Raiders defeat Heritage Academy to take state crown

Published 8:21 am Monday, March 2, 2026

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines mindset as “a set way of thinking.”

Heading into its Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class 4A, District 2 state championship against Heritage Academy, Lamar could easily have given up its chances of taking home the state crown.

After all, the Raiders had lost to Heritage Academy twice earlier in the season.

That, however, had little effect on the Raiders.

Lamar School scored two goals in each half and went on to beat the Heritage Academy Patriots on Feb. 16 to win its first state crown under fourth-year head coach Rusty Warden.

The Raiders finished the season with a 13-6 mark.

“We felt like we had the better team and we should have won those games,” Warden said. “I told the parents before the season that we had three rules in our mindset: We had respect for our teammates, our attitude is our mindset, and always give your top effort. If you do those three things, you’re going to be happy in life.”

The 2025-26 campaign opened well for the Raiders, who won five of their first six matches.

The fast start was of no surprise to Warden.

“I knew they were really talented,” Warden said. “I’ve been coaching some of these guys since they were six or seven years old.”

A little later on, things took a downward turn for senior forward-midfielder Gavin Aull, who missed the opening weeks due to his duties on the school’s football team, but also sustained a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Some of the upperclassmen looked to the younger players to hold up the fort until the football season ended in November.

Junior defenseman Emmanuel Donkor said he joined the team while he was in seventh grade after hearing about the Raiders from his brother, Daniel Baah, who played for the Raiders before graduating in 2024.

Donkor said he believed at the start of the season the Raiders had the talent to win the state championship.

“I just wanted to be a light on the field,” he said. “The only thing that went against us was that size wasn’t on our side. The coaches believed in us because we had good chemistry.”

Both Aull and Donker have been playing soccer since age 6.

A few years later, they both joined the Alliance Futbol Club before making their high school team.

While neither Aull nor Donkor believe they will play soccer at the next level, they both say good things are in store for the Raiders’ soccer program.

“The culture for the soccer team has changed tremendously,” Aull said. “I see more players joining every year. We’ve got great chemistry with the team. I see a great future for Lamar School soccer.”

Donkor agreed.

“The seniors left a good legacy of leadership,” he said. “I see greatness for the team, especially with the youth on our team. If we can continue to focus, we’re going to leave it in God’s hands.”