SHERWOOD, Ark. — High school football is scheduled to start this week with even the most veteran head coaches feeling like rookies. Now just imagine starting a program in the middle of all this.
It’s been a long road for Nathan Adams and Abundant Life Christian, but now they’re on the doorstep.
"We’re excited it’s the first time for football in the history of the school."
Last September the school got the go ahead to begin the 2020 season with 8-man football. Unfortunately, they were hit with the biggest challenge before ever taking the field. COVID-19.
"You’re worried, you’re worried how the kid are going to react. You’re worried how we react as coaches. What we do different. Obviously social distancing is very tough in football."
Football is all about mastering the basics, but for the Owls it’s a way of life.
"We’re brand new. I’ve got a lot of kids that don’t understand football that don’t understand those fundaments so we’re working through that, but it’s good. It’s good we have this time to focus on those things right now."
Where they may lack in experience, they make up for in passion. "We’re excited as a school and as a community. The interest has been there and the excitement has been there. The kids are ready to go and the hard thing is just dancing around the pandemic."
Coach knows there will be hiccups along the way but he’s asking only one thing of his team.
"Play hard, play hard though everything. If we get a season we’re going to go as hard as we can and as fast as we can."