Grace Christian Academy to join TSSAA in 2015-16

Grace Christian Academy in Leiper's Fork will be joining the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association.

Grace Christian, which opened in 2009, was unanimously accepted by the TSSAA's Board of Control during its Nov. 13 meeting, and the school will begin competing in Division I Class A during the 2015-16 school year.

"We've been discussing it for the last year," Grace Christian Headmaster Robbie Mason said. "We knew it was something that we were going to do, it was just about finding the right timing. We just thought the best time for transition would be this coming year."

Grace Christian, which competes in the Middle Tennessee Athletic Conference, offers football, boys and girls basketball, baseball, soccer, cross country and volleyball, and the Lions will be adding girls soccer and softball teams within the next year.

"We're excited to make the transition," Mason said. "We feel like our school is gifted academically, we have a great fine arts program, and so this is the next step. We know joining the TSSAA will provide us with incredible competition, and we're looking forward to taking our program to the next level."

The 6-year old school will have its first senior class next year.

"We want to be distinctly Christian in everything that we do," Mason added. "All of our other programs are secondary, but we want to make sure that we're excellent in those things. We have the students, coaches, faculty and staff to move forward with that in the TSSAA."

Reach Michael Murphy at 259-8018 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.