Eastern Christian Academy was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian school A Christian school is a Parochial school, religious school run on Christianity, Christian principles or by a Christian organization. These schools often include religious education and worship in their curriculum. They may also have a distinct Ch ...

with a football training program located in

Elkton, Maryland Elkton is a town in and the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,776 at the 2020 census, up from 15,443 in 2010. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of navigation on the Elk R ...

. Established in 2012, it enrolled students in grades 6 through 12 participating in an online curriculum administered by

Connections Academy Connections Academy is a for-profit corporate provider of online school products and services to virtual schools for grades K-12, including full-time online school. In the United States the company is noted as Connections Academy, and for studen ...

. The school was founded by Delaware-based commercial contractor David Sills IV, whose goal was to use athletics to provide opportunities for at-risk students to get financial aid and a college education. Virtually all of the students enrolled were boys, all of whom were on the football team, whose mascot was the

honey badger The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only living species in both the genus ''Mellivora'' and the subfami ...

, named after the

viral video Viral videos are video, videos that become popular through viral phenomenon, a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhon ...

. The

Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) is the Voluntary association, association that oversees public high school sporting contests in the state of Maryland. Formed in 1946, the MPSSAA is made up of public high school ...

initially refused to sanction Eastern Christian Academy, causing many of their opponents to drop them from their 2012 schedule. The Maryland State Department of Education voiced concerns with the school including the power and influence of the football program at the school. In 2013, their schedule included regional powers

Calvert Hall College High School Calvert Hall College High School (also known as "Calvert Hall" or "CHC") is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys, located in Towson, Maryland, United States. The school was established in 1845 by the Institute of the Brothers of th ...

, St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio),

Saint Ignatius High School (Cleveland) Saint Ignatius High School is a private Jesuit boys high school in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. History Founded in 1886 by a German Jesuit on the invitation of Bishop Richard Gilmour, the school was originally a six-year seco ...

, and

St. Peter's Preparatory School Saint Peter's Preparatory School (also known as Saint Peter's Prep or simply Prep) is an Private school, independent, College-preparatory school, preparatory, and Single-sex education, all-male day school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jers ...

. The team posted a 9–3 record, finishing number 9 in the Maryland/Washington D.C. rankings. According to sports website

MaxPreps MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. The site is currently owned by PlayOn. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports, including boys, girls, and co-ed sports. ...

, the Honey Badgers played the toughest schedule in the country in 2014. Their record was 3–9. Eastern Christian Academy ended the 2015 season with a 2–6 record. The school closed its doors prior to the start of the 2016 football season.

Notable attendees

* David Sills V,

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

wide receiver * Wendell Smallwood,

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

running back *

Brandon Rusnak Brandon Rusnak (born Brandon Watson, July 11, 1995) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for University of Michigan. Professional career Jacksonville Jaguars Rusnak signed with the Jacksonville Jagua ...

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

cornerback

References

External links

Eastern Christian Academy
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104040841/http://www.eca-online.org/ , date=2013-11-04 official website Elkton, Maryland Online schools in the United States Defunct private schools in the United States Defunct Christian schools in the United States