Meadowview Christian is the first Selma area high school team to hit the football field this fall, as the Trojans started practice earlier this week.

“We’re glad [the season is here] and a lot of the kids are too,” said coach Scott Gunter. “The coaches are real excited and ready to start. It’s just a fun time of year.”

Meadowview, which moved to the Alabama Christian Athletic Association’s 8-man football league prior to the 2014 season, hit the field for the first time Monday wearing helmets, but no shoulder pads.

Gunter said like in past years the team is dealing with low numbers and a lot of inexperience, but there’s still plenty of excitement surrounding the Trojans.

“Numbers are low again, but we are looking forward to our second season in the ACAA,” Gunter said.

The team spent Thursday in the weight room, getting in a workout while Mother Nature sent storms through the Selma area.

Although the Trojans didn’t hit the field Thursday, they got a lot of work in on Tuesday and Thursday.

Gunter said those days were spent teaching fundamentals, which is always important when dealing with a younger team.

“We went over a few plays, worked on drills, worked on passing drills with defensive backs, on footwork, lineman going through the chutes — just on basic fundamentals, and we will start with shoulder pads next week,” Gunter said.

Last year the Trojans played 8-man football for the first time and faced teams they’d never seen before.

Although 11-man and 8-man football aren’t that different, the latter game is usually higher scoring and involves formations not possible in normal football.

With a year of experience in 8-man football behind them, Gunter said Meadowview won’t be surprised by anything it sees this year.

“We learned a lot about it, different formations and playing different schools and seeing what they run,” Gunter said. “The first year not knowing who they were and what they did it was kind of tough, but the second year I think it’ll be a lot easier on u.”