Raleigh's Grace Christian will move to 11-man football next fall
By Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor
RALEIGH, N.C. — At a time when many high schools are struggling with football participation, one private school in Wake County is about to expand its program.
Grace Christian School in Raleigh has played eight-man football in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association since 2013, and the program has seen a lot of success — both in terms of on-field results and in getting students involved.
The Eagles won the 2019 NCISAA Division I eight-man football state championship in a dramatic 34-33 victory over Arendell Parrott Academy. And even through the COVID-19 pandemic, Grace Christian's program, led by head coach Keith Boutwell, has continued to grow participation among its students — from early ages through high school.
"They all want to play, they want to play football," Boutwell said of the kids at Grace Christian. "Some may be a little intimidated. Just because it's eight-man doesn't mean they're all small."
Boutwell credits junior varsity coach Corey McGuire with growing participation at the younger levels. In fact, participation and interest in the program has grown so much that Grace Christian will move from eight-man football to 11-man football in 2022.
"Just having Corey and a staff be incredibly enthusiastic is so key to this," Boutwell said. "It's just really kind of evolved down at the lower campus, and really in the middle school campus up here. The parents are all bought in, that trickles into varsity parents. It's one of the most tremendous parents and fan bases around, at least I believe."
Boutwell said there has been a lot of excitement at the school about the decision to move to 11-man football and he is optimistic that it will help the participation numbers at the school grown even more. He anticipates having between 30 and 40 kids playing next fall.
Why Grace Christian decided to move to 11-man football
Boutwell said there was always a plan to move to 11-man football when they started the eight-man program in 2013. Over the last few years, particularly since winning a state championship at the eight-man level, the school began to think more seriously about making the move.
"We prayed about it. We thought about it, really over the course of the last 12 months, and then when I brought it forward to administration in October, I told them why I felt that we were read," Boutwell said.
The first thing Boutwell pointed to was the strength of the junior varsity program, which has seen participation in the 30s the last several years.
"The numbers have been exceptional," he said. "But you have to kind of look back at the fourth and fifth grade as well, and there's just a lot of enthusiasm around the school right now for football."
Improvements to resources and facilities also played a role in the decision though. Located in what used to be a car dealership, Grace Christian is finishing up a complete overhaul of its weight room facilities. The Eagles have an indoor training area complete with turf, brand new equipment, and it all leads to an outdoor training area.
To build a program like the one Boutwell wants to see at Grace Christian, the strength and conditioning of student-athletes will be paramount.
"We will still stick to the foundation as far as bigger, faster, stronger," Grace Christian strength & conditioning coach Chavar Tyrance said. "We've definitely got to reinforce the conditioning side of things."
The conditioning and strength training will be focus because Grace Christian will need more depth moving to 11-man football, and it will be facing programs that have been playing 11-man football for years.
That's why Tyrance has his athletes back to work four days a week already. And he's is excited to be working towards next season in a newly updated facility.
"This is around 3,800 square feet. We've got the same racks that D-1 colleges have. We have all the equipment that is needed for us at this stage to get the job done," Tyrance said.
Strength and conditioning is also an important part of preparing players for the next level. Boutwell said Grace Christian players have received 29 college offers in the last three years, something Boutwell is very proud of as an eight-man program.
"It's just through blood, sweat, and tears, just laying down that foundation with college coaches," he said, noting that some college coaches and football players have been hesitant about Grace Christian because they play eight-man football. He hopes moving to 11-man will change that.
"Not every kid wants to play college football, and that's 100% okay, but the kids that want to get to that next level ... we're going to fight hard for that," Boutwell said.
What the future looks like for Grace Christian
While Grace Christian has seen football success in the short time they've fielded a team, the Eagles are coming off a season that saw some struggles. Grace Christian posted a 1-6 record during the 2021 season, but many of the key pieces were young.
Starting quarterback Sean McDowell will be back for his senior season after passing for 764 yards and seven touchdowns, and rushing for 447 yards and five touchdowns. The top three receivers from the 2021 season are also back — Walker Blount (311 yards, six touchdowns), Nathan Wastie (169 yards, one touchdown), and Nathan Kime (98 yards).
Watsie is also a key linebacker for the Eagles on defense, and the offensive line returns experience with guys like Jack Sember and Max Tomlinson. There will also be some talent moving up from the junior varsity team, which posted a 3-3 record in 2021.
Grace Christian will have its work cut out for it though. Boutwell has already begun creating an 11-man schedule, and the team hopes to eventually join a conference with Harrells Christian, North Raleigh Christian, Ravenscroft, Trinity Christian, and Wake Christian — a league with some NCISAA heavy-hitters.
Boutwell knows there will be some challenges as the program transitions to 11-man, but he believes they are challenges worth meeting.
"We've been there, done that that as far as growing a program. My first practice, one kid played football before. That was kind of an eye-opener. I had 20 kids for the first practice back in 2013. So it's not like it's a brand new program, we have a lot of things in place to actually accelerate the growth," Boutwell said. "There's going to be hurdles, but I pray about this daily, I know I'm doing the right thing, I know the school is doing the right thing, and I think we're going to shock a lot of people at the same time."
Culture is something that Boutwell thinks will help the football program take off at the 11-man level.
"We don't have a huge stadium, but homecoming games that we have, they're always packed. Even if we're losing, it doesn't matter. They're just having a blast," he said.
Boutwell also points to other sports programs at the school that have had success, such as the basketball program.
"It's time for football to do the same. There are a lot of great coaches here that coach different teams within Grace. They're all bought into their teams. Culture is huge here," he said.
By Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor
RALEIGH, N.C. — At a time when many high schools are struggling with football participation, one private school in Wake County is about to expand its program.
Grace Christian School in Raleigh has played eight-man football in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association since 2013, and the program has seen a lot of success — both in terms of on-field results and in getting students involved.
The Eagles won the 2019 NCISAA Division I eight-man football state championship in a dramatic 34-33 victory over Arendell Parrott Academy. And even through the COVID-19 pandemic, Grace Christian's program, led by head coach Keith Boutwell, has continued to grow participation among its students — from early ages through high school.
"They all want to play, they want to play football," Boutwell said of the kids at Grace Christian. "Some may be a little intimidated. Just because it's eight-man doesn't mean they're all small."
Boutwell credits junior varsity coach Corey McGuire with growing participation at the younger levels. In fact, participation and interest in the program has grown so much that Grace Christian will move from eight-man football to 11-man football in 2022.
"Just having Corey and a staff be incredibly enthusiastic is so key to this," Boutwell said. "It's just really kind of evolved down at the lower campus, and really in the middle school campus up here. The parents are all bought in, that trickles into varsity parents. It's one of the most tremendous parents and fan bases around, at least I believe."
Boutwell said there has been a lot of excitement at the school about the decision to move to 11-man football and he is optimistic that it will help the participation numbers at the school grown even more. He anticipates having between 30 and 40 kids playing next fall.
Why Grace Christian decided to move to 11-man football
Boutwell said there was always a plan to move to 11-man football when they started the eight-man program in 2013. Over the last few years, particularly since winning a state championship at the eight-man level, the school began to think more seriously about making the move.
"We prayed about it. We thought about it, really over the course of the last 12 months, and then when I brought it forward to administration in October, I told them why I felt that we were read," Boutwell said.
The first thing Boutwell pointed to was the strength of the junior varsity program, which has seen participation in the 30s the last several years.
"The numbers have been exceptional," he said. "But you have to kind of look back at the fourth and fifth grade as well, and there's just a lot of enthusiasm around the school right now for football."
Improvements to resources and facilities also played a role in the decision though. Located in what used to be a car dealership, Grace Christian is finishing up a complete overhaul of its weight room facilities. The Eagles have an indoor training area complete with turf, brand new equipment, and it all leads to an outdoor training area.
To build a program like the one Boutwell wants to see at Grace Christian, the strength and conditioning of student-athletes will be paramount.
"We will still stick to the foundation as far as bigger, faster, stronger," Grace Christian strength & conditioning coach Chavar Tyrance said. "We've definitely got to reinforce the conditioning side of things."
The conditioning and strength training will be focus because Grace Christian will need more depth moving to 11-man football, and it will be facing programs that have been playing 11-man football for years.
That's why Tyrance has his athletes back to work four days a week already. And he's is excited to be working towards next season in a newly updated facility.
"This is around 3,800 square feet. We've got the same racks that D-1 colleges have. We have all the equipment that is needed for us at this stage to get the job done," Tyrance said.
Strength and conditioning is also an important part of preparing players for the next level. Boutwell said Grace Christian players have received 29 college offers in the last three years, something Boutwell is very proud of as an eight-man program.
"It's just through blood, sweat, and tears, just laying down that foundation with college coaches," he said, noting that some college coaches and football players have been hesitant about Grace Christian because they play eight-man football. He hopes moving to 11-man will change that.
"Not every kid wants to play college football, and that's 100% okay, but the kids that want to get to that next level ... we're going to fight hard for that," Boutwell said.
What the future looks like for Grace Christian
While Grace Christian has seen football success in the short time they've fielded a team, the Eagles are coming off a season that saw some struggles. Grace Christian posted a 1-6 record during the 2021 season, but many of the key pieces were young.
Starting quarterback Sean McDowell will be back for his senior season after passing for 764 yards and seven touchdowns, and rushing for 447 yards and five touchdowns. The top three receivers from the 2021 season are also back — Walker Blount (311 yards, six touchdowns), Nathan Wastie (169 yards, one touchdown), and Nathan Kime (98 yards).
Watsie is also a key linebacker for the Eagles on defense, and the offensive line returns experience with guys like Jack Sember and Max Tomlinson. There will also be some talent moving up from the junior varsity team, which posted a 3-3 record in 2021.
Grace Christian will have its work cut out for it though. Boutwell has already begun creating an 11-man schedule, and the team hopes to eventually join a conference with Harrells Christian, North Raleigh Christian, Ravenscroft, Trinity Christian, and Wake Christian — a league with some NCISAA heavy-hitters.
Boutwell knows there will be some challenges as the program transitions to 11-man, but he believes they are challenges worth meeting.
"We've been there, done that that as far as growing a program. My first practice, one kid played football before. That was kind of an eye-opener. I had 20 kids for the first practice back in 2013. So it's not like it's a brand new program, we have a lot of things in place to actually accelerate the growth," Boutwell said. "There's going to be hurdles, but I pray about this daily, I know I'm doing the right thing, I know the school is doing the right thing, and I think we're going to shock a lot of people at the same time."
Culture is something that Boutwell thinks will help the football program take off at the 11-man level.
"We don't have a huge stadium, but homecoming games that we have, they're always packed. Even if we're losing, it doesn't matter. They're just having a blast," he said.
Boutwell also points to other sports programs at the school that have had success, such as the basketball program.
"It's time for football to do the same. There are a lot of great coaches here that coach different teams within Grace. They're all bought into their teams. Culture is huge here," he said.
