Pre-season practice officially begins for high school football teams across the state and this season will see another increase in the number of eight-man programs. Forty schools will offer the eight-man version this fall, including Iowa Christian Academy in West Des Moines which will field a varsity team for the first time. Athletic director Terry Malone says eight-man football is the best way to start. Malone says football has generated a lot of interest since the decision was made to offer the sport. Iowa Christian Academy coach Andy Wycoff has enjoyed the opportunity to build a program from scratch. Wycoff says since it’s their first season, he’ll try to keep the expectations low, but he admits that will only last a couple of weeks. After fielding a junior varsity team last season, Wycoff says they’re ready to move into varsity competition. The first full Friday of the high school season is September 6th.