maurycountyhoops

Heartbreaker for the Bulldogs. Transfer from Santa Fe kept them in the game. Missed free throw late was huge. Still got one more year against the public's to win one before they get kicked in the Privates!

State final 4 and two Mr. Basketball finalist in the past 15 years. Our school is so small we don't even have a football team, but the team our school co-ops with won the 2010 state championship. In the fact the quarterback of that team left CA in middle school to play for a MCPS.

With all of this knowledge you guys have, y'all should consider running for the school board.

Again 1 title and yes we all remember that epic beat down in the state finals vs Perry County.

Well it's obvious, Carey and Co. will be seniors next year and they know they'll have another shot to make a run against the public schools. After he's gone the talent level drops off a cliff. Same in football, next year's senior class and their best player Landsdell have a better chance to make a run against the public schools than the privates like themselves.

It's amazing how all these private school people have so many solutions to public school issues. It's obvious they know what their talking about with all the state championships CA has won over the years....oh wait they've won one, in baseball, in 1994.

Yeah losing to a team for a third straight time this season and by 21 in the district championship is one heck of a formula. CA beat Richland by 22 in the district championship, what about Richlands formula?

Right, so how many wins did CA's Jr high team win this year? 1 or 2? Must not have put in the work, right? Bad coaching? AD not supportive of Jr high team? I predict CA is going to get their clock cleaned once their in Division II. Have fun going to Nashville and Hendersonville for district competition! I'm sure parents are going to sign their kids up quickly for that! At least y'all have plenty of buses! Passed one today going to Pulaski!

FYI: Dear CA Family: The administration of Columbia Academy has recommended and the Board of Directors has approved a change related to Columbia Academy athletics. Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, Columbia Academy plans to compete in Division II (the private school division) of the TSSAA. The most significant and immediate change with this move is that, in 2019, receiving need-based financial aid will no longer cause a student to be ineligible for varsity sports. While we are excited about the future of CA athletics in this new environment, we want to address questions you may have as we enter this new era together. Q. Why are we making this change? A. This change has been under consideration for several years. The changing competitive landscape in this area and across the state has made it increasingly difficult to justify continuing to compete in Division I. The benefits we once enjoyed in this division - playing local teams and enjoying local competition - have all but disappeared. Ultimately, we want to compete in a league where we are welcomed as partners. At this time, we feel we can best accomplish our school’s mission by competing in Division II, and we're ready for this transition. Q. Does this change mean we can give "scholarships" to athletes based on their athletic ability? A. No. Under TSSAA rules, all financial aid must be need-based. Need is determined by one of the TSSAA approved third-party agencies that reviews all financial aid applications and determines financial need. Q. Does joining this division mean we can recruit student-athletes? A. Contrary to popular assumptions about Division II athletics, the answer is no. Under TSSAA rules, athletic recruiting is prohibited for ALL schools. The TSSAA By-Laws states, "Athletic recruiting is prohibited. Athletic recruiting is the use of influence on a student or the parents or guardians of a student, by any person(s) directly or indirectly associated with the school, to secure or retain a student for athletic purposes." Q. So if we can't recruit or give athletics-based scholarships, what does this change really mean for families of CA athletes? A. In short, it means that varsity student athletes and families who cannot afford to pay full tuition may be able to qualify for limited financial assistance. In the past, this assistance would have disqualified them from playing sports at CA. In the past, siblings of varsity student-athletes could not qualify for financial assistance. Also, parents of varsity athletes could not hold a part-time job at CA. Further, last year the option to do work study was eliminated for varsity athletes. None of these restrictions will apply in Division II. Q. How much financial aid will CA offer, and can the school afford to do that? A. CA limits financial aid (only available to non-varsity athletes) to a maximum award of 50% of tuition regardless of need. We currently plan to continue this practice for both athletes and non-athletes after moving to Division II. We believe it is important for families to be willing to sacrifice with a financial commitment for their child to attend Columbia Academy. By limiting the financial aid offered, the school's budget will not be significantly impacted because of the revenue gained from additional students. We will also reinstate the opportunity for work study for varsity athletes who need assistance, which could also help to offset tuition costs. Q. What will travel be like in Division II? A. Travel will be increased for our teams, but not to unreasonable locations. Our new district opponents will most likely be in the Nashville/Franklin areas. Some postseason play may require longer trips. Q. Will we still be able to play public schools if we join Division II? A. Yes. Some public schools may choose to continue competing with us, but we won't be competing with them for championships. Q. How competitive will we be in Division II? A. One of the board's strategic goals is to have a "consistently competitive, Christ-centered athletic program." We are very confident in our ability to be competitive in Division II. We have invested the resources and the time into preparing for this change. While athletic success is about more than just wins and losses, Columbia Academy views athletics as a tool to help us accomplish our mission of shaping the lives of young people. Several of our teams already compete very well against schools in Division II, and we are confident of and committed to our continued athletic success. Q. Is this decision going to fundamentally change Columbia Academy? A. No. Ultimately, our mission is at the forefront of all that we do. Our mission states, "Columbia Academy is committed to serving its students so they master skills, knowledge, and character appropriate for them and their future while becoming Christ-like in attitude and behavior." Our top priorities are and always will be the spiritual development and academic preparation of our students. While athletic success is not our top priority, we cannot ignore the fact that these programs can be a powerful tool to help us shape young lives and reach a broader audience with our mission. Athletics also provides our CA family with a sense of community and school pride. This decision to change divisions will not equal a change in our priorities. I trust that you may have more questions regarding this important decision for our student body. Our administration welcomes your feedback and further questions. This communication today is to help clear up any misconceptions and/or concerns about this change. It is also intended to provide you with accurate information about this change for potential conversations you may have with others outside the CA community. Primarily, I want you to understand and embrace this new vision for athletics at Columbia Academy. We humbly ask for God to continue to bless our school and our students as we move forward in this new direction. Ultimately, our goal continues to be to glorify Him in all that we do. Thanks for your continued support. Go Dawgs! James A. Thomas, Ed.D. President Well I guess that settles it!! Good riddance!

Lol that's classic

Exactly, well said!

Congratulations the guy is still employed, but why was he removed from coaching? Because of recruiting maybe? Maury County Schools meet with CA, confront them and the guy is suddenly removed as coach. Answer this, wouldn't you say that timing was pretty incredible or an admission of guilt? If there wasn't any recruiting happening why was he relieved of his coaching duties right after the accusations from the public schools?

Excuses? Why doesn't CA join schools like themselves? Why are they so hellbent on staying Division I? It's not like there are 20 or 30 private schools staying Division I, instead it's less than 5, in the entire state!

How can you compare a private school who buses students from outside it's own county to a public school who doesn't? How does that work? Because they've won 22 games this year? They were 15-13 last year and CA was in the final four of the state. Summertowns record last year was almost identical to Mt. Pleasants this year. Summertown also refused to schedule CA in basketball this year along with Richland and Maury County Schools. Is their football comparable? Not even close!

CA won- I'm over it Work on skill development - Done Interest in program- Done Start kids at young age- Done Stress Fundamentals -Done Spend time in gym- Done Now all I need is my PUBLIC school to purchase a few small buses to send to a couple of different counties and Spring Hill to shuffle in student athletes and then and only then we are all on a LEVEL playing field!