Everybody loves records. The best athletes a school has to offer, etched eternally as people of legends in that school’s record book. They represent the peak performance that the school has ever reached.
But more than records themselves, everybody loves when a record is broken. When fate allows, it is a beautiful thing when the original record holder can be there when his or her record is broken. As fate allowed, Acadiana‘s career passing record holder wasn’t just in attendance when Caden DiBetta broke his record: he was the one wearing the headset, coaching Caden to glory.
Caden’s one of those guys that comes out and practices the right way every day and does all the little things the right way. So, you know, it’s it’s one of those things that that has been really good for me coaching him.
Acadiana Head Coach Matt McCullough
Acadiana football Head Coach Matt McCullough was right there, not more than 100 feet from 3rd year starter Caden DiBetta, when DiBetta broke a 25 year old passing record set my Coach McCullough himself. In 1999, Matt McCullough was a senior at Acadiana High School when he broke and set the career passing record for the school at 3,058 passing yards. In 2018, McCullough took over as the Head Coach of Acadiana. On October 18, 2024, DiBetta broke that record with a few games to go. Now, as the team moves into the playoff race chasing a state championship in DiBetta’s final year on the team, both the coach and quarterback can discuss what has blossomed into a wonderful relationship between teacher and student.
It’s more than just a football thing. He cares about you as a person.
Acadiana quarterback Caden DiBetta
Caden joined the Acadiana football team in 2021, and early on in 2022, he became the starting quarterback. Since that first start, he’s torn up opposing defenses both on the ground and through the air. He broke the record, sitting at 3,278 passing yards, with 3 games left in the regular season. Now he is on pace to put some distance between himself and McCullough on the school’s leaderboard with a long playoff run to come. For Coach McCullough, he saw the potential Caden could have long before Caden got to this point.
We had a [senior] coming back in his sophomore year, and we ended up going with Caden after the week 1 football game, because we thought he had that ability. I think he’s played extremely well from that point on. He’s a kid that does stuff the right way and and works extremely hard every day, and he’s a leader of our team. I think the kids respect him.
Acadiana Head Coach Matt McCullough
One of the more interesting facets of this record is the raw number itself – at just over 3,000 yards, there are high flying passing attacks that can have individual seasons above the Acadiana career passing record. However, that’s where the context of the offense DiBetta is playing in comes into play. Acadiana runs the veer, a run heavy approach with a very low volume of passing. The quarterback in a veer offense has to understand the intricacies of the run plays first, as that is the backbone of the playbook. What sets DiBetta apart is the ability to both run the veer offense and be able to throw the football effectively on top of what they already are doing with the veer. McCullough set the bar 25 years ago, and DiBetta has surpassed it.
We don’t get to throw the ball a lot. So when we do, we really need to complete the pass. It’s really just about being efficient and making smart reads, deciding when to keep it on the option or pitch it. That’s really it. Just reading it and being efficient.
Acadiana quarterback Caden DiBetta
As his high school career draws to a close, Caden DiBetta is going to look for his next destination: the right college to continue his football playing days. Coach McCullough believes DiBetta will be a great college quarterback wherever he decides to go. Caden has offers from Nicholls and Millsaps already, and he has gotten attention from various other schools as well. We don’t know where he will end up, but whatever school lands him will consider themselves lucky.
I’m willing to go anywhere that gives me the best opportunity to be a great man and a great football player, so I’m just waiting on that opportunity.
Acadiana quarterback Caden DiBetta
Caden DiBetta has done everything at Acadiana high school with one exception: win a state championship. That’s the final thing he wants to accomplish, and in his final opportunity, it looks like the Wreckin Rams have a great chance to do it. They got to the dome last year but came up short, so Acadiana has some unfinished business to take care of. Both McCullough and DiBetta believe this year’s team has what it takes to finally bring home the state championship.
Our guys went through a tough road last year to get to the state championship game. We definitely have some experience on both sides, which gives us an advantage. We just got to continue to make sure that we prepare right so we have a chance to continue to win the football game as we play.
Acadiana Head Coach Matt McCullough
Regardless of how the season turns out, Caden DiBetta will always have the record that he will be remembered by, as the most successful passer in the history of Acadiana high school. That is, until the next great Acadiana QB comes by to challenge him. Who knows, maybe he’ll be wearing a headset when that happens, just like Coach McCullough before him.
Check out the full interview with QB Caden DiBetta and HC Matt McCullough here!
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