It all seems to add up – 11 is better than 8.

At least it is better for Glendale Joy Christian.

After winning Arizona’s eight-man football state championship in Division VI last season, the team is moving up to the 11-man game in Division V.

The Eagles have been making an incremental transition even before now. When former Phoenix North Canyon coach Brian Cole took over three years ago, there was some talk about petitioning up to the next level. But it was a bit late in that particular two-year scheduling block, so everyone decided to wait.

Joy played 11-man games against Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian and Sahuarita Walden Grove last season, and have been competing in 7-on-7 summer passing drills for a few years.

“Since the day I got here, 11-man was always the plan,’’ Cole said. “So we really haven’t changed much of anything since. We had a great year last year, and our players coming back also know about what needs to be done this time around.’’

Cole and Joy athletic director Alan Boelter at first thought Joy would be placed in a section along with defending champion Phoenix Northwest Christian. David Inness, Northwest’s coach and AD, was Cole’s former defensive coordinator at North Canyon.

But Joy instead will play in a section with schools in the northern part of the state, Cole said, schools such as new Lee Williams in Kingman, Williams (west of Flagstaff), Camp Verde and Sedona Red Rock, among others.

“We’re used to traveling, so we will make it work,’’ Cole said.

Joy was unable to schedule Northwest Christian as one of its “freedom games’’ this year, but Cole hopes that will not be the case in future campaigns.

Joy played in the recent Arizona State passing competition and defeated bigger schools Peoria Centennial and Laveen Betty H. Fairfax, and in another event in Surprise had success against Surprise Valley Vista, Peoria and Avondale Agua Fria.

Joy will have an enrollment of about 180 students, with 40 players out for football at all levels, Cole said.

“We think we can compete at the higher level,’’ he said.

Guiding the Joy offense will be senior quarterback Nick Henderson, a three-year starter. He has been playing well in passing leagues, Cole said.

“We expect huge things from him. He is our backbone,’’ Cole said.

Also expected to play key roles are senior receiver Aaron Martin, who caught 75 passes and is one of the team’s fastest players; senior defensive end-linebacker Thomas Madrid, who had 13 sacks last season; junior running back Godfrey Mudavanhu, who showed flashes of promise last season and who comes in bigger and stronger; and center Billy Nguyen, who will be entering his third year as a starter and calls out most of the blocking reads.

Opponents will have to be on their toes, because Joy runs its offense out of the shotgun formation, “even on fourth-and-one,’’ Cole said.

The Eagles’ preseason agenda will include a camp at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff from July 31-Aug. 3. That should feature some lively competition, because joining Joy will be Northwest Christian and Scottsdale Prep, the latter also making the move from Division VI to Division V.