By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

The newest addition to Osceola County’s football-playing high schools is City of Life Christian Academy, which will field its first six-man team this season.

Coach Glenn Harris arrived six months ago to implement the program, which will play a 10-game schedule in the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools, comprised of about 30 teams across the state.

Barring a change because of Hurricane Irene, the team will play Haven Christian Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Austin-Tindall Park.

“They have won more games than any six-man team in Florida history,” Harris said.

Several local private schools, most recently Life Christian Academy, played the six-man format. Life Christian is fielding an 11-man team this season for the first time.

“It’s a lot like Arena football,” Harris said. “Everyone is eligible. The main difference from standard football is that the quarterback can’t run, and the field is shorter (80 as opposed to 100 yards).”

Harris coached at Dr. Phillips High, one of the state’s premier high school programs, for the past two years. Before that, he was an assistant at St. Cloud High under former coach Mark Jackson.

“The great thing about the people at City of Life is that everything they do, they do it all the way first class,” Harris said. “When I told them we needed a weight room, that’s what we got.  When I checked on the equipment we’d need, I told them there was a good helmet for $100 and a better one for $200. Pretty soon I walk in and there’s a case here with 20 of the $200 helmets. That’s they way it is with everything. You have thousands and thousands of people here who care and who want us to be successful.”

Harris said 18 players are on the roster.

“We have 50 boys in the school, and they all want to play,” he said.

Senior Kyle Funk will play quarterback. Although his only previous football experience is with the Warriors’ flag football program, he is looking forward to the season opener Friday.

“I’ve always been a football fan, so I was ecstatic when I heard we were going to have a team,” he said. “We’ve been working out three days a week over the summer, so now we are ready to go. Being a new team, we aren’t thinking about winning a championship or anything like that, but we want to make the playoffs.”

Senior receiver Shane Pillay has never played football, but he is looking forward to the season.

“I think everyone is pretty excited about it. I have no idea how we will do this year, but it should be interesting,” he said.

Harris said a benefit of coaching at City of Life Christian Academy is the opportunity to work with excellent students.

“They’re great kids,” he said. “We had kids like that at Dr. Phillips, a lot of them, but we also had a few that were a challenge. These kids, and their families, are the best.”