Thunderbolts: Westminster emerges as Lafayette’s latest success story
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
The blueprint of Acadiana High’s rise to prominence was a development that Ken Gable had firsthand knowledge.
First, as an offensive lineman under position coach Ted Davidson, and later as an assistant coach under Matt McCullough, Gable understood the role the veer offense played in the Wreckin’ Rams’ success and the hard work and discipline that were fabrics in the school’s six state championships.
Westminster Christian Academy expanded its campus in Lafayette in 2019 to include a high school and the prospect of beginning a football program.
The Chargers had a ramp-up to taking on a full-fledged varsity schedule, which included an 8-6 record against junior varsity competition in 2022-23.
Gable, who began his coaching career with current Acadiana head coach Doug Dotson while they were at Comeaux, left his role as offensive coordinator and assistant coach following the Rams’ Division I select state runner-up to start from scratch at the Lafayette area’s newest high school.
He brought the same philosophy, instituting Acadiana’s famed split-back veer, which had roots in 1973 under iconic coach Bill Dotson, whose namesakes adorns Acadiana High’s stadium.
“It’s been a process to establish a culture here,” Gable said. “Coming from Acadiana and trying to take that winning mindset, the toughness, it doesn’t happen overnight. But we’ve had some success early, and the guys that started when I got here bought into it, and we’re seeing the fruits of having kids that have been in the system for three years.”
Westminster went 7-4 in Gable’s first season in 2024. The Chargers defeated reigning Division IV select state champion Vermilion Catholic in district play and took Opelousas Catholic down to the wire in a 34-33 first-round playoff loss.
“It took the buy-in from that senior class, coming in and kind of changing their system,” Gable said. “We had some success with a talented group of kids there. We jumped on them and were up 21 (points) at half. You could see that our kids had never been there and just thought the game was over.
“Opelousas Catholic came out, and they had some players,” Gable said. “Before you knew it, they had scored three touchdowns. We fought and played until the end. We actually took the lead late, and then they came back and scored.”
That led to a team with only four seniors going on to enjoy another seven-win season that included the school’s first playoffs win, a 26-21 road upset of Sacred Heart-Ville Platte, before being eliminated by Catholic-Pointe Coupee in the regional round.
Westminster’s rise includes a 3-0 start this season and the program’s first statewide ranking of No. 9 in the past two weeks in the LSWA’s Class 1A poll.
The Chargers open District 7-1A play with Centerville at 7 p.m. Thursday at Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy in Youngsville.
“We’ve been playing well,” said Gable, who is 17-9 in his third season. “We’ve got to keep it going, and we have to stay healthy. It’s been a good start to the season. I think it’s happening a lot faster than I expected and probably for a lot of other people. Our kids have bought in, and they’ve done a great job and had a lot of support from families. It’s been a fun ride.”
Gable’s association with Westminster preceded his football interests.
The school was a place where his wife was a teacher, and his daughter was a student.
“I just felt like God was calling me here,” he said. “It’s a great school, a great place. We had a long-term relationship as parents, and then my wife was a teacher here. I knew the school and kind of prayed on it and felt God calling me here.
“We wanted to get to a place where my son (Pierce) was going to eighth grade and find a place where he would be able to play high school football,” he said. “We also wanted a place that could kind of pour into him, not only athletically but academically and spiritually, and we felt like this was the best place to do it.”
The decision to leave the stability of Acadiana, a Class 5A power, where such former coaches as Bill Dotson, Williard Hanks, Ted Davidson, Matt McCullough, and now Doug Dotson – longtime stakeholders for one of the state’s foremost programs – created a rare transition for Gable to a Class 1A program and starting from the ground level.
It made for some early unsettling moments.
“I remember going home after my first practice, and I told my wife that we had a long way to go to get to where we need to go,” Gable said. “I was going from an established place to a ground-up place. It was kind of a unique opportunity.
“There’s not a lot of new high schools pop up, and the ability to have your fingerprints on the culture, and kind of what we do, not only as a football program, but as an athletic program,” Gable said. “It was just kind of enticing, plus my love for the school, and I thought we could do something special. We’ve been blessed the first three years.”
Gable began introducing the Acadiana way almost immediately. Prior to his arrival, Westminster was a spread team with five receivers for its first two seasons against non-varsity competition.
There were blocking schemes to teach and finding running backs willing to exhibit the same determination and will that he was accustomed to being around.
“It’s kind of cool to see the veer continue on,” he said. “I think we do it at a high level. Obviously, I have a ton of experience in it and played in it. I have been taught by some of the best to do it, and I feel like we do a pretty good job of it. Our kids are finally understanding it and executing it.”
To achieve his style of play and develop a mindset of physicality on the offensive line, Gable was without a vital resource.
“They didn’t have a weight room when I got here,” he said. “They didn’t really hit at practice. It wasn’t a physical brand.”
Gable’s now grateful to a group of donors that provided the financing needed to build a weight room, helping foster his on-field mantra to dominate on the line of scrimmage, and an increase in strength was imperative.
“The kids bought in,” he said.
An additional 20 acres have since been purchased adjacent to the school that is earmarked for future athletic facilities such as a stadium.
The Chargers play their home games this season at ARCA, their third different stadium after beginning at Acadiana in 2024 and Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy last season.
“There are a lot of things that we still need,” Gable said. “There’s a lot of exciting growth in the future.”
Westminster split its first four games of 2025, beginning with a 26-16 win over Class 3A Albany, but later dropped consecutive games to its sister school, Westminster-Opelousas, and Ascension Christian.
The Chargers capped the regular season with a 20-19 win over Vermilion Catholic, creating momentum for the postseason that featured a five-point win at Sacred Heart-VP in the first round – the program’s first playoff win.
They were eliminated the following week by fourth-seeded Catholic-PC, creating a sense of accomplishment with only four seniors on the team’s roster.
“When I first got here, I had the same goals even though I didn’t know how realistic they were,” Gable said. “Our goals are to try to win a district championship and make the playoffs. If that happens, then practice at Thanksgiving (quarterfinal round), and after that we want to put ourselves in a position to win the whole thing. Those goals are still the goals, and the first thing on the list is to try and put ourselves in position to compete for a district championship.”
WCA started to develop a foundation with players such as quarterback Zade Prejean, Gable’s son Pierce, a running back/linebacker, Ethan Simon, also a running back/linebacker, Andre Greene, a running back/linebacker, and Dane Fontenot, an offensive lineman/tight end/linebacker.
Pierce Gable was the team’s leading rusher in ’25 with 154 carries for 1,127 yards and 16 TDs. Simon rushed for 900 yards and scored 12 TDs in ’24 but suffered a broken leg in the team’s fall scrimmage with Beau Chene and missed all of last season.
The move to WCA has also been enlightening for Gable after spending all of his coaching career at the Class 5A level. He’s found himself covering more ground with a smaller staff than in years past.
He’s also become aware of the depth in Division IV select teams led by reigning state champion Riverside Academy and runner-up Ascension Catholic, the latter of which travels to face the Chargers on Nov. 6 in the regular-season finale.
“Your staff is smaller, so you have to learn how to do everything as a coach,” Gable said. “I’ve gained a lot more respect for Division IV teams. I’ve learned to become a better coach, and I think it’s helped me do that. Having to learn the defensive side of the ball and special teams.
“When I was at Acadiana, I hadn’t really looked at the lower levels as a whole for maybe the top teams,” Gable said. “You don’t realize how difficult it is to be successful consistently. Division IV is a loaded bracket. If you make the playoffs in this division, you’re a pretty good football team.”
Westminster now fits such a description.
The Chargers brought back a total of 18 starters on a roster of 33 players, 20 of whom figure into the heavy lifting on game day.
“We’d love to have more numbers,” Gable said. “We have a ton of guys that play ‘iron man’ football going both ways, and some of them are on special teams. We have about 20 guys in ninth through 12th grades that can legitimately get on the field. We have some eighth graders on the roster that are there for practice.”
The Chargers have been dominant thus far, outscoring their first three opponents, 146-44.
“We have some really good skill players offensively, which makes the offense even more dangerous,” Gable said. “We have sophomores and juniors that have been starting for the third year. They’ve experienced a lot. Up front, we’re now making adjustments. The front has to be able to make the adjustments without me having to change the play.
“They’ve got to be able to make the blocking scheme adjustment regardless of whatever I call,” Gable said. “They’ve got to make it right depending on what people do, especially if people are moving around. We’re hoping to take that the next step this year.”
WCA garnered votes in the LSWA’s state rankings after its opening win over ARCA before cracking the Class 1A poll for the first time with a 50-8 win over Port Barre. The Chargers remained No. 9 for the second straight week entering the start of district play.
“We preach that we’ve got a long way to go,” Gable said. “The kids, myself, people with the school, it’s still an accomplishment for us, especially as a young program. Any time you do something for the first time, it’s a big deal.
“I told the kids, and it wasn’t to dampen it at all, we want to be proud of the work they’ve done,” Gable said. “A lot of times when you get in the rankings, it’s not just about this year’s team. It’s an accumulation of what’s been happening and what people see as the program. It’s not only to our current players, but even our past players that have helped set up that standard.”
Pierce Gable’s off to a torrid start with 51 carries for 508 yards – 9.8 yards per carry – and eight touchdowns. Prejean follows with 20 attempts for 335 yards and 4 TDs.
Their path to success has been created by an experienced senior trio on the offensive line: Michael Landry, Fontenot, who moved to tackle from tight end, and Max Bertrand.
“We have to do it with some smaller kids sometimes,” said Gable, whose biggest starter is 270 pounds with three more at 230. “It’s about pad level and coming off the ball. We’re not small for this level, and we’re extremely physical. The depth is the big thing. We have to stay healthy. For the most part, those guys have to play both ways.
“We’ve got to try and control the clock, kind of shorten the game to be successful,” Gable said. “The difference this year is we have explosive athletes. We’ve been breaking some long runs. We have some small athletes that can take advantage of the small creases.”
WCA, which scores 49 points a game, averages 387 rushing yards a game and 9.75 per carry.
Gable leads the Chargers with 17 tackles, four tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hurries, while Simon has 13 tackles, a tackle for loss and has recovered two fumbles. Junior cornerback Torin Ledet, a transfer from Comeaux, is another player coach Gable is experimenting with on offense, while Prejean’s younger brother Zeph, a freshman, is another option at wide receiver along with sophomore Graham Martin.
WCA embarks on a six-game district schedule with Centerville and concludes with an Oct. 30 trip to No. 4 Jeanerette, the reigning league champion.
The Chargers conclude the regular season with Ascension Catholic, one of two teams that were available; the other being 18-time state champion Haynesville, to fill their Week 10 opening.
“It was tough to find teams to play us because of what we do and the success we’ve had,” Gable said. “I think we’re a little more explosive this year than we’ve ever been. This is the best football team we’ve had since I’ve been here. We’ve just got to stay healthy.
“With the right bracket set up, the goal is to do that, and I’d like to show these kids what it feels like to practice at Thanksgiving,” Gable said. “That’s a pretty cool thing, something they’ve never had.”