HOUMA -- Three months ago the Iberia Soccer Association’s Devil Dogs were just a gleam in the eyes of some avid local soccer officials trying to start a new U14 boys team in Division 1.

After four players showed up for the first tryout, the gleam was a little dimmer. Barron Kennedy of New Iberia, who eventually would coach the Devil Dogs along with Chris Leeson and Lisa Sedlitsky, wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The coaches and others got on the telephone and pored over rosters from last season.

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“All of a sudden, we had 16 guys,” Kennedy said.

They looked anything but world-beaters in their first tournament outing. They kept improving, though, to the point they won this past weekend’s U14B division of the Gobbler Cup.

“It’s great for the kids in this last tournament of this little session,” Kennedy said. “We didn’t do well in our first outing but we finished up strong. It’s a good deal, you know?”

The Devil Dogs, one of six D1 teams started for the first time by the ISA, opened Gobbler Cup play here Saturday with a 2-0 win over the Houma-Terrebonne Soccer Association Blackhawks. Then the New Iberia-based team forged a 1-0 victory later in the day over Skyrunners United from the Baton Rouge Soccer Association.

Facing the Lafayette Soccer Club Cajun Lightning with the championship on the line Sunday, the Devil Dogs fell behind quickly.

“They came out the first two minutes and scored a goal on us. I think it woke the boys up,” Kennedy said.

But his team is a second half team, he said, and the Devil Dogs showed it by outscoring Cajun Lightning 5-1 down the stretch for a 5-2 victory and the title.

“It surprised me to get five scores against a dominant team,” he said.

The Devil Dogs finished the fall season 9-2-1.

Four other ISA D1 teams, led by the U12B Rebels, won Gobbler Cup matches. The others were the U11B Kajun Kickers, U13B Swamp Cats and the Blaze.

Glenn Gary’s Rebels kicked off the weekend with a 2-0 victory over the Livingston Parish Twisters and followed up Saturday with a 3-0 decision over the HTSA Blackhawks. On Sunday, the Rebels tied the Northeast Louisiana Soccer Association Lightning 98, 1-1, and lost 1-0 to the Slidell Vipers-Quinto.

The ISA’s Swamp Cats, coached by Vince Comeaux, bowed to eventual tournament champion St. Charles Soccer Association Pride, 4-2, and tied the Madisonville Spartans 2-2 on Saturday. The Iberians finished a strong second in the tournament on the strength of a convincing a 4-0 victory Sunday over the HTSA Blitz.

The ISA’s Kajun Kickers, coached by Angele Louviere, dropped a 4-3 decision to Lafayette Futbol Club Fusion Ultimate in their first outing Saturday and lost 5-3 to the Pearl River Youth Soccer Association Fuel. The New Iberia-based team came back Sunday and shut out the Lafourche Soccer Association Rush, 7-0.

The ISA’s Blaze never got out of the gates Saturday morning and lost 4-0 to eventual champion Mandeville Black. The Blaze regrouped for a 1-0 win Saturday afternoon against the LSA Cajun Fury and played its best match in a 1-1 draw Sunday with finalist Mandeville’s S.W.A.T.

The ISA’S Eliminators, a U12G team coached by Chancy Crochet, lost a 3-2 heart-breaker in their opener against the PAC Tigerz and bowed 3-1 to the HTSA Hot Tamales later Saturday. The Eliminators had another solid outing Sunday in a 2-0 loss to the MSC Strikers.

The ISA’s D1 season resumes next spring with teams preparing for the State Cup.