Lindsay Lane Christian Academy has had a football field at the school since it opened in 2008. But it has never had a football team to play there. Until now.

The Lions have started a junior high football program this fall, with the hopes of moving up to a junior varsity team and then varsity within a few years.

“We’re proud to go around the school with our jerseys on and be part of the team,” eighth grade quarterback Ray Anderson said. “It just makes you feel special and stand out while you walk around the school. It’s a lot of pride for me and my teammates.”

Lindsay Lane will open its season Tuesday, Sept. 4, when they play at Clements. The Lions will play their first home game the following Tuesday against Woodville. LLCA will play a seven-game schedule on Tuesday nights.

The team currently has just 12 players, but that isn’t stopping them from playing 11-man junior high football in the Alabama High School Athletic Association. Junior high games are shorter than high school games, with quarters that are eight minute instead of 12. But assistant coach Ken Knight said the team isn’t worried about injuries

“We’re calling ourselves the 12 Strong,” Knight said. “We haven’t in our minds thought about what if this one rolls an ankle or something. We’re going to play 12 strong, seven games and going to come out on the other end playing seven games. That’s our mantra and our attitude.”

The junior high team is the second step in a four-step process that Knight and the rest of the coaches hope will lead to a varsity team in the near future.

“We started a team two years ago that was playing in the Athens Rec League,” Knight said. “We played under the name Lindsay Lane, but were augmented by some kids from other schools and other areas.”

After success in the rec league, the next step was to start a team on the junior high level. The coaches got permission from the athletic director and began trying to drum up interest among the students.

“(Head) coach Jeremy Williams took the forefront and did a great job,” Knight said. “He sent out postcards to all seventh-eighth-and ninth-graders. We also made our presence known at the open house at the beginning of the year. We tried to reach out to the entire school.”

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, as Lindsay Lane has a strong basketball and baseball tradition that has potentially hindered athletes coming out for the football team.

“Basketball has such a big emphasis in the school, and we want to reach out there to provide an alternative,” Knight said. “We’re such a small school that we’re excited to get the minimal participants at 12 to kind of move the program forward in hopes to gauge future interest.”

The team still might grow, as Knight said any student in seventh, eighth or ninth grade can still come out for the team. It’s a small beginning, but Knight hopes it will grow quickly.

“We want to try to get a foothold in the school to advance the program to the junior varsity level and then we have a vision to be playing varsity football three years from now,” he said. “That is our goal and we’re really excited about the opportunity.”

Anderson said despite the small numbers, the Lindsay Lane players are excited to be the first in hopefully a long line of football athletes at the school.

“I’m very excited to get started playing games,” Anderson said. “We’re real hyped about going to practice. It’s just great to be out there.”

“These 12 boys that are out there are significant for us,” Knight added. “They are setting the stage for what could be the future of football at this school.”