The high school

football season kicks off this weekend in Fayette County, although not

in a way most fans are accustomed to seeing it.

The Falcons

of Fayette Christian School take the field for another season of eight-man

football Saturday at 5 p.m. against Lake Dow Christian from McDonough.

The game will be played at Whitewater Middle School.

A number of

private Christian schools in Georgia are playing eight-man football in

the Georgia Christian Athletic Association. It allows smaller schools

such as Fayette to field teams despite fewer personnel.

Fayette Christian

has about 210 enrolled this year in kindergarten through 12th grade. Coach

Tony Underwood, in his 15th season as a coach at the school and his eighth

as head coach, said that 18 players are currently on the football team.

The Falcons

posted a 2-6 record last season after going 1-7 in 2001. Underwood is

looking for a .500 record or better this year, and he has four returning

starters and seven returning players to lead the way after losing six

players to graduation.

Other opponents

this season include Gilead Christian from Macon, Shiloh Hills Christian

from Kennesaw, King's Way Christian from Douglasville, Colonial Hills

Christian from Lithia Springs, Dawson Street Christian from LaGrange,

Philadelphia Christian from Conyers, and Newnan Christian, as well as

a team from Birmingham. The Falcons will play most of their home games

at McCurry Park in Fayetteville.

The GCAA is

split into two divisions, and the top two teams in each division face

each other in a playoff right after the regular season. The winners of

those two games play for the state championship.

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