Athletics

Spring Sports Finish Strong

by Lance Quessenberry, Athletic Director We have wrapped up another great year for SCA Athletics. Our spring programs all had outstanding seasons with great accomplishments. Boys’ Golf had another strong year with great numbers and an expanded schedule. They competed in their normal six varsity tournaments, but their large roster also allowed four JV tournaments, and four duals and tri-matches. Senior Elijah Huckabee and junior Memphis Hinton qualified for the state tournament where Elijah tied for 19th and Memphis tied for 46th.

Girls’ Soccer had an excellent season finishing 3rd in the Oak Grove Tournament, 2nd in the SCA Cup, and 2nd in Crossroads Conference. After a hard-fought overtime loss in the district championship game, they finished 2nd in their district tournament. With lots of young talent, this program is on the rise and the future looks bright. conference and districts. Five athletes representing four events qualified to compete in the Class 2 State Tournament where they medaled and earned All-State honors in two events. Caleb Benton qualified in the 800m run where he placed 13th and the 1600m where he placed 11th. State medalists were Joseph Lepak who placed 4th in the javelin and the 4x200 relay team comprised of Marcus Jones, Joseph Lepak, Jake Sutton, and Marcus Verbrugge who placed 7th. Girls’ Track & Field brought home 1st place finishes from Butler, Lone Jack, Bishop Miege, Excelsior Springs, and Higginsville. They also placed 1st in the Crossroads Conference and 2nd in districts. State qualifiers were Adriana McGregor who placed 9th in the 800m, April Phillips finishing 9th in the long jump, and Keyler Quessenberry with a 16th place finish in the 3200m. April Phillips also brought home All-State honors as she placed 2nd in the high jump and 4th in the triple jump. Baseball continued their run of strong success and dominance in the conference. They finished 1st in the conference again with a 6-0 record which extends their conference winning streak to 51 games, a winning streak that started in 2015. They won the Independence and Marshall tournaments and were also district champions. They won sectionals before falling one game short of the Final 4 with a loss in the quarterfinal game.

As always, we appreciate our teams’ accomplishments on the field, but even more, we appreciate the way they represent our school and Christ with their attitudes and character during competitions. 2021-22 was a great year for the athletic department, but we can’t wait to see all of you back in August for the start of fall sports! Competitions start the week of August 22!

Boys’ Golf State Qualifiers Elijah Huckabee (L) and Memphis Hinton (R).

Varsity Girls’ Soccer finished 2nd in districts after an overtime loss to Pleasant Hill High School. Varsity Baseball won 4-3 over Aurora HS in Sectionals on May 25.

Lance Quessenberry

Varsity Track & Field Postseason Results

Varsity Track & Field had great success as both teams competed strong throughout the postseason. The Varsity Boys ended their season on May 21st at the Class 2 State Tournament and the Varsity Girls finished a week later on May 28th at Class 3 State. The Varsity Boys placed second in their district meet with several athletes earning All-District honors. District champions were Caleb Benton in the 1600m and 800m runs, Joseph Lepak in the javelin, and the 4x400 relay team of Jake Sutton, Marcus Verbrugge, Caleb Benton, and Marcus Jones. Earning All-District honors in various other events were Preston Goffinet, Drew Pierce, Marcus Verbrugge, Jake Sutton, Marcus Jones, Caleb Benton, Joseph Lepak. The Varsity Girls’ team also finished second at the district meet. April Phillips was district champion in the long jump and high jump. Other All-District finishers were Laiysha Freeman, Adriana McGregor, April Phillips, Keyler Quessenberry, Lucie Epema, and Katie Coats. At the state level, eight athletes qualified to compete in nine events at their respective state tournament. From those, five athletes earned AllState honors. These include April Phillips who placed 2nd in the high

jump and 4th in the triple jump, Joseph Lepak who finished 4th in the javelin, and the Boys 4x200 team of Jake Sutton, Joseph Lepak, Marcus Jones, and Marcus Verbrugge who finished 7th. Many may view track & field as an individual sport, but, as a coach, it is a joy to spend time with the athletes in the team atmosphere they have created and see them compete all season long. This season, the team focused on Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” It is my prayer that these athletes will look to Christ to give them strength to accomplish anything that comes into their lives.

Girls’ state qualifiers (L-R) Keyler Quessenberry, April Phillips, and Adriana McGregor. Boys’ state qualifiers and team alternates (L-R) Joseph Lepak, Preston Goffinet, Jake Sutton, Marcus Jones, Drew Pierce, Caleb Benton, and Marcus Verbrugge.

Varsity Football coaches and players hosted their fourth Flag Football Camp for 179 participants in grades K-7 from SCA and the Kansas City community. Pictured here is SCA Varsity Football Player Cason Stone and his team of incoming fifth and sixth grade students who won the “Super Bowl” in their age division.

Varsity Football Hosts Annual Flag Football Camp

The Varsity Football team recently hosted 179 incoming first through eighth grade students from SCA and the Kansas City area as part of the fourth annual SCA Flag Football Camp. The goal of the five-session Flag Football Camp is to provide an opportunity for youth to learn and enjoy the game of football in a Christian environment. The camp was led by the SCA Varsity Football coaches and team, whose players coached groups of participants in basic fundamentals, offensive and defensive techniques, and a devotion. The teams had games each week and camp concluded with a “Super Bowl” that included teams with the best records. “I loved seeing the huge turnout,” shared SCA Varsity Football Coach Todd Berck. “It means football is alive and well in Lee’s Summit. Our high school players do a great job working with the campers. It gives them an opportunity to get to know the next generations of SCA Eagle players and share their faith during our devotion time. The camp continues to grow each year and we are blessed to see our SCA Football program grow because of it.”