrated that their offense remains formidable, opening their season last week with a 58-8 victory over SWLA.
That makes Thursday night an immediate measuring stick for an Eagles team seeking to move from last year’s breakthrough season into championship contention.
Learning the details of eight-man football
Standiford believes one of the lessons of his first three seasons at First Baptist is that eight-man football often turns on details that can be overlooked in the traditional 11-man game.
Two-point conversions are routine, making red-zone execution particularly important. Onside kicks are also common, requiring considerably more practice on both kicking and receiving.
“The details of special teams are huge,” Standiford said.
Offensively, Kevin Page will serve as offensive coordinator, while Standiford will coordinate the defense. Joseph Harp and Britton Burgess will handle special-teams duties, with Burgess slated to kick.
But the greatest difference Standiford hopes to see in 2026 is consistency.
Last season’s Eagles alternated between wins and losses as they fought their way to the program’s first .500 season. This group, he believes, has the maturity to change that pattern.
“It’s going to be an exciting year,” Standiford said. “Last year was really up and down: win one, lose one, win one, lose one. I think you’re going to see a lot more consistency. And I think you’re going to see a group of guys that are determined to leave a legacy.”
More than football
For Standiford, however, the legacy he wants his players to leave cannot be measured solely by a win-loss record or even a championship trophy.
At First Baptist, football is also intended to help prepare boys to become Christian men.
“We really talk about growing up and becoming a man and making a sacrifice,” Standiford said. “We talk about sacrifice to self, sacrifice to the team.”
The lesson applies directly to football — a running back cannot succeed unless teammates are willing to block — but Standiford wants his players to understand that the principle extends well beyond the field.
“As a husband and a father, and in your profession, things don’t always go like you want them to,” he said. “You have to make sacrifices for other people, sometimes for the whole team to be successful.”
That emphasis follows a summer in which Standiford said almost every member of the team participated in at least one mission trip.
The challenge now is to carry those lessons onto the football field.
“When you take Christ onto the field with you,” Standiford said, “then you don’t get penalties. You don’t disrespect your school. You don’t disrespect the name of Christ. You learn to handle yourself with a little more character and a little better attitude.”
The atmosphere surrounding the program is growing as well. Standiford said the school’s cheerleading and pep squad program is being rebuilt under Amber Guillot, while the football parent booster group is assisting with pregame and postgame meals and other support for the team.
Now comes the football.
Seven seniors. A two-time All-State running back and linebacker. A 6-foot-5 quarterback capable of stretching the field. Two experienced receiving targets. The reigning league Defensive MVP in the trenches. And a group that believes last year’s record-setting season should be a beginning rather than a destination.
They will find out quickly how far they have come.
First Baptist Christian School opens the 2026 season Thursday, Aug. 13, at 6:30 p.m. against four-time defending state champion John Paul the Great at the Broussard Sports Complex.
J. Christian Lewis/AI Assisted