When the Episcopal Knights football team from Louisiana steps onto the emerald grass of Dublin next August, they will be doing more than just playing a game; they will be carrying the hopes of a small but storied program onto an international stage.
A Milestone for Louisiana Football
The Knights are scheduled to open their 2027 season on August 27 in a 6,000‑seat rugby stadium that will also host the night‑before showdown between Wisconsin and Pitt in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
Coach Travis Bourgeois, who enters his 27th year at the helm, will lead a squad that finished 5‑6 last season and previously reached the Division III select playoffs in 2002 and 2013.
Under Bourgeois’s guidance the team boasts a career record of 191‑99, a testament to his longevity and the program’s resilience.
More Than a Game
Accompanying the varsity squad will be the school’s dance team, drum corps and spirit groups, turning the trip into a broader cultural exchange that showcases Louisiana’s traditions beyond the gridiron.
The Knights will face an opponent from Ireland in what organizers describe as a historic partnership between high school football programs across the Atlantic.
The event forms part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, a showcase that blends college and high school competition in a city known for its vibrant sports heritage.
For the players, the tour represents an opportunity to represent not only their school but also their state and the sport itself on a global stage.