Family and Football: Acadiana’s Braxton Scriber Pulls Off Night of Sharing in Brother’s Wedding, Helping Rams to Victory over Zachary

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

For nearly a year Candice Scriber’s wedding plans for her oldest son had gone accordingly. With the big day set for Sept. 14 in Rayne, final preparations had begun for the union of Blaise Scriber and Paige Courville.

Their families couldn’t wait, until the appearance of another female barged into the picture. 

Tropical storm-turned-hurricane Francine posed a potential threat to either Texas or Louisiana at the beginning of the week. It further gained strength with a discernible eastern path that piqued the curiosity of those residents in southwest Louisiana. It’s almost a rite of passage for those living in these parts to expect some disruption in their lives at this time of year at the expense of warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. 

While the family’s wedding was certainly the highlight of the week there was also the prospect of Acadiana High football. The Scribers have been season ticket holders since 2011 and have had three sons play for the Wrecking Rams, including senior offensive guard Braxton this year.

The Rams were set to host fellow power Zachary at Bill Dotson Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday, allowing the family to tailgate with the Courvilles, watch Braxton play, and a day later, have him serve as a groomsman in his brother’s wedding.

“I looked really forward to this,” Braxton said of the wedding. “My brother was really excited for this, and I wanted to be there for him and my future sister-in-law.”

But Francine didn’t go away quietly, meandering its way eastward and midway through the week appeared to make a path for the Acadiana area before drifting further toward the east. 

Acadiana coach Matt McCullough and Zachary’s David Brewerton discussed contingencies on Monday and by Wednesday the game had been moved to 7 p.m. Saturday – the same as the Scriber’s wedding. 

Candice was mortified after receiving a late-night text about the new day of the football game.  

“We thought the hurricane had moved east on Wednesday, we thought it was great,” said Candice, a 1987 graduate of Acadiana High. “I’m on the couch relaxing, thinking everything’s great. My sister-in-law sent me a snapshot of the Acadiana High Football Facebook page on Wednesday at 10 p.m. saying to spread the word, the game had been changed to Saturday at 7 p.m.”

“That was the first time I saw it,” Candice said. “(Wife of Acadiana coach Matt McCullough) Kristin (McCullough) texted me. They (the coaches) had to compromise. It’s a big game. I checked on the electrical company’s web page and there wasn’t one house in Zachary that had lost electricity. The hurricane didn’t go that way. It was due to school closures and practicing.  Although I didn’t understand it, she’s said she was going to help.”

Acadiana High Football is a Way of Life in Scriber Household

Venues in the Lafayette suburb of Scott were closing ahead of Francine’s path such as a hotel that forced family from Texas to cancel reservations and miss the wedding. Some of the scheduled events the women in the two families had planned for such as getting their nails done, or tans, had to be rescheduled or scrapped. 

“I had the football game in the back of my mind the whole entire time,” Braxton said. “I was locked in, but I was having fun. I knew I had that goal in the back of my mind that I had to win this football game, and that I had a very important job after the wedding. It was just always on my mind.”

With so much time and effort invested in supporting Acadiana football, including having her older sons Blaise and Brice play for the Rams, Candice understood the relevance of the football game taking place. 

However, her sons had to dissuade her from expressing her views on social media because she was so invested in her son’s wedding which would result in the addition of a daughter-in-law.

“I was distraught,” said Candice, who said she’s missed one home game in the last 14 years. “My boys didn’t want me to get on Facebook and embarrass them. My husband said he (Braxton) needed to play this game, that he was part of a team. Braxton wouldn’t have it any other way and that he could do both. He said he wanted to beat Zachary. I just accepted it, and it was going to be what it was.”

Blaise, a former offensive tackle who played at McNeese State, understood the importance of his brother missing the wedding ceremony to play in the team’s home opener. That endorsement went a long way in giving Braxton a sense of comfort in being with his teammates in high-stakes regular-season game.

“It was stressful for me, but I wasn’t scared that I wasn’t going to make it to something,” Braxton said. “I knew I was going to be there for my brother Blaise, and I was going to play for my brothers that Saturday night. I knew I had to make a decision on what I was going to do and how I was going to do it, and thankfully coach McCullough made some things happen and helped me out a lot. I couldn’t miss a game at all. It’s my senior season and a lot of people are relying on me to be there. I couldn’t miss it, but I also couldn’t miss my brother’s wedding either.”

The 6-foot-1, 270-pound Braxton Scriber is a two-year starter and key member of Acadiana’s offensive line that paves the way for the Rams’ vaunted veer offense. He’s dressed out with the team since his freshman season and now as a senior, wasn’t about to not show up when his team relied on him.

“Braxton is a tough, hard-working kid,” Coach McCullough said. “He shows up every day, never misses in the summer. He has played well for us this season. He’s a great kid.”

A Night Filled with a Wedding and Football

Braxton took part in pre-wedding day ceremonies on Friday, went duck hunting overnight, and returned to a bed-and-breakfast his mother secured for Saturday.

With Francine having moved out of Louisiana, creating little more than a ripple in the Acadiana area, plans for the wedding proceeded with the wedding party taking pictures at 3 p.m. that afternoon – 4 ½ hours ahead of kickoff for the game that had been pushed back to 7:30 p.m. to accommodate Scriber.

Braxton, outfitted in his tuxedo, posed for pictures that will one day adorn the two family’s homes. Following that detail, the wedding party staged an exit for the happy couple, complete with Braxton doing ‘The Griddy’ in his football uniform that he had changed into for the game.

After initial discussions where McCullough considered a police escort to get Braxton from the wedding venue to Bill Dotson Stadium, he audibled to his wife Kristin to handle the important duties of safely delivering his starting offensive guard.

Braxton made it to the stadium approximately 45 minutes ahead of the start of the game and immediately joined his teammates for the highly anticipated matchup.

“I guess I’m a different animal,” he said. “I just knew I was locked in. I had a goal and as soon as that moment came … as soon as I started strapping up … I knew I was locked in and ready to go.”

For the second straight week, Acadiana was facing a formidable foe after opening with a 35-27 loss at reigning state champion Ruston, the state’s top-ranked non-select team in Division I. The Rams, ranked No. 4, were hosting the No. 5 Broncos who were in the state runner-up to Ruston. 

The two heavyweights traded blows with Acadiana jumping out to an early 15-0 lead. Zachary rallied to force a 22-22 deadlock at halftime which was extended by inclement weather. 

Acadiana trailed 28-22 in the fourth quarter when the Rams’ Jonah Gauthier broke off scoring runs of 68 and 46 yards, respectively, and the Rams went on to a 43-28 victory, sending those at the wedding reception into an uproar while watching the game on television.

Braxton played his usual behind-the-scenes role, combining with an offensive line to pave the way for Acadiana to register 502 total yards with 394 of those on the ground. Gauthier was the beneficiary of his team’s dominance up front with 265 yards on 24 carries.

“We had a lot of battles we faced during that game, a lot of things that didn’t go our way with penalties, but we always overcame it,” Braxton said. “We all fought. We had a good week of practice and were ready for the game. I can always put the trust in the running backs and the running backs can always trust me and the other lineman to block for them. We made holes that game and scored touchdowns.

“It was a very big win for us,” Braxton said. “We always want to beat any opponent that we play, and Zachary was one of the better teams on our schedule this year. It was a really big goal to beat them, especially since we’ve been practicing for them since the summer.”

A Celebration All Around 

The second half of the family’s plan to have Braxton part in the reception included Kinzi David, his brother Brice’s fiancée, leaving the reception and whisking Braxton away within minutes of the game’s final whistle.

That meant in full uniform that was drenched in sweat, he made the 20-plus minute drive from Scott to Rayne to the reception had already concluded at 11 p.m.

“I was ready to go and be there for my brother,” he said. “I knew I had missed a lot of fun. I wanted to live some of the fun up.  I stayed in my gear and got there as fast as I could.”

Braxton walked through the door at 11:21 p.m. which had significantly thinned out. He embraced immediate family and friends, sharing a hug with his new sister-in-law that he picked up off the floor like a discarded defensive lineman.

The moment had more than 23,000 views on the Acadiana High School Facebook page.

“It was very emotional,” Candice said. “There were lots of videos and high-fives and screaming. We were on the dance floor jumping up and down. It made it worth it. I’m not sure if it would have been the same reaction if we had lost. There was no option. We were winning.”

Candice shared a heartwarming story from the mother of Acadiana senior quarterback Caden Dibetta that spoke to the close-knit nature of this year’s 24-member senior class. 

When there appeared to be a dilemma early last week facing Braxton, and the possibility existed of him having to make a choice of family over football, Dibetta’s mom was adamant her son did not want to take the field without Braxton.

“I told her that was not an option,” Candice said. “She thanked us for our selflessness. It just shows the teamwork and dedication these kids have.”

Both of Braxton’s brothers were part of the same fraternity at Acadiana. Blaise, a graduate in 2015, and Brice, a 2020 graduate, were both two two-year starters, paving the way for a family legacy that’s continued with the youngest brother where Braxton’s in pursuit of an elusive state championship – a pinnacle both of his brothers reached during their careers.

“I’ll remember everything,” Braxton said of the weekend. “That’s one of the best memories of my life, one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. My brother and future sister-in-law were relying on me to be there for them, so I knew I had to be there for my family. But I had to be there for my brothers on the football field. It’s always going to be a very good memory.”