Being in the Oklahoma Christian School Athletic Association, Community Christian School has a hard time scheduling outside of its league. When the 2010 season starts, the Royals probably won’t have to worry about that anymore.

CCS applied for instatement into the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Athletics Association, which the vast majority of schools in the state are members of. The deadline to apply was in April. CCS filled out the necessary paperwork and now await a decision, which is mostly just about boundary issues.

“We’re excited about it,” said CCS coach Brooks Mosier. “It’s really hard to schedule outside our league because most non-Christian league schools play in their district the last seven or eight weeks of the season.”

There are only five schools — CCS, Southwest Covenant, Destiny Christian, Windsor Hills and Southwest Christian — that play football in the OCSAA on this side of the state and five more on the east side. It makes for more of a district than a league.

CCS’s non-league schedule this year consists of two home-school teams, one school that just started its program, and two out of state schools.

And CCS has surpassed most of the schools in the OCSAA. The Royals have played in the championship game virtually every season. Last year, they lost to Southwest Covenant 27-26.

CCS also has the best facilities in the league. The school hosts the OCSAA playoffs almost every year.

“We have nice facilities, a nice field and we’re a fairly easy to get to,” Mosier said. “That’s why we get to host.”

As far as numbers, CCS has become one of the bigger teams in the league. This year, the Royals have 42 players out for football, the most they’ve ever had. That gives CCS a tremendous advantage in a league that plays eight-man football.

But all six non-league games will be 11-man contests. CCS usually plays 11-man games every season, but never that many.

“Our schedule is not as tough as we’d like, but it will be exciting to be playing so many 11-man games,” Mosier said.

More pads,

less shorts

Football practice started Tuesday for OSSAA members, but rules state that teams must practice the first three days in shorts and helmets. Some, like Washington coach Dennis McCray, would like for that to change.

“It might be something they need to rethink,” he said.