The biggest news on the private school home front heading into the season opener in football this week is Faith Christian Academy’s scheduled home game against Colonial Hills has been moved to Colonial Hills High in Lithia Springs, Ga., because FCA could not secure a home field, according to FCA athletic director and assistant coach Jim McClelland Sr.

Expansion plans for nearby Southern Crescent Technical College have encroached upon Faith Christian’s current football field, leaving the Lions without a home field. The game is a rematch of an opening-round Independent Christian Schools of Georgia and Alabama Athletic Association 8-man league playoff game last season, won 46-42 in stunning fashion by the Lions (5-6) at Colonial Hills (8-2). FCA rode the momentum from that victory against the Rams all the way to the finals.

However, graduation hit both schools hard. Furthermore, each had arguably their single best returning player transfer. So fans should expect to see a lot of new faces on both sidelines Friday.

Elsewhere, Griffin Christian travels to archrival Flint River Academy and Skipstone hosts Appling Christian during a season where it should be noted all three local private schools — Griffin Christian, Faith Christian and Skipstone Academy — have first-year head coaches. Bobby Brogdon is the new head coach at Griffin Christian, while Teron Jones is the new head coach at Faith Christian and Dan Salvador takes over as the head coach at Skipstone.

None have prior head coaching experience at their current level. Furthermore, all three coaches inherit young, inexperienced teams.

Griffin Christian (6-5) and Flint River (3-8) are both extremely young this season, a far cry from when they locked horns for the GISA Region 4-AA championship two years ago — a game, by the way, by Griffin Christian won 20-14 in double overtime to score their first football region championship in school history.

Of note, Griffin Christian’s offensive coordinator the past few seasons, David Nix, is now working at Flint River, where he starred as a quarterback years ago.

Since winning 6-2 at Skipstone Academy in a preseason three weeks ago, Griffin Christian has struggled losing 18-0 at home against Arlington and 41-0 at home against Heritage in other preseason action.

Skipstone, which will play independent 8-man football, has done a little of everything during its preseason, losing to Griffin Christian 6-2, while topping Philadelphia Christian 30-0, playing to a scoreless tie against People’s Baptist and losing 14-0 to defending champ King’s Way.