Registration for South Wake Lions JV and Varsity tackle football programs is open to young men between the ages of 13 and 18 living near Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay Varina, SW Raleigh, South Wake County and the surrounding areas of central North Carolina. ! Please allow 10-15 minutes to complete the registration process. Before the season begins you will need to provide a copy of the participants birth certificate.
Age Groups. The following age groups are available for the upcoming season:
- Junior Varsity Tackle Football 13-15 (No Weight Limit, players cannot turn 16 prior to 6/1/23)
- Varsity Tackle Football 16-18 (No Weight Limit, players cannot turn 19 before 8/31)
Players can choose to play up to an age group at a higher level with AD/parent approval. However, no players will be able to play down to a lower level.
Varsity Game Schedule. The regular Varsity 8 game season will officially begin last week of August and run through October with playoffs running through November. The location and games times for the following events will be published in the coming weeks. We are always looking to expand the schedule and could expand to 10 games. Our program is part of the NCIAA (North Carolina Independent Athletic Association) along with 5 other NC teams and will compete in post season playoffs!
- Varsity Game 1 -at Grace Christian, Friday August 18, 7pm
- Varsity Game 2 -at Wake Christian, Friday August 25, TBD
- Varsity Game 3 - at Hickory Grove Christian School, 7200 E. W.T. Harris Blvd, Charlotte, NC, Friday September 1, 7:30pm
- Varsity Game 4 - at Wake Prep, Saturday September 8, 7pm
- Open Date - September 15
- Varsity Game 5 - vs Virginia Spartans*, Friday September 22 or Saturday September 23, TBD
- Varsity Game 6 -vs Carolina Bearcats*, Friday September 29 or Saturday September 30, TBD
- Varsity Game 7 -at American Leadership Academy (ALA), Friday October 6, 7pm
- Varsity Game 8 -vs Sandhill Titans*, Friday October 13 or Saturday October 14, TBD
- Varsity Game 9 - at North Wake Saints, Friday October 20 or Saturday October 21, TBD
- Varsity Game 10 - vs Hickory Hawks*, Friday October 27 or Saturday October 28, TBD
(Playoffs begin at conclusion of regular season. Dates and times TBD)*Denotes Home Game
Junior Varsity Game Schedule. The Junior Varsity schedule will run through the same period as the Varsity team. The Specific games are still in progress of being coordinated among the league coaches and ADs and will be published soon. Our goal is to schedule 8 JV games and currently we have 5 scheduled for Fall 2023. There are no playoff games for JV and the league championships is based off league records.
- Junior Varsity Game 1 - vs Grace Christian*, Thursday August 17, TBD
- Junior Varsity Game 2 -at Wake Christian, Thursday August 24, 6:30pm
- Open Date/Available - August 31
- Open Date/Available - September 7
- Junior Varsity Game 3 -at North Wake Saints, Wednesday September 13, TBD
- Junior Varsity Game 4 - at Harrells Christian Academy, Thursday September 21, 5:30pm
- Open Date/Available - September 28
- Junior Varsity Game 5 -at Wake Prep, Thursday September 28, 6pm
- Open Date/Available - October 5
- Junior Varsity Game 6 -vs North Wake Saints*, Thursday October 12, TBD
- Open Date/Available - October 19
- Open Date/Available - October 26
*Denotes Home Game
Practice Field. Official practices during the season are held every Tues and Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at our practice field.
Practice location is 8032 Pierce Olive Road, Apex, NC.
Home Game Field. Official games during the season are held typically on Thursday nights (JV), Friday nights (Varsity) and sometimes on Saturdays depending on field availability. Game dates, times and locations will always be published well ahead of gameday.
Home Game locations TBD
Conditioning Drills, We follow the NCHSAA guidelines for the league which requires a minimum 5 full days of conditioning prior to making contact in pads. This year official conditioning drills for both Varsity and JV will begin on first Tuesday after 4th of July, and will continue for three weeks every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm at our practice field.
Full Contact Practice. Once the conditioning period is complete official league certified pads, helmets, and uniforms will be distributed to start full contact practices on first Tuesday of August. Full Contact practice will will continue every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm at our practice field until the official first game.
Preseason Conditioning. Players/coaches are encouraged to meet on their own prior to the start of official practice drills to work on drills/conditioning, but no formal practices will be held before this date. We strongly recommend having a medical physical exam for each player prior to the beginning of the season. Keep an eye on our News tab for informal group training opportunities through the months of May and June led by Coach Durham.
Registration fees. The registration fee for the 2023 season is $400.00 per athlete. An Early Bird discount of $50 will be available until June 15 prior to start of official conditioning drills. There is also a sibling discount if you are registering more than 1 athlete. Additionally, there are discount codes available for Coaches and some other volunteer positions.
Volunteer Opportunities. During the registration process, you will encounter an option to volunteer in some way during the season (assisting with equipment management, league banquet, water distribution , score keeping, statistics, photography, game video and more). It takes a small army to ensure things run smoothly throughout the season and your help is much needed and greatly appreciated!