The greatest eight-man show on turf? In Lawrence, it’s Veritas Christian School.

This season is the first for varsity football at Veritas, a private school at 256 N. Mich.

And while Lawrence High, Free State, Kansas University and the Kansas City Chiefs play the 11-man game, Veritas is forced to play eight-man football because of its small enrollment.

It’s a hoot to watch.

Ever seen eight-man football? It’s a little different from 11-man, but the point of the sport stays the same: Get the pointy brown ball into the end zone, and if you see anyone who is not wearing the same uniform as you, feel free to knock him into the next zip code.

Veritas isn’t bad at either. In their first year, the Eagles are 2-2. They’ve won their last two after struggling out of the gate — most of the players have minimal football experience.

But offense aside, tackling keeps the Eagles going. Boy, these guys love the opportunity to cream someone.

“Our guys can hit,” Veritas coach Doug Bennett said with a grin. “Every team we’ve ever played knows that we’re a hitting team.”

Veritas has 13 players on its squad. There are no seniors and linebacker Ben Dunbar is the only junior. The turnout this year is small, but the essentials to an up-and-coming program already are there.

Need a playmaker? How about sophomore running back Jesse Schultz, who in Saturday’s 36-24 victory over Springfield (Mo.) Christian rushed 24 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

Need a leader? Sophomore Casey Woods is your guy. As quarterback, Woods has shown remarkable efficiency. In the last two weeks, he’s 30-of-47 passing for 323 yards and two scores.

Need an athlete? How about Mark Randtke, the Eagles’ 6-foot-4, 200-pound horse. A tight end, Randtke brings such a presence to the field that the opposition is forced to double-team him. And in eight-man football, that’s 25 percent of the defense.

Of course, Woods loves that other teams usually don’t figure out how to shut Randtke down until it’s too late.

“It sure is nice,” Woods said, “to have a 6-4 target.”

Veritas averages 24 points per game, which isn’t as high as it could be for eight-man. With three fewer defenders on an 80-yard field, many eight-man games turn into barn-burning shoot-outs that cause the scorekeepers’ hands to cramp up.

“It’s supposed to be a more wide-open game,” Bennett said, “but we haven’t experienced that yet.”

It will come, though. The Eagles are independent now, but they’ll be affiliated with the Kansas Christian Athletic Assn. next year. The long-term goal is to join the Kansas State High School Activities Assn., and compete for a Kansas eight-man championship.

Now that’s music to Bennett’s ears. Not that the Eagles don’t already have the ultimate goal.

“Like any program,” Bennett said, “we want to win every game we play.”

In the last two weeks, the Eagles have. Lately, there has been no stopping the greatest eight-man show on Lawrence turf.

If you want to see the Eagles in action, you have one more chance — Oct. 18. They play on the practice field south of Haskell Stadium.