A quick study: LASA football embracing challenges of debut season

When Logan Abounader first heard that the Austin school district’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy would form its own athletic department beginning with the 2020-21 school year, the then-freshman at the school didn’t think of class schedules or bus routes or any other logistical issue.

Instead, he immediately considered his favorite sport.

“One of my first thoughts was, ‘I can play football,’” said Abounader, now a senior team captain for LASA. “Then I asked ‘Wait, are we even going to have a football team?’”

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Three years after that 2019 announcement, Abounader and LASA’s football team have started providing some answers. After having LASA participate in athletics and other extracurriculars as part of LBJ High School for almost two decades, the Austin school district separated the two athletic programs beginning with the 2020-21 school years and moved LASA to its own campus at the former site of Eastside High School before last school year.

The football program began its first official varsity campaign this season, and the Raptors picked up their first varsity win two weeks ago with a 40-8 victory over Eastside. LASA, 1-3 overall and 1-0 in District 11-5A Division II, can establish itself as a legitimate playoff contender with an upset win over Crockett on Thursday at Burger Stadium.

Even considering postseason possibilities makes this season special, said Abounader, especially after two seasons of playing subvarsity games and other unofficial contests.

“When they came out with the district, it was really exciting,” he said. “There being a reason for the wins, a purpose, playoffs. .. that was all new to us.”

New coach, new attitude, new expectations

LASA’s maiden voyage as a varsity program coincides with the arrival of new head coach Derrick Lewis, a former NFL receiver who has spent almost a decade coaching in Texas and his native New Orleans. Lewis took over for Bryan Crews in the summer after spending two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Del Valle, and he said helping the Raptors find their footing was a primary reason for accepting the job.

So are the rigorous academic standards at LASA, which is only open to students from across the Austin school district who qualify for the school.

“We have some guys with DI ability, but they have other options,” Lewis said. “Their motivation has to be more intrinsic. It has to be about playing for each other, playing for pride, playing for their brothers. It’s not driven by wanting to go to college to play football.”

Lewis, who played for and remains friends with San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, absorbed many of Shanahan’s coaching principles during his NFL career. Lewis favors multiple sets and lots of presnap shifts and motion in his offense. Learning his offense requires lots of film study, but studying isn’t a problem for most of LASA’s players, said Lewis.

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“Once they get it, it won’t look like any other offense in Austin, I can guarantee that,” he said. “They see that when they do it the right way, it’s effective. It’s a timing-based offense, step-counting on the routes, it’s real detailed. The kids embrace that a lot more than just cracking heads. They’re falling in love with how to read defenses and play high level football.

“But they’re missing some of that football IQ you learn growing up playing Pop Warner. We’ve been our own Achilles heel. It’s a new system, so there’s a lot of grey area. They don’t quite know what we’re asking them yet but they’re getting close. Watching the film, they realize that ‘Wait, we’re a little better than we realize.’”

Lewis, 46, still has the quick release off the line and a burst in his cuts, as evident when he lines up against LASA’s defensive backs at a practice earlier this week. But he also has the football acumen and coaching approach that resonates with his players.

Senior team captain Andrew Wang, arguably the team’s most dangerous weapon entering summer camp, suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason workouts. He still attends almost every practice despite donning a knee brace and leaning on crutches.

“I love him,” Wang said, referring to his coach. “The most heartbreaking thing for me getting hurt is not being able to work under Coach Lewis. When he first came here, I just very quickly realized it was a totally different world of football. It was heartbreaking to not see what my true potential would be working under him for a year.

“I came in the summer and got so much faster, better routes, better hands — and that was just in, like, three weeks working with him. I’ve never met a coach in any sport — and I’ve played a lot of sports — as knowledgeable as he is. And he makes you want to work hard. He’s the kind of coach you want to give your absolute all for. He’s a big reason why I still come out and do what I can to help. He’s inspired me.”

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Raptors ‘hungry for respect’

LASA’s reputation as an academic powerhouse indifferent to football still lingers on and off campus, even though programs that excel both academically and athletically such as Westlake and Lake Travis should have long ago shattered such stereotypes.

But that cliché can serve as its own motivation, said Lewis.

“Our players are hungry for respect,” Lewis said. “Even some of the students at this school don’t think they can play football. They’re motivated by that. They want to prove to their classmates and faculty they’re a good team. When I first showed up, they were like ‘I don’t know, Coach, we’re used to getting creamed.’ But that’s changing.”

Junior quarterback Roman Edwards may have a goal of eventually studying computer science at a prestigious university such as Fordham, but he also wants to help prove that the Raptors can muscle aside any typecasts.

“We’re trying to turn that around,” he said. “I don’t want to be seen as just the smart kids. I don’t see why you can’t be good at football and be smart.”

LASA’s team leaders say incorporating football into the school’s academic-oriented culture matters almost as much as racking up a few wins. LASA only has approximately 40 players in the program and cannot yet field a freshmen or junior varsity team.

“Regardless of how this team turns out, I’m helping start a program that’s going somewhere, especially with the coaches that are here,” Abounader said. “We have so much potential. This is just the beginning. When I first started playing, there weren’t any freshman coming in. Now seeing all the freshmen and new guys coming in, it’s really exciting.”

Edwards agreed with his teammate, saying he can envision a bright future for the Raptors.

“When we come back in 10 years and see how the program has taken off, we can say we’re some of the first ones to start it,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin LASA football embracing challenges of debut season