Heart of Hearts: Franklin Parish coach Adrian Burnette walks daughter for homecoming, coaches team to victory in full suit
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
It was getting close to the six-minute mark of the second quarter of Frankin Parish’s football game when Andrané Burnette looked up to see where her father was.
Andrané was part of the school’s 14-member homecoming court, a senior maid, who had a date with her father, football coach Adrian Burnette, who would walk her during the halftime celebration.
Adrian was adamant about juggling his duties as head coach with the responsibility of walking his daughter across the field on her big night. Once the Patriots were finished with a drive and in control of Peabody with a 28-0 lead, he ducked into the team’s locker room, where a pristine black suit, white shirt, and red tie awaited.
He changed into his Sunday best on a still warm Friday evening to experience of a lifetime, walking arm in arm with his daughter who had enjoyed a long week of activities.
“Our sponsor told us our fathers had to be there with six minutes until halftime,” Andrané said. “I was looking, and my dad was still on the field, and wondered if he remembered.”
He didn’t forget.
Adrian emerged from the locker room and headed straight to meet his daughter across the track for their walk across the field, where she was later announced as a senior sweetheart.
“There was a lot of fanfare because they’re not used to seeing coach in a suit,” Adrian said of the crowd. “Normally, it’s some type of sportswear. The entire week I was going to make this moment about her. I was going to make sure I made the proper time commitment.”
Like a veteran coach, Adrian’s used to adjustments, and when his daughter was selected to Frankin Parish’s homecoming court, the wheels began to turn. He discussed some of the logistics with his coaching staff and when he would leave the team’s sideline to get dressed for the halftime presentation.
The only stipulation for the plan to work was in the interest of time, Adrian would coach the second half dressed in his suit.
“That was a fair trade-off, and I think that was the cool thing about it,” he said. “I was not going to be in a situation where I did not walk. If I felt it would have been a tougher situation, I may have coached the whole game in my suit. It was never going to be an option of not walking her across that field.”
Adrian returned to the sideline as one of the nation’s best-dressed head coaches, outfitted with his customary headsets, and guided the Patriots to a 55-14 victory over Peabody in a District 2-4A matchup.
“There were some laughter and cheers,” Adrian said of his sideline attire. “I think everyone enjoyed and appreciated it. I had some old-school people tell me that’s how they used to coach on the sideline back in the day. I wanted to be in a situation where I represented my daughter, and I did that. The good thing was that it was in October and not September.”
Sixth-ranked Frankin Parish (5-2) remained tied with Tioga for the district lead heading into consecutive road games with Grant and Wossman. The Patriots host Tioga in the regular season finale on Nov. 7.
“By the time I got to the locker room had taken my tie and coat off, it was a bit more relaxed,” he said. “I have a veteran group that’s been around me a long time. We had a good time with it, had some good laughs. Now it’s about getting ready for next week.”
Andrané had been part of high school football royalty before. She had been named a freshman maid on Wossman’s homecoming court in 2022.
She joined her father at Franklin Parish in Winnsboro and has been a part of the school’s cheer team, soccer, and track teams.
“My daughter’s been the consummate soldier, whether it’s been different jobs, practice or games, travel, meetings,” Adrian said. “She’s always been understanding and supportive and we’ve always been able to move how been able to move. I know I wouldn’t trade her for the world, and I don’t think she would either.”
As a member of the cheer team, Andrané has had an up-close view of her father’s work at Frankin Parish, which he’s steadily built into a district championship program. The Patriots achieved the school’s best performance (since it consolidated in 2005) with a 10-2 record and a trip to the Division II non-select state quarterfinals last season.
Adrian’s gone 31-10 in his fourth season and has the Patriots off to a 5-2 record and in the hunt for another district championship.
“I’m very proud of him,” she said. “I knew he could do it. A lot of people have come up to say my dad’s been of been the best thing at Franklin Parish in a while.”
Andrané has created her own niche, cheering for the past three years, and advancing to the Division II regional track meet in the shot put.
She’s also serious about academics and, like her father, who played college football at Tulane, Andrané will have her pick between Southern, Texas State, and Alcorn – three schools where she’s already been accepted to attend.
“She’s at every game and cheers for us, and that makes her love it,” Adrian said. “That’s kind of her way of being a part of it, and we’ve always kind of tied it together like that.”
Homecoming week is a time full of revelry for a high school student, and with her inclusion on this year’s court, Andrané was in for the time of her life.
Adrian wanted to make sure of it.
“I’m all about my daughter,” he said. “When she was voted onto the court, she didn’t know the logistics of it. I told her it was her moment and whatever I had to do, whatever I could do to make the moment more about her, that’s what I was going to do.”
Franklin Parish High had several events planned for the week that included a tea and coronation in which everyone dressed in formal attire, a parade in which Adrian drove his daughter through downtown Winnsboro in a corvette, and finally the big game on Friday.
“I just felt like that I’m one of my dad’s biggest priorities,” Andrané said. “I wasn’t thinking he couldn’t do it.”
Adrian Burnette and his coaching staff prepared the team throughout, finalizing a game plan that went accordingly on Friday.
The Patriots, who were breaking in 12-13 new starters this season, were also getting back some injured players from a stretch where they lost to Calvary Baptist (33-30) and Ouachita Parish (42-14). They opened district play with a convincing win over West Ouachita (55-28) going into the Peabody game and DJ Neal and Chris Addison were among players returning from injuries.
“We have three, four, or five big names and everybody hangs their hats on those names,” Adrian said. “What they don’t know we had a lot of new starters, and we’ve had a lot of guys out with injuries. With the injuries, we had some young guys into the rotation with three freshmen on defense.
“We’ve used the first part of the season to get everyone acclimated to the speed of the game, to what we do well,” Adrian said. “We know we want to be playing well in November and December.”
LSU commitment Dezryian Ellis, the team’s senior quarterback, accounted for his 100th career touchdown, passing for 217 yards and three touchdowns, and totaled 263 total yards. Junior running back Treylon Martin, who recently picked up scholarship offers from LSU, Alabama, and Florida, added 72 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Three different receivers caught touchdowns, with junior Kaiden Seals catching three passes for 66 yards, sophomore Kaaron Jones (3-41, TD), and senior Malique Credit (3-48, TD).
Junior Connor Linder was part of a defense that forced two turnovers and led the Patriots with six tackles. Addison and freshman Chris Lewis added five tackles apiece.
“I understand him more being on the cheer team,” Andrané said of her dad. “I was trying to tell some of the girls what was going on. I know so much because I’m always there.”
Friday nights in the fall usually translate into Adrian and Andrané going their separate ways until they’re within the same vicinity of one another by kickoff.
Adrian brings intensity and attention to detail to the sideline that’s seldom shaken by outside distractions. He’s channeling his energy on the players in front of him and communicating with his assistants, and having a hand on the pulse of his team throughout their 48-minute game. Timeouts and halftime are brief periods that further close in the walls around Burnette and his team to reach a common goal.
Imagine going into Friday’s game where Franklin Parish’s success was rivaled by that of Adrane’s joy.
“If she had a vote, it would have been for me to be daddy for the whole night,” he said. “Just sit in the stands and watch the game, and then come and walk with her across the field. I had to remind her that your daddy’s still got a job to do.”
With Franklin Parish in possession of the ball and closing in on the halfway mark of the second quarter, it was easy to understand where Adrian’s attention may have been placed, but he never lost sight of his daughter’s big moment.
“One of our coaches came up to me and said my daughter was trying to get my attention,” Adrian said. “She was worried from a time standpoint. She was excited. She was going to make sure it worked no matter what, and I didn’t want her to worry about anything.
“I believe in dressing up, just like I encourage all of our guys to dress up in a shirt and tie for our football banquet,” Adrian said. “I still value dressing up at some point and time. That’s my moment as a coach and mentor, whatever the case may be, giving kids a chance to dress up a bit. Once I got her back to the stage, I had to turn back into coach mode, but she was definitely beautiful Friday night. It was really surreal.”
The thought of spending time together with her father on a Friday evening wasn’t something Andrané was accustomed to. She cheered from a distance, pulled for her dad’s team until the game was over, until they went home together.
The week was something she could have only dreamed about but in reality, Adrian was there for every step his daughter took from the parade, coronation, tea and game.
They shared a conversation on the field until the court walked across the field and was presented in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
“For me, it was a perfect night,” she said. “It was a big night with my dad walking me, knowing he had something to do. We had a good time talking to each other. It was kind of nerve-wracking, but he was by my side. I was good. I’m thankful he took the time to walk me Friday.”