Trinity Christian finished with a winning record for the first time in eight years during the 2025 high school football season in California. The Warriors are hoping to find the same success in 2026 with only 12 players on the roster.
They compete in 8-man division of the Pacific Coast league.
Although Trinity Christian does not play traditional high school football, the program plays a significant role in day-to-day operations. Nearly half of the total boys’ enrollment is on the team.
What is 8-man high school football?
Most simply put, 8-man football is the 8-on-8 alternative to 11-on-11 football for schools that do not have enough students. Trinity Christian High School, formerly Calvary Christian, is a private Christian school in Monterey, California. It enrolls ~90 middle and high school students in total. There are roughly 25 boys in the entire school who are eligible to play for the football team.
To put that in perspective, some Texas high school football teams have rosters of 100+. Trinity Christian has only 12.
As a result, the Warriors play 8-man football instead of 11-man football. The rules are similar, but games are typically played on a smaller field (80 yards long, 40 yards wide), at least five players must be on the line of scrimmage and all eight players are eligible to run/catch/throw the ball. With fewer lineman and more open space, the pace of play is much faster and a lot more points are scored.
In 11-man football, seven offensive players must be on the line of scrimmage but in 8-man football, only three are required. The free blocking zone extends three yards laterally from the snap and three yards behind each line of scrimmage. Kickoffs are slightly different and formations are all over the place. Here is a simple breakdown:
8-man football is not 11-man football with three players removed. The rules, which vary by state, are fundamentally different.
Trinity Christian has only 12 players on the roster.
John Devine of the Monterey Herald recently spent time with the Trinity Christian high school football program during the preseason. He described the Warriors’ practice facility as “a small patch of grass, maybe 50 yards long and 25 yards wide — not all of it green or level.”
First-year head coach Josh Kelley took over for Andrew Dirkes during the offseason. He inherited a roster of only 12 players. Every player will be expected to log at least 120 snaps per game. Substitutions are limited on both sides of the ball.
In addition to the lack of subs, Kelley installed an even more up-tempo offense. Conditioning will be crucial.
“Our kids are working like they’ve never worked before. Conditioning has been our top priority. We’re trying to keep their tempo up to do something they’ve never done before.”
The players, who account for nearly half of the school’s total male enrollment, are working extremely hard to get in shape.
Every practice is a grind. (Peep the guy doing deadbugs in Birkenstocks!)
Trinity Christian finished at 6-3 last season, which was its best record in nine years. Kelley says that two of the three losses were mostly a fluke because of changes to the defense. The goal is to be even better in 2026. However, there was a lot of turnover.
Last year’s team relied heavily on seniors, including three all-league players who have since graduated. This year’s team is still taking shape. Seth Ramones, who previously played wide receiver, is moving to quarterback for the first time in his life.
He has never played the position at any level of the sport and is learning on the fly as the starting quarterback for 2026. His head coach asked him to make the switch because of his athleticism and leadership.
“I told Seth I need you to be my quarterback. But you have to learn how to throw a football. He’s a baseball player with a cannon for an arm. What went into this decision was his leadership qualities. The team respects him.”
One of Ramones’ top targets is a soccer player who is playing football for the first time in his life. The Warriors will have only four lineman in total, with one of last year’s linemen moving to powerback. It is a scrappy bunch of misfits who want to win.
Trinity Christian’s 12 players will begin the regular season on Sept. 12. Seven games are currently on the high school football schedule.