KC team heads to National Homeschool Football Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Under the hum of portable lights in the back lot of KCMO’s Red Bridge Baptist Church, about 100 KC-area athletes are building a national powerhouse.

“It’s not easy to build a team, and to get just a bunch of homeschool kids together and teach them the sport,” Christ Preparatory Academy head coach Tom Hurley said.

Roughly 90% of the players for the Christ Prep football team are homeschooled.

“Christ Prep is a three-day-a-week college preparatory school where kids can either go there three days a week and take all their classes, or homeschool kids can pick and choose the classes they want to take,” Hurley said.

Four times a week, they assemble at the church for practice.

“It’s great, especially for me,” senior linebacker Ezekiel Stone said. “My circle of people isn’t that big being homeschooled. I have friends at church, I have a lot of siblings. But being here, this is where I have a lot of brothers. A lot of friends.”

“Everybody’s invested in everybody’s life,” sophomore quarterback Justice Criniere said. “We really care for each other.”

“What this program’s about is not football,” Hurley said. “Our goal is to build Godly men for the next generation. Football’s just a good way to help young men learn how to grow up and be ready for life.”

The Patriots are a KSHSAA-approved team. They fill the first half of their schedule with games against schools on both sides of the state line.

“When everybody else starts their conference or district play, playoffs is when we start playing other homeschool teams,” Hurley said.

Up next: their Super Bowl.

Christ Prep takes the field as the two-seed in the National Homeschool Football Tournament next week in Panama City Beach, Fla.

The Patriots finished as runners-up last year to this year’s top seed: Houston.

“I think we can do it. We believe in each other. As long as we play as a team, we’ll be good.”

The team leaves for the Sunshine State on Sunday. Their first game is this coming Wednesday.

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