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Photograph: Coach Ross Akpan, hired as first head football coach at JS Clark Leadership Academy in Opelousas. (Courtesy of JS Clark Leadership Academy.)

Opelousas, LA, January 4, 2023: Ross Akpan has been named JS Clark Leadership Academy’s first head football coach. Akpan, 40, joins the JS Clark’s athletic program from Madison Preparatory Academy (Baton Rouge, La.), where in his three seasons as the Offensive Line Coach/ Offensive Coordinator, the Chargers compiled a 32-8 record; that mark includes a 6-3A District Championship in the fall of 2022 as well as a 3A State Championship in 2020, the first in school history.

“We took our time looking for a head coach that would lead this new program into the
future with vision, dedication, and a commitment to student excellence both on and off
the field,” said Mrs. Lewis, CEO of JS Clark.

Coach Akpan brings a wealth of experience and pedigree to the JS Clark Athletic
program. Akpan served as a lead assistant at Madison Preparatory Academy in Baton
Rouge from 2020 to 2022. From 2018-20 he served as offensive coordinator and then
Head Coach for BPA Post Grad, a post-graduate program that gives a second chance
at football to graduating high school seniors. Akpan spent the 2017 season as the
Offensive Coordinator of another post-graduate program, Southern Prep. Preceding
that, he had opportunities as an assistant at Coahoma Community College in
Mississippi and Southern University Lab, a high school in Baton Rouge.

Coach Akpan is joining a well-accomplished athletic program that has only been in
existence for six years-joining the LHSAA in 2017-18. Since joining, JSCLA has won
three Class B state Track & Field Championships (2019, 2020, 2021), won three district
titles in basketball, had two Top 28 appearances, and has sent six student-athletes to
post-secondary institutions.

Ross Rix, Athletic Director, commented, “We plan to shape the future of athletics here in
Opelousas and St.Landry Parish. JS Clark is built on a solid academic foundation. Now
we are charged to build great athletic programs on top of that, where we graduate
champions.” Coach Rix added that they intend to add new athletics programs each year
and understand that football is a stablemate in any community. “We plan to do it right;
that’s why we hired Coach Akpan- he has the pedigree, the knowledge, and the ability
to connect with student-athletes and energize our school community and our football
program.”