PPCS Athletic Heritage (History)

Though we had limited sports participation previously, the official beginning of the athletic program at Pikes Peak Christian School was in the fall of 1997 with Physical Education teacher Gary Geiger as the first Athletic Director. We were a K-8 school at the time. Volleyball began with Coach Robin Heasley. Basketball began with Coaches Gary Geiger (boys) and Julie McFarlin (girls).  Practices were at both Sunnyside Christian Church and on our slanted auditorium floor.  We participated independently, competing with schools throughout El Paso County in volleyball and basketball. Wrestling practice, with Coaches Alan Austin and Bob Brooks, was in our front auditorium hallway with an old rented mat from Mitchell High School which we later purchased and is now in our weight room. Soccer practices and games with Coaches Ray Young and Bob Brooks (boys), and Coach Patty McDowell (girls), were on our recently added combination baseball and soccer field complex. The field was a church-owned vacant five-acre hillside that Eastside Church of Christ and Pikes Peak Christian School had the vision to excavate, and develop for future athletics use. We participated in the (CSAL) Christian Schools Athletic League in girls’ soccer and wrestling.

Beginning with the spring of 1998, we became the host site of almost all soccer games in the CSAL for three years.  April of 1998 saw the opening of our gymnasium and classroom facility. The fall of 1998 brought full membership for all sports in the CSAL. The 1998-99 school year was exciting, with home games in our gym, and the announcement that we would begin our high school the next fall, one grade at a time. God’s blessings have been great. Many assistant coaches, parents, and staff have helped a great deal in growing this program.   This part of the PPCS Athletic website, which emphasizes the high school program, is dedicated to all who have participated.  Special thanks to all coaches and staff who have helped with the collection of this history, and to Anita Kritz for making these memories available for everyone to enjoy on our website.

1999 - 2000                                                                                                                     +

Pikes Peak Christian High School began in the fall of 1999.  We had 17 in that first class. With only a few girls in the student body, we fielded only boys’ teams. We competed as an independent in basketball and baseball. The basketball team, as freshmen, played a varsity-level schedule and finished with a 13-2 record.  Highlights included winning a two-day tournament in Buena Vista, including a memorable sleepover in Salida.  That trip remains a highlight of the high school careers of those boys.  This team had a winning streak of nine during the season.  Coaches for that first team were Gary Geiger and Matt Johns. The baseball team, coached by Mike Thurman, was a combination of 8th and 9th graders playing against other Christian high schools in the Front Range Christian Athletic Association. They finished 0-6, but learned a great deal about the sport. 

2000 - 2001                                                                                                                     +

The 2000-01 PPCS year began with freshmen and sophomores in attendance.  There were still not enough girls to compete on a regular basis, so we played some exhibition volleyball and basketball games with the middle school girls. Patty McDowell, who had started our middle school girls’ soccer program, started indoor soccer teams for high school boys and girls in order to build teams for the future. The boys played independent soccer and basketball schedules. Baseball did not have enough participants to field a team. The first boys’ soccer team was coached by Bob Brooks, with assistant Carey Sanders. Key additions were a JV team for a growing boys’ basketball program.  Other highlights that year were continuing  relationships with several Christian schools in the Front Range Christian Athletic Association (FRCAA), which we later joined.  We traveled a great deal and continued to put PPCS on the athletic map.

2001-2002                                                                                                                       +

The 2001-2002 school year saw the addition of a junior class and girls sports at PPCS.  Jen (Bray) Young was the coach for our first volleyball team. Ginger King coached the first girls’ basketball team. The boys continued to play soccer and basketball. We were also granted membership in the Front Range Christian Athletic Association for competition.  This league, made up of non-CHSAA Christian schools, spans from Pueblo to Fort Collins, and west to Buena Vista.  We were the 18th school in the league when admitted.   At times, fun overnighters in church auditoriums were necessary because of distances traveled. We also played schools from the Black Forest League as non-conference opponents. Highlights that year included having our first all-conference athletes, a 1st year volleyball team finishing 6-4 and qualifying for the playoffs. The boys’ soccer team also made the playoffs. Other highlights included seeing articles in the local paper about our school’s growing athletic program. On road-trips we were frequently answering questions about where we were from.

2002-2003                                                                                                                       +

The 2002-03 year was one of our finest in school history.  We had seniors for the first time and it showed. Cheerleading, coached by Kim Hodges, was added to bring needed spirit to the games.  Boys’ soccer made another playoff appearance. We added JV to our volleyball program and the varsity again qualified for the playoffs. Kim Hodges also took on the girls’ basketball head coach role after assisting the year before, and led the girls to their first playoff berth.  The varsity boys’ basketball team had another outstanding season. One highlight was having the state’s leading scorer in Adam Parker, who was also our first athlete to be offered a college athletic scholarship.  The girls’ soccer team qualified for the playoffs.  The revived baseball program, that had a brief start in 1999, had an outstanding year. Coach Dale Miller led the Eagles to a regular season runner-up finish, while dealing with poor weather and rescheduled and cancelled games. This baseball team ended up playing for the Christian Schools’ State Championship.  It was winning that game that brought home our first high school championship. Assistant coaches for that team were Sid Skornia and Mike Welsh. 

2003-2004                                                                                                                       +

Our last year in the FRCAA was 2003-04, and it was exciting.  The cheerleading squad competed on a national level in Nashville, Tennessee. Our varsity volleyball team had a great season including a 2nd place finish at a two-day tournament in Buena Vista, two playoff wins, and a berth in the Christian Schools’ State Championship game. The girls’ soccer team also capped a great season with a runner-up season finish, a pair of home playoff wins, and a berth in the Christian Schools’ State Championship game.  The baseball team played for a Christian Schools’ State Championship and won it for the second year in a row with the existing coaching staff and new assistant Allen Thomas. Other teams making the playoffs were the boys’ soccer team with new head coach Mike McKinley, and the girls’ basketball team. It was a “banner” year that further decorated our gym wall.  On a sad note, boys’ soccer was discontinued at the conclusion of the year due to key player graduations and the more difficult 3A level we would need to compete at in future years.

2004-2005                                                                                                                       +

The 2004-05 year began with membership in the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA).  The size of our high school, along with new opportunities, led us to leave the FRCAA. We will forever cherish the friendships and fellowship we had with those Christian schools.  We still play against some of them in non-conference games for the fellowship and competition.  The CHSAA offered us many other extracurricular events besides athletics. We were accepted into the Black Forest League.  We entered as a 1A school. Our volleyball team, with new coach Brenna Miller, made a statement immediately with a district finals appearance.  Both basketball teams had their first taste of district basketball playoffs.  The baseball team continued to do well and the girls’ soccer team successfully played in the 3A Tri-Peaks League. A major highlight was the addition of football, with Gary Geiger as first head coach, and Kevin Good, Mike Stevens, Alan Austin, Doug Nave, and Gene McGarrity as assistants.  We played an independent 8-man football schedule. Along with football came a need for an additional cheer squad for fall. Amy Dunbar became an assistant coach to help with cheerleading.

2005-2006                                                                                                                       +

The 2005-06 year included some of the best contests and performances in our history.  Our volleyball team repeated a district finals appearance.  Football, with the addition of offensive coordinator Kelvin Thorne, finished with an excellent 2nd year record of 4-4 playing an independent mix of 8-man and 11-man games. Girls’ basketball had its 4th straight winning season and a playoff appearance. Boys’ basketball tied for the conference championship, set a school record of 15 wins in a season (including a record-tying 9th in a row), and played in two great playoff contests. Our two cheer squads were extremely busy with fall and winter sports. The girls’ soccer team narrowly missed a playoff berth in the tough 3A Tri-Peaks league. The baseball team made it back to the State playoffs after a one-year absence. Their final playoff game was a memorable defensive showcase.  One major highlight of the year was our first ever All-State athlete recognition with Brian Skornia in baseball and Krysta Grimm in soccer.  Another highlight were mulitple college scholarship signings by Sara Geiger and Courtney Graff in volleyball and Brian Skornia in baseball.

2006-2007                                                                                                                       +

The 2006-07 year brought more changes as we moved up to the 2A classification. This meant leaving recently established rivalries for new ones.  The challenges would be great as we were one of the small schools again.  Our coaches and teams accepted this challenge with determination and excitement.   New girls’ basketball coach, Venita Ames, coached the ladies to an outstanding season and a playoff berth. New baseball coach, Vince Nigro, brought energy and a strong work ethic to our program to continue our fine tradition.  The football team had its first winning season, finishing 2nd in our new league.   Francis Calar took over as head coach of the volleyball program, which fought hard in a rebuilding year showing the future will be as bright as the past. The girls’ and boys’ basketball teams, and the baseball team, made great strides in competing at a new higher level by qualifying for the playoffs.  It was our soccer team, with Coaches Kevin Good, Jim MacKenzie, and Patty McDowell, that made the greatest improvement. The girls had an outstanding season in the Southern League and qualified for our first CHSAA soccer state playoff berth.

All-State recognition in soccer went to Krysta Grimm and Taylor Good. College signings included Stephan Trivelli for baseball and Tom Simpson for football.

2007-2008                                                                                                                       +

(still in progress)