Mount Juliet Christian Academy

MJCA cross country runner, 3-time state meet qualifier and MJCA 2008 salutatorian, Hannah Staggs, has put her name on the "dotted line" to run for Union University. Staggs became the 4th MJCA cross country runner to take their game on to the college level. Hannah ended her MJCA running career at the TSSAA state meet last November and became MJCA's second best (all time) female runner. This strong athletic ability combined with a superior academic level ensures that Hannah Staggs will have a very successful college experience.

June 28, 2008 gave Mt. Juliet Christian Academy its biggest loss. Sadly, it was the day that Dustan Gammon graduated to eternal life. Dustan, who spent the last few years staying active (in every way he could) became a very significant fixture of the MJCA Athletic Department. Dustan served as the manager of the baseball and basketball teams and started his new position as assistant coach of the basketball team this summer. Dustan worked with Coach Christensen, Coach Colter and the high school boys in practice, Wilson Central Camp and Gallatin Camp. He joined the coaching staff with an immediate (earned) respect from the players. Our team gained from the few short weeks with "Coach Dustan."

After a three year battle with leukemia, Dustan passed away from this life and received complete healing at the hands of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the past few years, he has taught our academy many valuable lessons that will never be forgotten. MJCA had joined Dustan and his family in this fight for life and gained a new respect for the character and will power of Dustan as well as an understanding of how to battle an incredible adversary with strength and integrity. Although we are glad that he will enjoy his pain free eternal life, we will truly miss Dustan Gammon and all that he meant to MJCA.

Mt. Juliet Christian Academy has over the years added some exceptional coaches, and now is pleased to announce the newest one. Casey Colter has signed a contract to teach and coach at MJCA next year. Coach Colter brings with him great experience. He has been an assistant basketball coach and head women's soccer coach at Tennessee Temple University followed by becoming the Athletic Director and Head Men's Basketball coach at Lighthouse Christian School in Antioch. Coach Colter (who played for Coach Paul Christensen in the mid-90's) will become the high school men's basketball assistant coach and he will coach the J.V. team. He will replace David Kitchen Jr., who will coach women's basketball only next year.

Coach Colter will also carry on other responsibilities in the Athletic Department as well as teaching middle school Bible. Paul Christensen (Athletic Director) considers this to be a great hire for the Athletic Department and MJCA as a whole. Coach Colter's vision and enthusiasm will be sure to advance our school in every way.

Coach Mike Jones has been a fixture of MJCA baseball for the past 6 years. His first year at MJCA he was the high school assistant coach (to Mike Hicks). For the past five years he has been the high school head coach compiling an approximate 50 wins for the program and gave the baseball program its first winning season. Do to the fact that he is so involved in so many areas in the school and family obligations, Coach Jones has resigned his position as head coach. He will continue to coach the middle school football team and teach at the school, but will be missed in the department that he has meant so much to.

We are thankful for the work that Coach Jones has put in, but we are also thrilled about the future of the program. Coach Christensen has named the new head coach of the baseball team to be Brent Turner. Coach Turner has extensive coaching and playing experience and will bring that experience to our baseball program. Last season Coach Turner worked with our middle school program which had a record breaking season and a final record of 14-4. The head coach of this team (Richard Pickle) will be the new high school assistant coach. Coach pickle also brings with him a wealth of experience, knowledge and vision. With the addition of these two coaches our baseball future looks very bright.

MJCA senior, Victor Underwood, has been named as the newest member of the "MJCA Wall of Fame". The 6'5", 240 lb. forward became the second leading career scorer in MJCA history (second to David Kitchen) with 1791 points. Victor is the school's all time career shot blocking and rebounding leader. He has signed a basketball scholarship to attend Bryan College in the fall. The 3-time all-district player is expected to make an impact on the Lions team in his first year.

The "MJCA Wall of Fame" is highest athletic honor at our school. There has only been 6 named to the Wall of Fame. Underwood will become the seventh. Every year the Athletic Director (Paul Christensen) nominates one male and one female athlete to the Wall. After this, there is a committee of twelve who vote on the nominations based upon a list of criteria. In order to be named to the wall a candidate must receive a unanimous vote from the committee. MJCA is proud to add Victor to this group of fine athletes.

With the completion of the 2008 spring season came several more recognitions of MJCA athletes. In baseball, Jonathan Roberts claimed his spot on the all-district team. He finished his career with an MJCA record (.431 career batting average). Jonathan was the only Saint to make this year's all-district (8-A) baseball team.

In soccer, there were several honored with the all-district (8 A-AA) award. Roderick Zacharius was named the defensive MVP of the district, as well as receiving all-tournament honors. He became the first Saint to receive that honor. Goalie Justin Branim was named to both the all-district team and the all-tournament team. Stephen Swords and Lee Fallin were also named all-district. Swords also got voted all-tournament.

In tennis, both Kate Walker and Chelsea Mobley earned all district (8-A) honors. They also finished runner-up at both the district and state levels in doubles.

Hannah Staggs was the sole high school softball player to receive district 8-A honors. Hannah played center field and short stop in her time with the Lady Saints and currently holds a few school records in softball.

MJCA is very proud of the accomplishments of all these student-athletes!

MJCA senior basketball player, Zach Womble, has signed to play his collegiate career at Free Will Baptist Bible College this fall. The 6'5" forward is expected to come of the bench next season for the Flames and make an immediate impact. Zach is the 4th MJCA senior to sign to play colleges sports next year. However, we do expect one or two more. MJCA congratulates Zach on this great accomplishment.

MJCA middle school baseball has had a tremendous year. Coach Richard Pickle and Coach Brent Turner have done a tremendous job of preparing the young men for the inaugural Middle Tennessee Independent School League (MTISL). The MTISL is the new middle school baseball league comprised of 8 quality private schools. The move to this league was made to improve the level of competition that our middle school team was facing. MJCA's athletic department anticipated a tough but competitive season. Pleasantly, to our surprise, our middle school baseball team has exceeded our expectations and currently has an overall record of 10-2 (9-2 in the MTISL). The MTISL's inaugural season has proven to be a success as well. The school's in this league have had great competition and the league has been operated in a quality fashion. MJCA athletics looks forward to many more good years in this fine league.

Coach Paul Christensen and the MJCA high school men's basketball team are looking forward to an active summer in preparation for the 2008-2009 season. This year's team is going to be very exciting to watch but young. For this reason, MJCA will take their boys team to two camps in June….

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) has changed the calendar for off season basketball. Now, a team can practice/play 15 days in the month of June (10 of which can be school -v- school competition). As seen below the varsity boys basketball team will use almost all of their allotted days. The "TSSAA Dead Period" for basketball has also been extended. Now, it will begin on June 23 and extends through the month of August (some activities allowed).

On June 2-4, the team will practice. On June 5-7, the team will attend the Wilson Central team camp (hosted at MJCA and other gyms). On June 9-11, the boys will again be practicing, followed by the Gallatin High School Camp on June 12-14. The last allowed week will be less eventful. On June 19, the saints will have a 1 day practice, and on June 20 they will travel to a play-day at Lighthouse Christian School.

Springs sports are well underway in the state of Tennessee, and two Saints teams have started very well. The MJCA men's soccer team has started the year with four wins against zero losses and one tie. The Saints are also 2-0-1 in District 8 A-AA, after wins over Greenbrier High School and Friendship Christian School last week. This is happening just one year after the Saints finished with a 5-8-2 over-all record (2007). It has also happened under first year head coach Matt Swallows. The Saints still have a very difficult schedule waiting on them in the month of April. District powers (Portland, White House, and Station Camp) will be waiting for their chance at the district leaders.

Keeping pace with the high school soccer team is the middle school baseball team. Last year the middle school baseball team had their first winning season. This year the Saints are in a new and much more difficult league (Middle Tennessee Independent School League). Coaches Richard Pickle and Brent Turner proved to be up for the challenge. In their first year of coaching at MJCA they have led the Saints to a 5-0 start (all MTISL games).

Spring has proven to be a good time around MJCA and next month should be an interesting one. Go Saints!

After MJCA senior, Victor Underwood, signed to play college basketball in November, there was little question that there would be more. This month three more MJCA seniors are expected to sign, while one more is still undecided. Kate Walker has decided to play tennis with NCAA DII Carson Newman College. Zach Womble (6'5" Forward) has made his decision to play for Free Will Baptist Bible College next year. The Flames are member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and will play Trevecca Nazarene University and Bryan College next season. Christine Humes, who joined the 1,000 Point Club this year, will join Anna Haley and play basketball at Bryan College next season. Jonathan Roberts (middle infielder) is expected to play college baseball next year. However, he has not yet decided where.

As of now, it looks as if there will be four or five MJCA seniors that will be playing college sports next year. Out of a class of 27, that would be very impressive. MJCA is proud of this very talented senior class and looks forward to what they will accomplish at the college level.

The coaches have voted and the results are in. MJCA has just matched the most number of All-District players (8-A) that it has ever had. The 2007-2008 All-District Team includes four of MJCA's players. There are 2 from the girl's team and 2 from the boy's team. This is the highest number since the 2001-2002 teams, which also had four. This years recipients are Victor Underwood (1st team), Austin Wortman (3rd team), Christine Humes (3rd team), and Ashley Hudson (3rd team). Underwood and Humes are repeating this honor, but this is the first for Wortman and Hudson. Wortman, the only non-senior, is currently ranked 25th among three point shooters in Middle Tennessee with 51 on the season. These players and the rest of the Saints will enter District 8-A tournament play on Monday and Tuesday (2/11-2/12).

On what was expected to be a "rebuilding year" for the MJCA middle school teams, the Saints and Lady Saints have proven to be very strong. Both teams are going to finish their season with a winning record and are expected be in the mix for winning the Greater Nashville Athletic Conference tournament. The boy's team picked up the regular season championship of the conference and are currently in the semi finals of the tournament this week. The girls team finished a solid regular season and was able to host the first round of the tournament. The girls won that game and are also competing in the semi finals of the tournament.

MJCA senior basketball player, Christine Humes, waited until the last minute of her career to score her 1000th point (literally). With 1 game remaining against Friendship Christian School, Humes had a career total of 987 points. With 1 minute to go in the game she had 999 points. Although the game seemed out of reach, the crowd was on the edge of their seat waiting for the momentous occasion to occur. With 50+ seconds to go in her career, Christine spotted up for a 3 point shot and nailed it. This made her only the 2nd Lady Saint (Jennifer Wright w/ 1,030 points) to accomplish this honor (6th overall). Congratulations Christine Humes on your great career!

Last week Mt. Juliet Christian Academy said goodbye to the basketball careers of 6 of its finest. All of whom contributed greatly to the MJCA program. On the girls side Christine Humes (point guard) led the Lady Saints to many victories and scored 1002 points in her career. Humes also made the All-District team this year. Ashley Hudson (forward) came on strong her junior and senior years to help the Lady Saints down low and receive an All-District honor. Kristen Tewmy (forward) brought a physical toughness to the Lady Saints that they have been lacking in previous seasons.

On the boy's side, 3 MJCA players will be greatly missed. Victor Underwood (6'5" forward) became the second leading scorer in MJCA history with 1,791 career points. Underwood also was a 3-time All District player and signed a basketball scholarship with Bryan College (NAIA). Jonathan Roberts (guard) was one of the Saints best defenders for the past 2 years, and brought a competitive edge to the Saints every game. Zach Womble (6'5" forward) became one of the best rebounders for MJCA this year. Womble plans to play college ball at Free Will Baptist Bible College next season.

Although these seniors will be missed, MJCA has a lot of promise in its future. Thanks to the seniors, who have made the past four years so special.

Senior point guard, Christine Humes, is getting very close to joining the most elite basketball players in MJCA school history. The 1,000 Point Club currently has one other female player as a member. Jennifer Wright (class of 2002) scored an impressive 1,030 points, before moving on to play her college ball at Mars Hill College. With just district tournaments to go, Humes has 987 career points (leaving just 13 points to go). Should Humes achieve this goal, she will be the second player in her class to do so. Victor Underwood currently has 1,768 points and is the second all time in school history to David Kitchen Jr. (1,890 points). Humes next game will be Monday (2/11) at Friendship Christian School.

MJCA's second all-time leading scorer in basketball has made his college choice. Victor Underwood Jr. will play basketball (on scholarship) at Bryan College in Dayton Tennessee. Underwood has already signed his Letter of Intent and plans to sign the scholarship this month.

Bryan College is a member of the NAIA and the NCCAA. They are in the Appalachain Athletic Conference. Bryan is located in Dayton, Tennessee and is one of Tennessee's top academic and Christian universities.

As for now Underwood is in pursuit of the MJCA all-time leading scorer, David Kitchen Jr., who is his assistant coach. The Saints will take their 3-2 record into Westmoreland tonight (12/4), as they play their second district game of the young season.

Just five games into this season the Lady Saints find themselves in the same situation that they were in last year. The team's leading scorer, Sarah Worden, is out again for the year, after tearing her ACL in the 2nd quarter of the Trousdale County High School game last Friday (11/30).

Last season Worden went down with the same injury in her left knee in December. She was the leading scorer at that point last year as well. This time it was her right knee. This is a major blow to the Lady Saints who are off to a 3-2 start. Last Season the Lady Saints were able to adjust and still manage a winning season (15-14). This season the challenge will be the same. Although this is a tough situation, Sarah is just a junior and will have her senior season to lead the Saints.

MJCA senior, Hannah Staggs, will again be running in the TSSAA state meet this year after her 9th place finish in the Region 4 meet yesterday (10/26) at Moss Wright Park in Hendersonville. This came with her season best 5K time of 23:18. This would be an amazing accomplishment if this was her first trip to state, but it is her third. Also running for the Lady Saints was senior Kate Walker. Kate did not advance, but finished 29th with a time of 27:02.

In the men's race, Jerry England ran a season best 20:29. However, this was not good enough for him to advance to the next level. Steven Wills also ran for the Saints finishing 39th with a time of 22:20.

Congratulations to Staggs and the rest of the MJCA cross country team on another great season.

One high school football record and one middle school football record has been broken in the last couple of weeks. With 2 games remaining on the varsity schedule, Tyler Kocher (junior) has exceeded 750 rushing yards on the season. This breaks the single season mark formerly set by Larry Donald. Kocher is also quickly closing in on the career rushing record at MJCA.

There was also a middle school record that was set this season for the 4-4 Saints. Eighth grade quarterback, Drew Hutchison, was able to break the single season scoring record by scoring 16 touchdowns in just 8 games. This broke the former middle school record of 11 set by Trey McNeil. Congratulations to Tyler and Drew for these outstanding accomplishments.

The MJCA volleyball team just completed its fourth straight winning season with a 2007 record of 14 wins and 11 losses. That means that this talented group of senior volleyball players has never experienced a losing season in their high school career. Jordan Burke, Caitlin Hammer, Kelly Adkisson, and Kristen Tewmey have worked hard to build a winning program and have been rewarded for their efforts. Their last two wins were against Westmoreland (3-0) and a first round tournament win against Merrol Hyde (3-0). This was before seeing their incredible high school experience come to an end by losing to District 8-A champion Greenbrier (0-3). MJCA is proud of these girls and all of those teams, players, and coaches that helped them achieve this remarkable success.

The Mt. Juliet Christian Academy boys golf team embarked on new territory Monday (9/24) as they qualified for the Region 4 A-AA tournament next Monday. They will join District 8 A-AA rivals, Station Camp High School and Portland High School in region play that will have three members from District 7 A-AA. The Saints were lead by Sophomore Codye Sullivan, who shot a team best 85 followed by teammates T.J. Roberts, Joshua Hamilton, Ethan Luffman, and Justin Branim.

Once again, the country music industry is stepping up for Mt. Juliet Christian Academy athletics. Songwriter and MJCA parent, Kenny Beard, has gathered some of his friends again this year for the annual "Writers in the Round" show. This year's show will be in the MJCA gymnasium on Tuesday, October 16th at 7:00. The doors will open at 5:30. Tickets will again sell for $20 this year. Last year, MJCA was able to raise well in excess of $20,000 on this one event.

The newcomers to the benefit this year will be Montgomery Gentry. Returning artists to this year's event will be Jeff Bates, Paul Overstreet, Ali Cutter, and Kenny Beard. Tickets will go on sale Monday, September 17. You can order your tickets by stopping by the school office or calling MJCA at (615) 758-2427. Please ask for Amy Hammer or Dawn Reed. We will see you at the show!

The Lady Saints volleyball team has had their share of obstacles to overcome this season. Most notably, the loss of four 4-year starters from last year's squad as well as long-time head coach, Jason Sloan. However, Monday night (9/10) was a big step in the moving forward process. The Lady Saints were able to win both games of a tri-match against Middle Tennessee Christian School and state power-house Page High School from Franklin, TN. With that win, the Saints improved their record to 9 wins and 4 losses. If the trend continues, the MJCA high school volleyball team will pick up their fourth consecutive winning season.

Under new coach, Brent Turner, the golf team is having one of its most successful seasons in school history. With wins over such teams as White House, Friendship, and Watertown, the Saints are going into the District 8 A-AA Tournament with a record of 7 wins and 5 Losses. The young MJCA golf team has only one senior (Justin Branim) on its 8 player roster. This is a good sign for the future of MJCA golf. The district tournament will again be at the Legacy Golf Course in Springfield, TN.

Mt. Juliet Christian Academy is expecting a great fall season for the Lady Saints this year. A very experienced volleyball squad and a very young girl's soccer team are both showing a lot of promise so far in practice.

The Lady Saints volleyball team is returning almost all personnel from three consecutive 20+ win seasons. The biggest change will be on the bench. Coach Jason Sloan is no longer at the helm. He will be replaced by Coach Stephanie Garber who will take over one of MJCA's strongest volleyball teams ever. Though it has been a transition, both coach and team have been working hard and seem poised for another huge year.

MJCA's high school girl's soccer team kicks off their season later this month at Cascade High School. The girl's soccer team is coming off of a re-building season and seemed to have much more talent this year. Losing Kayla Robinson (who signed a college soccer scholarship) to graduation seems like a tough obstacle for a young team, but the Lady Saints have returned with great resolve. The team is still extremely young, but with new coach, Matt McQueen, and great young talent, we are expecting a much improved season.

As the summer workouts lead to fall practice, there were some noticeable absences on the football practice field. Most of those absences came from the senior class. Though there are various reasons for this, the main two absentees are recovering from surgeries that were unrelated to football. Blake Marsh (lineman) and Victor Underwood (tight end) are expected to miss all of this season. At least four other senior football players will also not be playing this year for other reasons. These absences have left a gaping hole in the line up.

This has, in no way, deterred the remaining MJCA football players from preparing themselves for a successful football season. Despite 100+ degree heat, the Saints have been working hard on a daily basis to give MJCA a team to be proud of. Coach Paul Townsend describes this group as one of the most dedicated groups that he has coached and as the toughest kids in the school. Having kids of this character playing for our school will make MJCA proud this season.

The Saints will open up in Lavergne on Saturday (August 25) against Lancaster Christian School. As MJCA fans, lets all get behind our Saints this football season.

A local realtor has gotten behind the Saints football program by not only buying a program ad, but also giving money to the program if she sells a house to a MJCA family. Mrs. Christi Roberts (Keller Williams) has offered MJCA programs up to $500 if she sells a home to one of our families. This is just another step in getting our community behind MJCA athletics. If you are interested in being a part of this program, you may contact her at

christiroberts@kw.com

. MJCA athletics encourages our families to support all of the companies that support your Saints.

MJCA takes great pride in the quality of coaches that it has been able to maintain. This year's hires are no exception. After a great run by volleyball coach, Jason Sloan, Paul Christensen (athletic director) was able to hire a quality replacement. Stephanie DeRenzo will take over the head volleyball coach reigns this summer. Her Middle School counterpart Kristin Leuice will take over for Teresa Hudson (last year's interim middle school coach). Matt McQueen will be resuming his role as a head coach this year as he takes over the high school girls soccer team. After winning a district championship in men's soccer, Coach McQueen hopes to bring the same level of success to our women's program. Joining the football coaching staff this season will be Chad King (FBC Children's Minister) who will bring with him the experience of playing college football at Carson Newman University and serving as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Tennessee. Coach Richard Pressley will also be joining the MJCA football staff after coaching in West Tennessee for several years. Coach Brent Turner will be taking over the golf coaching duties from Paul Christensen after two years as the coach. MJCA is excited about these additions to the program. MJCA teams will continue to be in good hands for years to come.

MJCA tennis standout and King College signee, Crystal Harwell, made her 3rd career trip to the TSSAA State Tournament this year in search of her second championship. In 2004, Crystal and her doubles partner, Victoria Reed, finished in the state's final four doubles players. This was topped the next year when the duo won the state's class A-AA doubles title. When Reed graduated (2005) and moved on to college tennis, Harwell made the move to singles tennis. Even though she had a great season in 2006, Crystal did not advance to the state tournament. 2007 would be different. Harwell advanced through the season without a loss. This included the district and region tournaments. This qualified her for the 2007 State Tournament. In her first match she played the #1 single from Elizabethton High School and won (3-6, 6-4, 6-4). This win advanced her to the state semi-final against the #1 single from University School - Jackson. Harwell was unable to win this match, but was able to end her incredible career, in the final 4, as one of MJCA's most decorated athletes.

This year's athletic banquet ended with a surprise announcement from Paul Christensen (Athletic Director). MJCA's highest athletic honor, "The Wall of Fame," had two new inductees. This has never happened before. To achieve this honor you have to be nominated by the athletic director (1 male & 1 female per year), then a committee of 12 has to unanimously vote that you would be considered superior in your sport at any school.

The Wall of Fame has not received a new member since 2005 when tennis star Victoria Reed was awarded the honor. This year both Crystal Harwell (tennis) and Robert Post (baseball) were both added to the exclusive group. There are now only eight total members in school history. Crystal graduated this year from MJCA with numerous championships and three state tournament appearances. Harwell will be playing her college tennis at King College in East Tennessee. Robert Post holds more than fifteen school baseball records. The 2005 graduate has played his first two years of college baseball for Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee. MJCA is proud of both of these outstanding young athletes.

MJCA senior tennis player, Crystal Harwell, is having another stellar year. Crystal won this year's district 8-A/AA and region 4-A/AA championships. These championships punched Harwell's ticket to another visit to the state tournament in Murfreesboro. This will be her first visit to the TSSAA state tournament since winning the state doubles tournament in 2005 with MJCA partner Victoria Reed. This year she was given MJCA's highest athletic honor by being named to the MJCA Wall of Fame. Crystal has also signed a college athletic scholarship to play at King College in East Tennessee next year. Before that, she has to take care of the high school business of bringing back her second state championship to MJCA.

MJCA has again been well represented with several spring sport athletes achieving all district honors. The baseball team placed two members on the District 8-A squad with the naming of Jonathan Roberts and Chris Frazier. Roberts is also the new record holder for single season batting average at .571. The tennis team had five players make the all district. Crystal Harwell, Kate Walker, and Cindy Overstreet are the girls receiving the honor and Josh McKenzie and Andrew Ziady were named to the boys all District 8-A/AA team. The high school boy's soccer team put two seniors on this year's All District (8-A/AA) squad when Deano Richards and Corey Wills were named among the top players in the league.

This was one of MJCA's best represented springs for TSSAA honors, and we are very proud of these student athletes.

The next time you walk into the MJCA basketball gym, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. The MJCA athletic department, in conjunction with the First Baptist Church and the MJCA Development Department, has put new retractable bleachers in and moved most of the metal ones out. These royal blue bleachers (w/ walkways and rails) have dramatically improved the look of the already beautiful home court of the Saints. Now there is even more seating. The new bleachers are on the sideline and the student section. This alone adds 100 seats to our gym. Next year, we hope to add the final section of bleachers. We are very proud of what the Lord has provided us with. We feel that it is just another step toward where we want to be.

Mt. Juliet Christian Academy seeks to improve itself every year in every area. One area that is measurable is the area of athletics. We are proud to announce that this school year was the best ever in the athletic department. The combined total wins between middle and high school teams was a record number of 165. This topped the previous total of 158 in 2005. This record is extremely exciting in that we have a large number of underclassmen contributing to their teams. MJCA is on the rise! Enrollment is going up, and with it, the dedication of our student athletes. We believe that these win totals will continue to improve with every passing year.

Mt. Juliet Christian Academy soccer player, Deano Richards, is enjoying his senior season as a Saint. MJCA is having a successful season with a current record of 3-3-1. Richards is tied (with freshman, Dylan Gammon) for the most goals scored, each with 4. Deano had a "hat trick" against district rival Friendship Christian School to lead the Saints to a 3-1 win over the Commanders. MJCA has also secured wins over Macon County and Lighthouse Christian. With those games already locked up and the leadership of seniors Deano Richards, Luke Dunnewold, and Corey Wills, MJCA expects a strong finish to the 2007 season.

With one of youngest teams in MJCA baseball history, the Saints are exceeding expectations for the 2007 season. This is, in part, to the huge numbers that junior, Jonathan Roberts, is putting up. Jonathan has brought his career batting average to an incredible .394, while currently batting .550 this season. His slugging percentage is even more staggering with a career average of .515 and .950 this season. Along with Roberts hitting average, he has one home run and 9 RBI's on the year. These numbers are only through eight games. Jonathan is not just an offensive player. He has already thrown out four would-be base stealers from catcher. Senior Daniel Shedd and freshman Codye Sullivan are also having a great season with a batting average of .450. Roberts, Shedd, Sullivan and the rest of the MJCA baseball team will be back in action at Westmoreland High School on Thursday April 12 at 4:00.

The Lady Saints Softball team was off to a stellar start with wins over Watertown, Lighthouse Christian, Trousdale County, and Hillwood High School. This came on the heels of a major setback. Senior softball star, Courtney Harris, has an undisclosed back injury that will keep her out of the line up a minimum of two to three weeks. Harris 2007 pitching record is currently 4-3 and she has an ERA of 1.71. She is also the school record holder in the majority of high school softball stats. Not only is Courtney arguably the best softball player in school history, she is also the Lady Saints team leader. Harris is expected to return later this season, but she will be missed in the meantime. The Lady Saints will take the field at Nashville Christian for a double header Thursday (4/5) night at 5:00.