A Season’s Crusade: Unbeaten Westminster-Opelousas winning in a variety of ways
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
It’s a part of the game Westminster Christian Academy-Opelousas practices each week but has rarely been used.
When Opelousas Catholic rallied to take a one-point lead with 1:31 remaining in their District 6-1A matchup last Thursday, the Crusaders took the artificial turf at renovated Donald Gardner Stadium with one timeout and plenty of optimism.
“I was hoping we could get close enough and we would have an opportunity to kick one,” Westminster coach Byron Porter said.
Led by the steady hand of senior quarterback Stephen George, WCA turned a solid kickoff return from Damien Thomas and a subsequent personal foul penalty into favorable field position. That helped lead to a 30-yard field goal from senior Mac Proffitt on the next-to-last play.
The Crusaders squibbed the kickoff and survived a series of laterals on the final play for a 24-22 victory.
“I just wanted to make sure we got the guy with the ball on the ground,” Porter said.
WCA (6-0, 3-0 in 6-1A) went into its final series with plenty of confidence, having completed the two-minute drill in practice. Now, with the pressure on, it was time to execute, and with George leading the way, the Crusaders positioned themselves for Proffitt’s final kick.
“That’s something we practice,” Porter said. “It helps to have a quarterback like Stephen George. He’s so poised. He was able to get everybody lined up and get the play communicated to everybody. They did a great job. We’ve never had to do that, so it was good to see under fire. The kids were able to be successful. They didn’t flinch after OC took the lead. We came back, marched it down, and got lined up.”
WCA wound up with two opportunities at the game-winning score in the final seconds of play.
Proffitt, the All-District 6-1A placekicker in 2024, lined up for a 35-yard attempt that was deflected at the time of scrimmage. However, Opelousas Catholic was penalized five yards for disconcerting signals, moving Proffitt five yards closer for his first field goal of the season.
“When we got the (personal foul) penalty, we were thinking just to get the ball in the middle (of the field),” Porter said. “We wanted to keep the clock running. We wanted to get it in place where Mac would be comfortable, and that’s what we did. I wanted to make sure we got everything blocked and had a good snap. I didn’t have any worries about him getting it through.
“Two years ago, when Mac was a sophomore against Sacred Heart (Ville Platte), we had taken the lead and then Sacred Heart tied it up in the second half,” Porter said. “We drove it down and they called a couple of timeouts back-to-back before he kicked it, trying to ice him with 14 seconds to go. He stood up and kicked it through for the win. He’s been golden for us.”
WCA emerged unscathed through a ‘gauntlet’ of a schedule with district wins over Catholic-Pointe Coupee (41-28), St. Heart (14-7), and Opelousas Catholic. The Crusaders, who travel to Class 2A Port Barre at 7 p.m. Friday, close out the regular season with league games at home with Berchman’s Academy, at North Central, and hosting St. Edmund for an opportunity to win the district.
WCA’s upward trend has resulted in the Crusaders becoming Division IV select’s No. 1 team in the power ratings, coupled with a season’s best No. 5 ranking in this week’s Class 1A rankings by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
“We talk about not playing the name on the jersey, play the people who show up,” said Porter, who was named the New Orleans Saints Coach of the Week following his team’s win over Sacred Heart. “We didn’t get caught up in the (Opelousas Catholic) game. There’s a lot of stuff that can grab your attention, so we’re staying focused. Let the main thing be the main thing is what we’ve talked about. We knew it would be a tough game coming in.
“Our kids are 6-0 and that’s great, but we’re not satisfied,” Porter said. “We know we’ve got more games left. We’re getting for Port Barre this week. I’m sure they’ll be ready to play. We’re going on the road, and we have to be ready. We talk about not eating the rat poison. Just keep our heads down and just keep playing.”
Porter changed the fortunes of WCA’s program in a relatively short amount of time. After a 2-8 record in his first season, the Crusaders were 8-4 a year ago, falling to eventual state champion Vermilion Catholic in the Division IV state regionals, setting the stage for this season.
“We’ve got an experienced coaching staff,” Porter said of his staff, which includes his son Brandon. “We’ve got kids that trust the process. We try and stay level-headed, play the next game, play the next play, and go about our business.”
WCA wound up seeing Vermilion Catholic twice in ’24. The Crusaders faced the Screaming Eagles in their fall scrimmage and were matched with the No. 1 seeded team, which handed them a 47-17 defeat in the second round of the playoffs.
“We knew they were a good team,” Porter said of the undefeated state champions. “We got to test ourselves a little bit, going up against a team of that caliber, and then played them in the playoffs. That was kind of our barometer. Playing against guys like St. Martin’s (a 36-17 loss) with (LSU running back signee) Harlem Berry, it showed the guys they could go out and compete and play with anybody. They just had to keep working, and that’s what they did.”
The Crusaders won five of their final six games of the regular season, stopping a losing streak to Opelousas Catholic (42-25), and registering a pair of shutouts over Berchman’s Academy (50-0) and North Central (63-0) before running into St. Edmund (42-27). They opened postseason play with a 54-12 win over Delhi Charter, the second straight year the program won its opening game after a 12-year dry spell.
WCA roared to a 3-0 start this season, outscoring its opponents, 155-14.
The first anticipated matchup – Sept. 12 – was against St. Martin’s, which it handled 42-7 before turning its attention a week later to its sister school – Westminster in Lafayette, which had won its first two games of the season.
George accounted for four touchdowns, including three through the air, and junior running back/linebacker Kyle Horde rushed for 115 yards, a touchdown, and led the defense with 11 tackles in a 49-7 victory.
“That was a big measuring stick,” Porter said. “We knew the Lafayette campus would come in ready to play. Coach (Kent) Gable does a good job of getting them ready. This is their second year in the LHSAA. We knew they would come in and provide us with a challenge, plus you want to have some bragging rights. We were fortunate to win the inaugural game (21-7), and we wanted to keep the streak going. That was a fun game to be a part of.”
WCA established its candidacy as a team to beat for the district title with three wins in a variety of ways.
The Crusaders exploded for 41 points in handing Catholic-PC its only loss of the season before having to grind out a defensive battle with Sacred Heart.
The early matchup with Opelousas Catholic had turned decidedly in WCA’s favor with a 21-10 advantage.
The Vikings responded with a pair of touchdowns in less than four minutes, taking a one-point lead with 1:31 left in the game.
George, who carried 11 times for 72 yards, calmy directed the offense, which was error free on the drive, and Horde added 154 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts.
Proffitt, who previously missed a 47-yard attempt earlier in this season, provided the difference for the Crusaders in the waning moments.
“That was a gauntlet,” Porter said of his team’s previous three games. “We were fortunate to not only win those games but came out with no serious injuries. It just adds fuel to the fire. Winning is contagious. They wanted to win; they wanted it bad. Hats off to our kids, especially with the last game we just played. We try to be the best in all three phases. I think we’ve shown that in the last three weeks.
“It’s a community rival game,” Porter said of Opelousas Catholic. “From what I understand, before we got there, that game hadn’t been too favorable. Those guys were excited to play in the first game of the renovated Donald Gardner Stadium, and it added more excitement to it. (OC) Coach (Cullen) Matherne does a great job with his guys, and they have a great program. Just measure yourself by going against teams like that week in and week out and being able to answer the bell, winning in different varieties. That showed who we were.”
George, the son of former Opelousas High and Southern quarterback Sam George, has looked every bit the part of a three-year starter.
“Stephen’s played a lot of ball for us,” Porter said. “He’s developed into the total package. He can hurt you with his arm and legs. Having a dad in the household that played the position, he’s a fast learner. He’s evolved into a great leader. He sees the field well and knows where the ball needs to go.
“On the last drive of the OC game, he was instrumental in getting guys lined up, keeping the ball where we wanted it,” Porter said. “A lot of that goes to his football IQ. Just being involved in the game in that moment.”
George has passed for 764 yards and nine touchdowns and added an additional 371 yards and 4 TDs on 34 rushing attempts. The 220-pound Horde leads WCA in rushing with 49 attempts for 506 yards and 7 TDs.
He’s also one of the team’s top defensive players and one of the top tacklers, along with junior Jack Hunt and senior Evan Lemon.
“He’s an attention getter when he walks in a room,” Porter said. “He works hard in the weight room. We had two good backs last year, and he didn’t get as many carries as he’s gotten this year. He’s a load to bring down when he gets a full head of steam, and he doesn’t fumble. When we first came in two years ago, he was a freshman, and he was getting everybody lined up and making the checks. He could run the defense himself.”
George’s top targets are seniors Damien Thomas (8-237, 5 TDs) and Gavin Frith (6-181, 3 TDs. Thomas, a first-team all-district receiver in 2023, missed some action last season with an injury and didn’t regain full health until the back half of the regular season.
Porter credits a great deal of his team’s success on offense to three returning starters on the offensive line.
Senior Connor Payne has returned from a season-ending knee injury and has teamed with fellow senior Cooper Campo and junior Matthew Lalonde. The Crusaders, who averaged 254 pounds across the front, also start junior Jayden Johnson and freshman Marques Butler.
“It’s good to see Connor out there again,” Porter said. “Cooper makes a lot of the calls from the center position. He gets everybody lined up and called out the protections. They support each other and work well with each other.”
Sophomore nose tackle Tonnerick Hayes – a 330-pound sophomore – has played an important role in the WCA’s defense, occupying blockers to enable Horde, Hunt, and Lemon to be among the team’s leaders in tackles.
“He’s a space eater, not too many people are going to be able to block him one-on-one,” Porter said of Hayes. “He’s going to take double teams, sometimes triple teams. He’s still getting it together. He’s a huge presence. He keeps the linebackers clean; he does everything that we ask him to do. He works hard.”
Lalonde is the team’s leader with five sacks, with Omar Guillory contributing three, and Alex Thomas has two. Thomas has a team-high three interceptions with a touchdown, and Frith has two more.
The Crusaders’ kicking game is in solid hands with Proffitt, who has 22 touchbacks, a 41-yard punting average, and a game-winning field goal to his credit.
“The guys have bought in and have seen the fruits of their labor,” Porter said. “They wanted to be coached hard and win. That’s great to see a bunch of young guys pulling together and pulling for each other, on the same page. They hold each other accountable, and that’s the main thing about winning.”