October, 2008 An On-Line Publication of the Athletic Department of Mount Juliet Christian Academy Archive | MJCA Home

 

WEBB & SWORDS NAMED ALL-DISTRICT 8 A-AA

In a season that the Lady Saints soccer team struggled for success, two girls stood out among the district's elite. Senior, Kayla Webb, and sophomore, Sarah Swords, were named to the All-District 8 A-AA team. Kayla has been a member of the Lady Saints soccer team for the last four years. She has demonstrated great leadership and work ethic throughout her high school career. She has been able to do so while being an MJCA cheerleader as well.

Sarah Swords has also been a committed member and leader on the soccer team. She was the only other MJCA player to be given this honor. Sarah is one of the best young players that has come through the girls soccer program at MJCA.

The Lady Saints were very young this year, and were also inexperienced. However, with so many players returning to the team in the upcoming years, things should begin to improve.

 

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EXCITEMENT BUILDING AROUND MJCA BASEBALL

Coaches Brent Turner and Richard Pickle have brought a lot of new excitement into the MJCA high school baseball program. They have done so by putting an incredible amount of work into the baseball facilities over the summer and fall. One of the most visible improvements has been the extension of the dugouts. Both the home and visitor dugouts have been approximately doubled in size and new storage has been added to the home side. These coaches have also raised the money to build up the ground level in foul territory and improved the infield turf. There are also plans in place to improve the sound system for the baseball/softball complex.

Along with what the coaching staff has already done, there are more long term development plans that have been laid out and approved by the school's athletic department. With all of this growth, the students have demonstrated a new excitement about the upcoming season.

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MJCA WILL JOIN D-II IN 2009

After many months of discussion and thought, the MJCA Athletic Department made the recomendation to move to Division II of the TSSAA. This move will allow MJCA to offer financial aid to athletes just as it does now for non-athletes. This will also put the Saints in the same league as the other private schools in the state who do the same. MJCA will be making the move next school year (2009).

Other schools making the move from Division I to Division II (in our area) are Franklin Road Academy, Donelson Christian Academy, Ezell Harding Christian School, and Zion Christian Academy. Two other Middle Tennessee newcomers to TSSAA will also be in Division II (Lancaster Christian and Riverside Christian Academy). Middle Tennessee teams who were in class "A" of Division II and will remain are University School of Nashville, Davidson Academy, Webb School, and St. Andrews School. The rest of the Division II schools can be found online (www.tssaa.org/Classifications/2009Classes.htm). MJCA will not know who will be in their district until the middle of November.

The decision to move to DII was based upon what was best for the school and its families. It was not made for athletic reasons. In fact, the competition will be very strong, and MJCA will have to compete will have to compete at a higher level of competition. MJCA's administration wanted to be able to offer need based financial aid to students who qualify without discriminating against their student athletes. This move will allow MJCA to do this. Although this is a very large move for our school, we are confident that it is the right one.

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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PICKS UP 2 KEY WINS

As the coaches at MJCA continue to build the football program, each win becomes crucial. Also, closing the gap (point spread) on losses becomes important. This year, the Saints have been able to do both. The Saints are currently 2-5 on the year, but have enjoyed several building accomplishments. Wins over St. Andrews (DII) and district rival Red Boiling Springs were important, but equally important is the fact that MJCA has been more competitive with the teams who have much more established programs.

Football has proven to be a difficult program to start and build for any school attempting to do so. Paul Townsend and his staff have taken on this challenge and been very successful in doing so one step at a time. With a middle school feeder program that has not had a losing season in the last 2 years, success in high school football seems to be right around the corner.

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BASKETBALL SEASON PASSES NOW AVAILABLE

MJCA is entering another exciting basketball season, and we do not want anyone to miss out. It can get difficult to pay admission at every game, especially if you have to pay for your whole family. However, it is necessary to pay for the expenses of the game.

Because of this, MJCA's Athletic Department has developed an opportunity for you to purchase individual or family season passes. You may purchase these tickets from the MJCA athletic office and enjoy the savings. Prices of these tickets can be found online (http://www.mjca.org/AthleticsSeasonPasses2008-09.htm) . We look forward to seeing you at the game.

 

 

STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Paige Hudson has been a great athlete and student for many years at MJCA. Paige was a key member of the Lady Saints volleyball team, a starter on the women's basketball team, and the ace pitcher on the fast pitch softball team. She has done all of this while maintaining a very high GPA and being an upstanding citizen of the MJCA family.

As a school, MJCA encourages students to be well-rounded while maintaining excellence in all that they do. Paige has exemplified these characteristics throughout her high school career. All indications are that Hudson will continue this and have a tremendous senior year, both on and off the field.

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COACH IN RUSSIA FOR THE START OF SEASON

For the first time in his 10 years at MJCA, Coach Paul Christensen will miss some time with his basketball team during the season. In a meeting earlier this month, Coach Christensen told his players that he would be out of the country for the first three weeks of practice and would miss the first game against Zion Christian on November 18.

The reason is that Paul and Jennifer Christensen will be making their second and final trip to Russia to complete the adoption process of their new son Luca.

In the interim, Coach Casey Colter will be taking over the Saints varsity boys basketball team until Coach C gets back. Coach Colter is a more than capable basketball coach in that he has coached at the college and high school levels and has been an athletic director at the high school level. Coach Christensen was clear in stating that he has no concern that the team will be well coached while he is gone, but will miss being with a team that he has really looked forward to coaching.

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Mount Juliet Christian Academy | 735 North Mount Juliet Road | Mount Juliet, Tennessee 37122 | 615-758-2427 (v) | 615-758-3662 (f)