First Academy-Leesburg is off to its best start in more than a decade and they're doing it in a whole new format.

The Eagles improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2013, outscoring opponents 122-30 to open the season under head coach Canh Bui. It's a dramatic turnaround for a program that opted to move from traditional 11-man football to the 8-man game in 2025, a change made to increase competitiveness and allow the school a shot at a championship.

(Coach Canh Bui talks to his team during a timeout. Photo Credit – Edwards Photography.)

So far, it's working. While the rules may differ slightly, the competition is just as fierce. FA-Leesburg has embraced the change, and you can see it in how they are playing.

The last time First Academy-Leesburg opened a season 3-0 was under longtime head coach Sheldon Walker, who led the program through much of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Now, a new era is taking shape.

(Henry Purvis has had plenty of opportunity to throw the ball to Logan Stalvey a big 6'3″ linebacker and wide out who has had a huge start to the season. Photo Credit – Edwards Photography.)

Junior quarterback Henry Purvis has been stellar through three games, throwing for 378 yards and nine touchdowns. Wideouts Rayce Teate (3 TDs) and Logan Stalvey (4 TDs) have emerged as key targets in the passing game. Logan has also made his presence felt defensively, leading the team with 37 tackles, while Teate leads with two interceptions.

The Eagles' latest victory came over cross-town opponent Liberty Christian Prep, a program still in its early stages. The matchup marked the first meeting between the two schools and it was actually cool to have a new cross-town rivalry born between the two programs.

With momentum building FA-Leesburg is capitalizing on the opportunity to reset the culture around its football program. The move to 8-man may not be permanent but for the time being it's been a very positive move in the right direction.

(Freshman Amari Akolade chases down LCP quarterback Connor Bass. Akolade has 8 tackles this season. Photo Credit – Edwards Photography.)

There is a lot of excitement for the football program as well. We are unsure if this is the last season at Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex but that could be the case as Sleepy Hollow begins a renovation project next year which will turn all of the complex into baseball and softball fields with the football field becoming part of that plan. All of Leesburg's rectangle fields will now shift over to Susan Street Complex. When that is finished, there will be a turf football field with a new stadium portion and it's very likely that FA-Leesburg could then play over there in the coming years.

For the immediate future, The Eagles will look to extend their unbeaten start when they host Academy at the Lakes on Friday night at 6:30 p.m.at Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex.