Sherwood taking championship culture to 11-man football

ALBANY — For four years, Sherwood Christian Academy measured itself against the best teams in GIAA 8-man football.

Now the Eagles will find out where they stand in an entirely different game.

After winning three state championships in the past four seasons while losing just two games, Sherwood is making the jump to 11-man football this fall, trading dynasty status for the uncertainty that comes with starting over.

The Eagles enter GIAA Class AA, where familiar championship expectations remain but the path becomes considerably tougher. Region games against Southwest Georgia Academy and perennial power Valwood await, along with an early-season showdown against defending Class AA state champion Robert Toombs.

“We’ve had a really good summer,” head coach Doug Eason said. “We’ve got work to do, but we have a good group of players. We are going to be young, but we will be alright.”

Youth is impossible to ignore.

Sherwood graduated 13 seniors from last year’s team, including GIAA Player of the Year Tripp Roberts, an entire offensive line and every starting wide receiver.

Only four seniors remain to help guide the transition, led by all-state defensive end Dylan Clark, defensive back Hunter Gregg and wide receiver Witt Baker.

“A lot of new faces,” athletic director Jay Flynt said. “We’ve got some guys that can really play, but we are going to be very young. We know what we have signed up for. It is going to be challenging, but this season will tell us how we stack up.”

The adjustment goes well beyond replacing experienced players.

Eight-man football and 11-man football demand different strategies, spacing and responsibilities, forcing even returning stars to rethink the way they play.

Clark, an all-state selection a year ago, said his role has changed dramatically.

“Last year I was focused on getting the tackle or making the sack,” Clark said. “Now my job is more about containment and letting the linebackers make the tackle, so it is a little bit of an adjustment.”

Returning all-state running back Chuck LaGrange has noticed similar differences on offense.

After rushing for 1,112 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore last season, LaGrange said success in the running game now requires greater patience.

“The field is wider in 11-man, but you have more players on the field, so the gaps to run through are more compact,” he said.

Sherwood will receive its first test Aug. 14 when Brookwood visits Legacy Field for a preseason scrimmage.

The Eagles open the regular season Aug. 21 at Central Fellowship before returning home a week later to face defending GIAA Class AA champion Robert Toombs in what promises to be one of the area’s marquee early-season matchups.

For a program accustomed to competing for championships, the move to 11-man football represents unfamiliar territory.

But Eason doesn’t see it as a rebuilding project.

He sees it as the beginning of Sherwood’s next chapter.