A CCA standout is headed home – now to mentor the next generation of standout athletes at the school.
Former Lions’ multi-sport standout Malachi Ayo has been named the school’s girls’ soccer coach at CCA, bringing him back to the place where he enjoyed so much athletic success.
Ayo will replace Coach Adam Billiot – the only-ever girls’ soccer coach in CCA’s history, a coach who helped build the program to become a local power, a team that won its district 2 years ago and is an annual contender.
Ayo said he knows that he has big shoes to fill replacing Billiot, but said that being back at CCA is something he cherishes. Ayo was a multi-sport standout at CCA who signed and played college football at Louisiana Christian.
“It feels good to be back home at my alma mater,” Ayo said. “I’m very grateful for the school for giving me an opportunity.”
Ayo is returning to a place where he has enjoyed immense success. He was both a football and soccer standout, signing with LCU in football, but also earning All-State honors on the soccer pitch.
Ayo said he feels good about this year’s team, and has eyes on leading the team to another district championship and then looking beyond, making a deep playoff push.
Ayo said he believes CCA has the talent in place to compete right away. The Lions made the Division IV Playoffs this past season and earned the No. 17 overall seed, losing in the opening round of the playoffs.
“I feel very good about the group of girls we have this year,” he said. We are returning everyone besides the goalkeeper who was a senior. I feel like everyone has gotten better over the summer during practices and workouts.”
A challenge that Ayo said he will face at CCA is just the immense growth in the sport. He said local soccer has grown so much – even just from when he played. More teams have players who are year-round players and the skill and talent of teams has grown. He said at CCA, it’s no different and the players are playing younger and for more months out of the year and it’s going to make for more competitive teams as the years go forward in his tenure.
“The sport has grown tremendously over the past couple of years,” he said. “More and more kids are going to college to play soccer around the area. The interest is really within the players and the community as crowds are growing as well.”
Ayo said he wants to thank the CCA community for welcoming him back. He said after being a student-athlete at the school, the Lions are forever in his heart.
Ayo said that he knew that replacing the school’s only-ever girls’ soccer coach would not be easy, but added that the girls on the team have been welcoming and have been eager to work hard and have made the transition seamless – something he’s extremely grateful for.
“The kids have really bought into the transition,” Ayo said. “Coach Adam has done a great job laying the foundation of the girls’ soccer program here so it was easy to fill in. The girls showed great commitment over the summer buying into a different coaching style. It’s not always easy playing for a new coach, and they have made the transition smooth.”