The Louisiana Independent School Association, more commonly known as LISA, was an agency, which regulated and promoted the interscholastic athletic competitions of some independent high schools in the state of Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

. The organization is no longer in existence.

History

Although often criticized by schools which competed in the LHSAA (Louisiana High School Athletic Association

Louisiana High School Athletic Association

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association is the agency which regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana.- Organization :...

), LISA fielded several very good athletic teams. 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

False River Academy

False River Academy is a private school located in New Roads, Louisiana. It was founded in 1969, and is one of two private schools located in Pointe Coupee Parish.-History:...

 Gators (New Roads, LA), and 1990 River Oaks Academy Mustangs (Monroe, LA), all of whom were LISA State Champions. The 1977 Riverfield Raiders were actually the undefeated State Champions in 1977. 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 (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 Central Private School (Baton Rouge)

Central Private School (Baton Rouge)

Central Private School is a private institution of learning located in Central, Louisiana, USA. It is one of several private schools located in East Baton Rouge Parish.-Faculty:...

, 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 playes 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

Mississippi Private School Association

The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools is a consortium of schools in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. It is responsible for accreditation of its member private schools as well as governing athletic competition for its member schools....

 (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 Academy (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.

Organization

LISA was made up of several (mostly smaller) private schools throughout the state of Louisiana.

LISA was divided into several state-wide classes, also known as divisions, based on each school's student enrollment for grades nine through twelve: 1A, 2A, and 3A.

LISA’s competitive sports programs included Baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, Softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

, Basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, Cross Country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

, Outdoor track and field, and Football

High school football

High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

.

Former Member Schools

• Amy Bradford Ware
• Belmont Academy (Opelousas)
• Bienville Academy (Bryceland)
• Bowling Green School (Franklinton)
• Briarfield Academy (Lake Providence)
• Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport)
• Cedar Creek School (Ruston)
• Central Private School (Baton Rouge)
  Central Private School (Baton Rouge)
  Central Private School is a private institution of learning located in Central, Louisiana, USA. It is one of several private schools located in East Baton Rouge Parish.-Faculty:...
  
  
• Central School Corporation (Grand Cane)
• Claiborne Academy (Homer)
• East Union Academy (Gonazles)
• False River Academy
  False River Academy
  False River Academy is a private school located in New Roads, Louisiana. It was founded in 1969, and is one of two private schools located in Pointe Coupee Parish.-History:...
  
   (New Roads)
• First Baptist Academy (Shreveport)
• Franklin Academy
• Friendship Academy, Shreveport
  Friendship Academy, Shreveport
  Friendship Academy, Shreveport was a community school on the west side of Shreveport , Louisiana with classes K-12. It operated from 1970 through the very late 1980s; and was one of several private schools of its type in the Shreveport-Bossier area and throughout Louisiana during that period.-...
  
  
• Glenbrook Academy (Minden)
• Grawood Christian Schools (Keithville)
• Huntington School (Ferriday)
• Montrose Christian
• Natichitoches Academy (Nachitoches)
• Oak Forest Academy (Amite)
• Parkview Baptist School (Baton Rouge)
• Plain Dealing Academy (Plain Dealing)
• Prairie View Academy
• Ridgedale Academy (West Monroe)
• Riverdale Academy
• Riverfield Academy
• Riverside Academy (Reserve)
• Riverdale Academy (East Point)
• River Oaks Academy(Monroe)
• Sam Barthe School for Boys
  Sam Barthe School for Boys
  Sam Barthe School for Boys was an all-boys private school that existed for over 40 years in Metairie, Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish in the Greater New Orleans area. It catered to upper income families and featured a spartan lifefstyle and a broad education in both college preparatory academics...
  
  
• Sam Crowe
• Silliman Institute (Clinton)
• Shreve Christian (Shreveport)
• Southwood Academy (Hammond)
• Starlet Academy
• Tallulah Academy (Tallulah)
• Tensas Academy
• Trinity Heights Christian Academy (Shreveport)
• Valley Forge Academy (Amite)
• Westhill Academy (Marthaville)
• Winn Academy