Southwest Christian Academy Has Big Plans for 2010

Eagles have plenty of talent on the field, but say their team is about more than just football.

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 5:44 pm

By: News On 6

Southwest Christian Academy Has Big Plans for 2010

Originally Published: Aug 27, 2010 10:50 AM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Southwest Christian Academy Eagles certainly have their share of disadvantages to overcome.

They average about 10 graduating seniors per class.

They also have to travel to every game – even most home games are 15 miles away at Life Christian Academy.

But the independent school from Moore, Oklahoma has one advantage that bigger schools might not have: the camaraderie and team chemistry that is hard to find at a school with thousands of kids.

“We spend a lot more time with each other and talk to each other more outside of practice and outside of school than you would in 6A,” said junior Aaron Flores, who played for Tishomingo the previous season.

“Even on the field, everybody has each others’ back,” he said. “Someone makes a mistake and we don’t beat each other down about it.”

The Eagles went 4-6 last season – especially solid considering they only had 10 players on the entire roster by the end of the year.

Coach Chuck Peot said his roster is now up to 23 players to start the 2010 season. He said that although the school might be small, that doesn’t equate to boring football.

“We have a lot of high-octane athletes on the team,” Peot said. “We’ve got a lot of speed and a lot of toughness. Immediately when I came over as the offensive coordinator, I thought the spread offense would be good to run.”

The team, which plays eight man football, is also beginning to attract more talent.

After playing with some 160-pound linemen last year, Southwest Christian Academy has seen an influx of players coming from 5A and 6A schools to play some football and get a Christian-based education.

Receiver and defensive back Garth Branch, who played for Southmoore in 2009, said it’s a little strange not seeing his new team in the newspapers or on television.

“It’s just 10 times different,” he said. “Because everybody here has amazing skills and I just think everybody should be recognized for what we can do.”

But Peot said there is more to the football team than just the performance on the field.

Rather than classifying his team’s goals in wins and losses, he said one of the team’s visions is to make a name for Southwest Christian Academy and what it is all about.

“Not only are we trying to coach football with this program,” Peot said. “But we are trying to bring these young men up to be better men and a good cornerstone in the community.”