Two Game-Changers Just Joined Avoyelles Charter — Here’s Why Every Viking Fan Should Be Excited!

Avoyelles Charter adds new leaders in baskeytball and softball

By: Coach Tanner Craft

with assistance by Publications Staff Member
Hannah Gauthier

Thomas Scully, Softball Coach

Avoyelles Public Charter is proud to introduce Thomas Scully as the new head of our softball program.
With more than three decades of experience in athletics—as both a player and coach—Coach Scully brings a wealth of knowledge, passion, and proven success to our Jr. High and High School teams.

A Lafayette native, Scully grew up in Lake Charles and graduated from Barbe High School in 1990.
During his high school career, he excelled in football, track, and baseball, earning All-District honors in both football and baseball.
His athletic journey led him to Copiah-Lincoln on a baseball scholarship, and later, he completed his degree at LSUA in General Studies with a concentration in Social Science.

Scully’s coaching career began at just 22 years old, working as a football analyst for Barbe High School while in college.
Since then, he has coached both football and softball at multiple schools across Louisiana.
His stops include Sacred Heart of Ville Platte, Holy Savior Menard—where he was named Defensive Coordinator in 2021—and Pineville.
Over the years, he has led teams to multiple district championships and deep playoff runs.

His resume boasts:

• Four District Titles: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024
• Two State Championship Runner-Up Finishes: 2019, 2021
• One State Semifinalist Appearance: 2022
• Two State Quarterfinalist Appearances: 2023, 2024
• District Coach of the Year: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024

For Coach Scully, success goes beyond wins and championships.
His vision for Avoyelles Public Charter softball is to create a culture that builds character as much as it builds athletes.

“My expectation is to not only teach the game of softball to the young ladies that come into our program, but also to teach them the life skills they will need once their playing days are over,”
— Coach Scully

This year’s team goals are clear:

• Compete at the highest level
• Fight for a district championship
• Make a push toward state contention

Inspired by the team’s chosen scripture verse —
2 Chronicles 15:7: “Be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”
Coach Scully hopes to instill both confidence and perseverance in his players.

When he’s not on the field, Coach Scully enjoys cooking and spending time with his wife of 31 years, Sonia, and their four children: Dylan, Daniel, Dru, and Sophia.
And here’s a fun fact fans might not know: he also holds an associate degree in Mortuary Science and once lived in a funeral home while attending college.

Avoyelles Public Charter fans can look forward to an exciting new chapter under Coach Scully’s leadership — one built on tradition, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence both on and off the field.

Davion Spivey, Sr., Basketball Head Coach

The Avoyelles Public Charter School Vikings are turning to a familiar Louisiana basketball figure to lead their powerhouse program.
Davion Spivey Sr., 33, has been named head basketball coach, taking over a team that has reached the Division V Select/Class B State Championship game three years in a row — winning titles in the first two before falling just short last season.

A Ruston native, Spivey brings deep Louisiana roots and a resume built across the state and beyond.
Most recently, he served as head assistant at Choudrant High School (2023–2025), helping guide the Aggies to multiple playoff appearances.
His coaching journey also includes a stint as an assistant at Ruston High (2017–18) and his first head coaching job at A.E. Phillips Laboratory School (2015–17).

On the court, Spivey’s playing career began at Holmes Community College in Mississippi, where he averaged 10 points per game in 12 contests and earned the program’s Bulldog Award for his relentless work ethic.
He later transferred to the University of Arkansas, where he earned a walk-on scholarship and continued to grind his way into the lineup.
He even logged time in semi-pro ball before transitioning full-time into coaching.

Athletic Director Stu Regard said the hire was about more than wins and losses:

“Coach Spivey has the experience, the energy, and the values we want in our program,” Regard said.
“He understands what it takes to compete at the highest level, but more importantly, he’s committed to developing our young men as leaders on and off the court.”

Spivey says his approach at Avoyelles Public Charter will be built on more than just X’s and O’s.

“We’re going to be about communication, trust, and unity,” he said.
“If we’re down 20 or up 20, we play together.”

His mission: create a program defined by accountability, discipline, effort, and respect — values he hopes will carry over into his players’ lives long after they leave the gym.

Practices under Spivey will emphasize unselfish play and total team buy-in, with the expectation that every Viking gives maximum effort, every day.
And while APCS is no stranger to the championship stage, Spivey’s focus goes beyond chasing another trophy.

“My goal is that every player leaves here not just a better basketball player, but a better person,” Spivey said.
“We want to build young men who will be productive, respectful, and responsible members of society.”

With a roster hungry to return to the top and a coach who knows the grind it takes to win, Avoyelles Public Charter enters the 2025–26 season with high expectations — and a new voice ready to lead the charge.