In Year 1 with SkyCoach, Covenant Christian Academy reaches new heights with perfect regular season
Photo courtesy of CCA
The Covenant Christian Academy Lions roared into uncharted territory this year, finishing the 2024 regular season with a historic 10-0 record. For the first time in school history, the Lions clinched the outright District 7-1A title and earned the No. 3 seed in Division IV of the LHSAA playoffs. Many things had to go right for the Lions to reach new heights and one key difference has been the seamless transition to using SkyCoach for sideline replay.
After enduring technical challenges with Hudl Sideline in the previous year, Covenant Christian sought a more reliable in-game solution. Enter SkyCoach, known for its ease of use, affordability and unmatched customer service. From the moment the Lions implemented SkyCoach for the 2024 season, it was clear this game-changer would play a significant role in the team’s dominant run.
“When we transitioned to SkyCoach, I’ll be honest: this has been cleanest year that I’ve ever had for video playback on the sideline,” said CCA head coach Jesse Turner.
As the season progressed, CCA gained more confidence on the gridiron and using the replay system. At the end of the season, the Lions outscored their opponents a whopping 430-116, and that’s before the playoffs started.
“It’s been a special year for us and SkyCoach has been tremendous, especially at halftime to make those adjustments,” Turner added. “If you set it up properly, you don’t have to wait. You don’t have any issues with it, that’s been awesome as well. It’s been good for us. We’re looking forward to building with it and becoming more knowledgeable with it. But for this first year, it was a success.”
Photo courtesy of CCA
SkyCoach allowed Covenant Christian's coaches to review critical moments in real-time, empowering them to make adjustments on the fly, and it’s become a tool both coaches and players have learned to use throughout the game. Whether it was fine-tuning defensive schemes or identifying offensive mismatches, the Lions leveraged SkyCoach to stay one step ahead of the competition all season long.
“Maybe a coach in the box wants the running back to take a look at the previous play because if he would have put his foot in the ground at this moment, he would have scored, or a player says he needs to see this play. They can look at it.” Turner said.
The impact went beyond strategy. SkyCoach’s reliability gave Covenant Christian peace of mind, knowing they wouldn’t face the same frustrations that plagued them in the past. The platform’s straightforward setup and operation meant more focus on coaching and making those in-game changes that could be a key factor on the scoreboard. The Lions currently have four viewing iPads (two on the sideline and two in the coaches box) and one TV under a tent on the sideline.
“We can get the players under the tent to see it and now they’re even asking to watch it because they know it’s there. If we’re running something and they did it wrong, they want to know what happened to make those corrections instantaneously,” said assistant coach and assistant principal Troy Jackson, who said he feels like SkyCoach has played a role in the team’s success in 2024.
Jackson added: “I see players go watch replay on the sideline without a coach. They’ll go pull it up and look at it. That shows you how much they care. They’ll come back and say, ‘Coach, I looked at the play. I messed up.’ Before SkyCoach, we didn’t have this type of instant feedback to look at it. We’d go back and watch film on Saturday morning but now to see it in the moment, it makes a difference.”
With SkyCoach in their corner, the Lions have rewritten Covenant Christian Academy's football history—and their playoff journey could make this remarkable season even more unforgettable. No. 3 CCA will host No. 14 Central Catholic at Nicholls State University on Friday, Nov. 22.
Photo courtesy of CCA
