CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
For the first time in its 150 year history, Incarnate Word Academy is getting a football team.
The six-man football team will be added to the school athletic department in the 2023-24 school year. IWA is currently recruiting students for the team and will start interviewing for a head coach next week.
"This is the state of Texas, football is huge," said IWA Athletics Director Kevin Steen. "Everyone knows about Friday night lights, even Saturday afternoon games. They're going to be packed. I talked to the athletic director at Laredo St. Augustine, they added six-man football two years ago and he said it's done wonders for the school."
Steen previously spent ten years at St. Michael's Catholic Academy in Austin. The 11-man football team there won six district championships. IWA's six-man football program is smaller than the traditional 11-man football program, but the community is still just as excited.
"I love to see the enthusiasm about football," said IWA President Sammie Grunwald said. "People love football so much, and the thing about it, it really enhances all of the programs. And the kids are so excited about it, we announced it, we started announcing it last Saturday and we've got nothing but positive responses so far."
The new team will compete in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPS. Opponents include St. Augustine, St. Mary's Hall, Texas School for the Deaf and others.
"IWA has a strong academic tradition, its strong, especially in cross country we've had a lot of success over the years," said Edmund Thomas, a prospective player for the team. "And it's going to be fun to try and build a new tradition of success in football."
Another prospective player, Paul McNiff, said, "Being a part of history for our private, our little private school is nice. It's cool."
With a background in sports medicine, Steen intends to hire a new coach and train players with safety in mind.
"There's always been concerns from the sisters on health and safety about playing football," Steen said. "So, six-man football doesn't have as much risk as 11-man football."
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