EUTAW – Warrior Academy has reached a decision regarding the status of their 2004 football program, and that decision includes filling a football team, a junior varsity football team.

“We have reached a decision,” headmaster Jimmy Barlow said. “We are certain that we will be able to fill a JV football team this fall.

Due to a lack of funding and lack of numbers, Warrior Academy has finally come to the realization that it will not be able to support a varsity football program in 2004. But do believe they will be able to fill a JV team this season. But, like everything else at Warrior Academy these days, there is a problem.

“We don’t have a coach,” Barlow said. “We have several in mind for the job, but have not reached a decision as of this time.”

But as of Friday, the problem of not having a JV coach seems minute to the fact that as of August 1, Warrior will be without a headmaster as well.

Barlow announced Friday that he too has reached a decision regarding the coming school year, and will take over as the new headmaster at Central Christian Academy in Selma.

“I have decided to take the headmaster position at Central Christian Academy,” Barlow said.

Barlow said that he will, however; remain on board at Warrior until the end of July to help fill some of the vacancy’s that have come about over the past few weeks, and on August 1, he will begin his new job as headmaster at Central Christian.

“I notified the board Thursday night of my decision to take the job at Central Christian, ” Barlow said. “I did agree to stay on till the end of July to help fill the remaining open spots within the schools administrative staff, and that on August 1, I will begin at Central Christian.”

But Barlow’s decision to move to Selma did not cause board members to fold. And according to Barlow, the school will remain open this year, and will continue teaching grades K-12.

“We will remain a K-12 school and we plan to continue to function as we always have,” Barlow said. “The only difference will be our football program. We will have varsity athletics in both boy’s and girl’s basketball, baseball and softball.”

The decision to continue with its varsity boy’s and girl’s basketball programs will defiantly affect many of Warrior’s student-athletes who may currently be making plans to attend other AISA schools this fall. But as for those student-athletes who only wish to play varsity football, there shouldn’t be any eligibility problems.

“With us (Warrior Academy) only having a JV football team this fall, I don’t believe any of our varsity football student-athletes that plan on transferring will have any eligibility problem,” Barlow said. “But as far as all other sports, no Warrior student-athletes that do transfer will be eligible.

Barlow said that he still had not contacted the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) as of Friday, but did plan on having a written statement sent no later than Tuesday stating the schools official decision.