Louisiana Independent School Association - History

History

Although often criticized by schools which competed in the LHSAA (Louisiana High School Athletic Association), LISA fielded several very good athletic teams. In football, the 1974 East Ascension Broncos (Gonazles, LA), 1975 Belmont Academy Eagles (Opelousas, LA), The 1977 Riverfield Raiders (Rayville, LA), 1986 Ridgedale Academy Raiders (West Monroe, LA), 1989 False River Academy Gators (New Roads, LA), and 1990 River Oaks School Mustangs (Monroe, LA), were all LISA State Champions. The 1977 Riverfield Raiders were actually the undefeated State Champions in 1977, while False River Academy went undefeated in 1989. These were some of the best high school football teams in the state of Louisiana in their respective years, featuring such talented players as Kent Singletary & Johnny Gautreau (East Ascension), Ike Duhon and Steve Duhon (Belmont), Brennan Jarreau & Scott Leonard (False River), Howard Beetz (Ridgedale) and Matt Williams (River Oaks). River Oaks also produced Gene Johnson, who was a QB at Louisiana Tech and led them to the 1990 Independence Bowl, and Bobby Craighead, who later played at Neville, ULM and the USFL.

LISA was also home to some very intense private school rivalries. Football games between The Silliman Institute and Central Private School, two schools which were separated by less than 30 miles, usually ended in fistfights. A notable meeting between the two schools was in 1990 when heavily favored Central Private barely got a victory behind the strong running of Roy May. The Ridgedale Academy (West Monroe) and River Oaks game was another game most people flocked to see. Ridgedale was known for its spectacular coaching and unique gameplay, with a defense known statewide as, "The Showstoppers". Captained behind Middle Linebacker Howard Beetz they had allowed no more than 30 points in their 86' season. And their offensive crew was just as impressive. Another fierce rivalry within LISA was the Belmont Academy - Amy Bradford Ware rivalry. It was not uncommon for the entire state to take notice when these 2 schools, both of which were in the small town of Opelousas, faced off each year in the sport of football. The last meeting between the 2 schools took place in 1990, with Belmont standout running back Vinnie Bullara leading the Eagles to a 26-0 victory. Northwest Louisiana was the location for the annual battle between Grawood Academy and Friendship Academy where students of the two rivals often lived in the same neighborhoods and players regularly battled over All-District and All-State honors. The Briarfield Academy - Claiborne Academy rivalry is still alive and well, with each school now a member of the Mississippi Private School Association (MPSA).

Numerous LISA schools have gone on to win State Championships in other associations. The Silliman Institute (Clinton, LA), which never won a State Championship in LISA, has won two state championships in the MPSA since joining in 1991. Oak Forest Academy (Amite, LA) and Bowling Green Academy (Franklin, LA) have each won state titles in football. Riverside Academy (Reserve, LA) has won several State Championships in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA), as has Parkview Baptist School (Baton Rouge, LA). River Oaks School (Monroe, LA) won an MPSA state title in 2005 and Glenbrook Academy (Minden, LA) won the MPSA state champsionship in 2007. Central Private School has won 11 MPSA state titles in Baseball and 4 MPSA state titles in Basketball. Also, Silliman Institute has won two state titles in Baseball. Parkview Baptist School has won 11 LHSAA state titles in Baseball.

Basketball was also a sport which displayed the talent of LISA. Bridget Bunch was a standout basketball player who attended The Silliman Institute, and is still the all-time leading scorer at Silliman (her brother, Taylor Bunch, was a standout fullback who played on a State Championship football team at Silliman and set a state record with 2,089 yards rushing as a senior, later went on to star at Mississippi State University). However, the pinnacle of girls basketball in LISA had to be the 1990 and 1991 Belmont Academy Lady Eagles basketball teams which won 66 games, lost 2, and won back to back State Championships over the course of 2 years. The 1991 team, which featured standouts Haley Brinkhaus and Kim Mitchell, is still regarded as one of the greatest girls high school basketball teams in the history of the state of Louisiana. In 2005, there was reportedly a book in the works documenting the high caliber of girls basketball in LISA.

One of the most famous players to come out of LISA was 1981 LSU signee Steve Duhon. Duhon was a multi-sport athlete at Belmont Academy who went on to become a 5-time World Champion steer wrestler in the sport of rodeo.

By the late 1980s, LISA had slowly been losing membership. Following the 1990-1991 school year, two of the larger member schools at that time, False River and Belmont, left the association to become a member of the LHSAA. The following year, 1991–1992, was LISA’s last year in existence. Following the breakup of the association, several of the remaining member schools followed the lead of False River Academy and Belmont Academy and also joined the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. The remaining schools that were located near the Louisiana border with Mississippi joined the Mississippi Private School Association (MPSA), or remained independents.