One Quarterback, Two Uniforms: Luke Warner Smith's Senior Year Double Duty

LAFAYETTE, La. — On any given week this fall, Luke Warner Smith might throw a touchdown pass in purple and black for the Acadiana Christian Athletics Defenders, then do it again in navy and white for the First Baptist Christian School Eagles. Two teams. Two different games. One senior quarterback who says it all comes down to faith and the people next to him.

The Defender Who Never Left

Smith has been part of Acadiana Christian Athletics — an independent, 11-man travel team — since he was 12. In his seven-year stretch with ACA, he has been led by head coaches Taylor Boutin, Seth Johnson and Corey Pierret, and he currently plays under Pierret. The Defenders are where he grew up as a quarterback.

His freshman year did not go the way he planned. On the second series of a game, right after he led a scoring drive, Smith broke his thumb. He sat out the rest of that season. Plenty of players in that spot drift away. Smith stayed, kept showing up to practice, and by his sophomore year he had won the starting job.

He has held it ever since, a three-year varsity starter as a sophomore, a junior and now a senior. The result this season: a spot among the top 13 quarterbacks in the state of Louisiana in passing yards, with 2,560 yards through the air.

An Eagle in 8-Man

Then came a decision. After prayer and a lot of thought, Smith chose to also play 8-man football at his own high school, First Baptist Christian School in Lafayette, under head coach Grayson Standiford — a longtime Acadiana coach who now also serves as the school's athletic director.

The Eagles compete in the Louisiana ACEL (Association of Christian Educators of Louisiana) ranks, and this season they are headed to the ACEL state football playoffs. This will be the first time in the program's history that FBC has reached the state championship playoffs. The Eagles are scheduled to open playoff play Saturday, Oct. 17, at Southwest Louisiana HomeSchool.

Playing 8-man football is a different game from 11-man: more space, faster pace and a quarterback who has to read the whole field in a hurry. Smith says playing for his school felt right, and that being part of a program writing its first playoff chapter is worth the extra miles.

More Than a Quarterback

Football is only part of the picture. Smith also plays basketball and runs track at FBC, and he is a four-year member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where he serves as Treasurer. For a student-athlete who has spent four years balancing a travel team, a school team and a full spring schedule, the common thread is clear: faith first, then the work.

What's Next

This Saturday, the Eagles open their playoff run on the road. Win or lose, the story of this senior season is already written: a quarterback who came back from a broken thumb his freshman year to start three varsity seasons with ACA, a travel-team loyalty that never wavered, and a school program that finally reached the postseason with him under center.

For more on Luke, visit his player page at lukewarnersmith.com. Follow the Eagles' playoff run through First Baptist Christian School athletics.

Photos courtesy of the Smith family; Defenders photos by Tyler LeJeune Photography.

More from 337 Magazine: Athletes 4 Tomorrow: Because a Registration Fee Shouldn't Keep a Child Off the Field · Comeaux High's Second Act: A Career Center Big Enough for the Waitlist