The ACS Varsity Soccer Teams competed in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC) Championships on Saturday, November 4 hosted by Cairn University in Langhorne, PA. Both teams played their best and gave it all out on the field. We are proud of both teams. The presence of our supportive family and fans cheering on our Cougars was very encouraging and appreciated. The Boys’ team came into the playoffs with an undefeated record in conference play. This is the third year in a row that the Boys’ team advanced to the Championship Game. ACS played hard and led 2-1 deep in the second half with goals from Malachi Vasquez and Adam Schlundt. However, Pilgrim Academy scored in the last three minutes to tie the game 2-2 and send it into overtime. Pilgrim then scored in the last 47 seconds of OT to win this game 3-2.
Our Varsity Girls upset Calvary Academy 2-0 in the quarterfinals and then lost in the semifinals to Kings Christian 2-0. ACS competed in a challenging Consolation Game against Gloucester County Christian School and lost 3-0 to finish in 4th place.
Our TSCAC league also honored the following ACS players at the end of the Championships. ACS Senior Manny Johnson was named TSCAC Most Valuable Player (MVP) for this season. Eight of our players were named to the All-Star teams. For the Boys’ team Manny Johnson, Noah Gibbs, Malachi Vasquez and James Papanikolau were named to the 1st team and Chase Leach was named to the 2nd team. For our Girls’ team Rebecca Kelley and Sophia Johnson were named 1st team All-Stars and Kaia Barbour was named to 2nd team All-Stars.
We want to give special thanks to our Coaches Daniel Vasquez and Dakota Keller for their dedication in training our athletics to work hard, perform well and honor God both on and off the field.
Congratulations to our Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Teams for winning their semi-final playoff games on Thursday night to secure a spot in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference Championship Games on Saturday, February 26. We are proud of you!
The Thursday night playoff games, played in the ACS gym before a crowd of fired-up fans, got underway with the Lady Cougars facing off against Cumberland Christian School and defeating them 56-13. Jr. Paige Noble led the team on offense with 18 points and four assists, and also pulled down five rebounds. Other key players in the game were Jr. Maddie DeNick, who scored 11 points and had 7 rebounds, and Soph. Evangelina Kim, who had 8 points and 6 steals.
The Varsity Boys’ game followed after, with ACS beating King’s Christian School 46-39 in a hard fought battle. ACS trailed King’s Christian by 2 at half-time and by as many as 8 to start the 3rd quarter. But ACS went on an 18-0 run from the end of the 3rd quarter through the start of the 4th quarter to seize control of the game. Soph. Noah Gibbs and Jr. Caleb Vogel carried the team down the stretch on offense, scoring 17 of the team’s 24 second half points. Vogel finished with 13 points and Gibbs with 12. Other high scorers were Sr. Devin Tridente with 12 points and Sr. Aaron Glancey with 8 points.
The Lady Cougars, under head coach Kaylee Breunig, finished in first place in the regular season, with a 7-1 record, and are advancing to the TSCAC championship final for the eighth straight year. They will play Gloucester Country Christian School on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Varsity Boys’ team, under head coach Drew Carney, placed second in the regular season, with an 8-2 record, and will play Pilgrim Academy in the Championship final at 5 p.m. Both games will be played at Gloucester County Christian School, which is located at 151 Golf Club Road in Sewell.
Come on out and cheer our Cougars on to victory! Go Cougars!
The Varsity Baseball and Softball teams opened their seasons this week with solid wins in scrimmage games against Pleasantville High School and will play their first Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference games on Monday, April 12 at home against Gloucester County Christian School. Come on out and cheer for our Cougars!
The Varsity Boys’ Baseball Team beat Pleasantville 17-1 on Tuesday, April 13, with strong hitting from Robby Barberio, Andres Cores, John Hannum, and Minjun (Daniel) Kim. Three team members took to the mound as pitchers during the game and only let up one run — Hannum, Josh Schlundt, and Caleb Vogel — and catcher Eric Voncolln played strong behind the plate.
The Varsity Girls’ Softball Team bested Pleasantville with a score of 23-1 on Wednesday, April 14, with the game ending after four innings due to the 10-run rule. Leading hitters were 1st baseman Sydney Pearson, with a 3-run home run; shortstop Evangelina Kim with a triple; catcher Chloe Vogel, who hit two singles; and outfielder Lauren Kent, who had a double. Senior Shelby Einwechter pitched three strong innings, posting 7 strikeouts and no hits against her. Kent also pitched for one inning.
The Varsity Boys’ Baseball Team is led by co-head coaches Ben Chapman and Gus Casey. Casey, who coached the team on April 13, was proud of the team’s performance and said “it was a huge team effort — they played like they practice.” The 16 members of the team are: Robby Barberio, Gabe Catusse-Martinella, Andres Cores, Jake DeNick, Sam Glancey, Malachi Green, John Hannum, Joshua Jacoby, Minjun (Daniel) Kim, Cole Lewis, Cruz Lewis, Josh Schlundt, Quinn Schrag, Caleb Vogel, Eric VonColln, and Gary Wyckoff. Tommy Ellison is the team manager.
The Varsity Girls’ Softball Team is led by Dara Kimmerley, in her eighth year as head coach, and assistant coaches Lori Pearson and Terry Vogel. “Our team is enthusiastic and ready for a great season,” Kimmerley said. The 12 members of the team are: Daniella Ajayi, Maddie DeNick, Shelby Einwechter, Vera Huff, Lauren Kent, Hyewon (Amy) Ki, Evangelina Kim, Ali Lushina, Paige Noble, Sydney Pearson, Ali Schlundt, and Chloe Vogel. Becca Kimmerley and Kayla DeNick are team managers.
The ACS teams will host Cape May Tech at home on Monday, April 26 and the following day will play Cumberland Christian School at home. All games start at 4 p.m. Check the Athletic Calendar on the ACS website for all upcoming game schedules.
High school and middle school students who played on an ACS sports team during the 2019-2020 school year received recognition for their participation, leadership, and athletic abilities during virtual Athletic Awards Ceremonies on June 4 that were streamed on the Atlantic Christian YouTube channel.
Athletic Director Pam Hitchner was the featured speaker in both awards videos, describing the high points of the soccer and basketball seasons and congratulating the teams for a very successful year. “I’m very proud of our teams and what it comes down to is we have very excellent coaches that are committed and great at what they do,” Hitchner said. “The commitment is second to none.” The coaches of each of the High School and Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer and Basketball teams and the coach of the Cheerleading team also presented individual athletic awards to their players in separate videos posted on the ACS YouTube channel. CLICK HERE to watch the videos.
TSCAC MVPs — Varsity Girls’ Soccer MVP Chloe Vogel (left) and Varsity Girls’ Basketball MVP Sydney Pearson (right).
In the High School Virtual Awards Ceremony video, Hitchner noted that ACS varsity teams brought home two conference championship trophies — in Varsity Girls’ Soccer and Varsity Boys’ Basketball — and that two ACS athletes were named MVPs in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC) — junior Chloe Vogel in Varsity Girls’ Soccer and junior Sydney Pearson in Varsity Girls’ Basketball.
The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team, under head coach and ACS alumnus Carly Witherow (’08), earned its fourth straight championship and had another undefeated season. Coach Witherow was named TSCAC Coach of the Year. The Varsity Boys’ Soccer team, under first-year coach and ACS alumnus Ben Chapman (’13), had its best season since 2013 and advanced to play in the TSCAC tournament consolation game.
In basketball, the Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ teams were both undefeated in the conference in the regular season. The Varsity Boys, led by head coach Dan Carney, went on to win the TSCAC championship and advanced to win its division at the National Christian School Athletic Association’s national tournament in Ohio. Three players achieved noteworthy career milestones — senior Dan Roland and junior Landon Shivers each pulled down 500 rebounds and senior Ben Noble scored 1,000 points. The Varsity Girls’ team, under head coach and ACS alumnus Kaylee Breunig (’12), finished in 2nd place after a tough loss in the championship game. The Varsity Girls’ team also for the first time in school history won the Delco Tournament in Pennsylvania, with junior Cristen Winkel being named tournament MVP.
In the Middle School Virtual Awards Ceremony video, Hitchner reflected on a number of team achievements. The Middle School Girls’ Soccer team, under head coach Casey Hopwood, and the Middle School Boys’ Soccer team, under head coach George Dickson, both posted winning seasons.
In basketball, both the Middle School Girls’ and Middle School Boys’ teams kicked off the season strong by winning first place in the Pilgrim Academy Tournament. Ethan Haynes (above, second from right) and Evangelina Kim (above, on right) were named the tournament MVPs, joined by five other players who were named to the All Tournament teams — Jayden Dixon, Jackson Gayeski, Noah Gibbs, Kendall Murphy, and Kayaha Smalls. The teams continued playing well throughout the season, with the Middle School Girls, under coach and ACS alumnus Grant Miller (’07), winning first place in the Atlantic Cape Junior High League, and the Middle School Boys taking second place. Throughout the basketball season, the 15-member Cheerleading team, under coach Kelly Flynn, led the crowds in the ACS gym in chants and performed during halftime. 9th grader Lauren Kent and 8th grader Haven Sanchez served as co-captains.
2020 Cougar Award Recipients — Senior Emily Kelley (left) and senior Dan Roland (right).
During the High School Virtual Awards Ceremony, Hitchner announced the recipients of two special annual high school sports awards — the Cougar Award and the Billy Robinson Award. Seniors Emily Kelley and Dan Roland received the Cougar Award, given to one male athlete and one female athlete who have demonstrated outstanding Christian character, leadership, responsibility, and commitment in the area of athletics. Both athletes played all three sports for all four years of high school at ACS. Junior Sydney Pearson and senior Ben Noble were chosen by the Athletic Department to be the recipients of the 2020 Billy Robinson Award, in recognition of significant achievement, Christian testimony, and athletic ability.
Three Varsity basketball players reached significant career milestones during the 2019-2020 season. Senior Dan Roland (left) and junior Landon Shivers (right) pulled down 500 rebounds and senior Ben Noble (center) sank 1,000 points.
Noble was also asked to speak at the conclusion of the High School Virtual Awards Ceremony about out how his life was impacted by playing sports at ACS and to give a challenge to the younger athletes at ACS. Noble has committed to play on the Men’s Soccer team at Cairn University and was the 2020 recipient of the TSCAC Rex Feltman Award, a $750 scholarship given to one outstanding senior boy and girl athlete in the conference who will be attending a Christian college and pursuing ministry.
“One of the coolest things about ACS sports is that the coaches invest in you and pour into your life on and off the field,” Noble said. “They care more about the athlete than about winning or losing.” Noble encouraged the younger athletes to work hard, set goals, and be a team player, concluding with the charge stated in Colossians 3:23, which says — “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord and not for men.”
In compliance with COVID-19 regulations, student athletes were able to come to the ACS campus on June 15 to pick up their well-earned awards, letters, pins, trophies, and plaques.
Three members of our Varsity Boys’ Basketball team — Dan Roland, Ben Noble, and Landon Shivers (pictured from left) — were featured in an article the week of March 15 in Glory Days Magazine online. The players were a vital part of the success of this year’s talented team and were each named to the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC) All-Star team this season.
The Boys’ Varsity team, under head coach Dan Carney, won the TSCAC championship on February 22 after posting an undefeated season in the conference. The Cougars then traveled to Ohio in early March and took first place in Division 4B at the National Christian School Athletic Association’s national tournament.
The High School and Middle School Baseball and Softball seasons are getting underway. High School tryouts will be held on Monday, March 9 and Middle School tryouts will be on Monday, March 23. Interested students should sign up in the gym. Check out the ACS website under the “Athletics” table for the game schedules of all our teams. Hope to see you in the stands!
The Varsity Baseball team will play its first game on Friday, March 20 — a non-league home game against Annapolis Area Christian School. The Varsity Baseball team will play its second, non-league game on Friday, March 27 at home against Oakcrest High School. The first Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference games for the Varsity Baseball and Softball teams will be on Tuesday, March 31 at home against Pilgrim Academy.
The Middle School baseball and softball teams will play their first games in the Atlantic Cape Junior High League on Tuesday, April 21 at home against Pilgrim Academy.
The head coaches who will lead our high school and middle school teams this season are:
Varsity Boys’ Baseball — Ben Chapman, in his 1st year. Chapman is a 2013 alumnus who was a stand-out baseball player at ACS and went on to be a pitcher on Cairn University’s baseball team;
Varsity Girls’ Softball — Dara Kimmerley, in her 6th year, with a strong record of winning seasons, including a TSCAC championship in 2017, a first place regular season finish in 2018, and taking the team to the championship game in 2019.
Middle School Boys’ Baseball — Charlie Costello, an ACS parent in his first year as head coach. He assisted former head coach Rob Barberio last year when the team finished in 3rd place in the league.
Middle School Girls’ Softball — Rick Jackson, an ACS parent in his first year as head coach. He assisted former head coach Mike Bohs, who led the team to a 1st place finish in the league in 2018 and tied for first in 2019.
TSCAC Varsity Girls’ Basketball MVP – junior forward Sydney Pearson
Seven ACS Varsity Basketball players made outstanding contributions to their teams over the past season and were recently recognized for their achievements. Junior forward Sydney Pearson received the highest individual honor given by the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference — the Varsity Girls’ MVP award — and six other players were named TSCAC All-Stars.
The ACS players were recognized and honored during an awards ceremony after the conclusion of the Championship Games on February 22. The ACS basketball players who were named TSCAC All-Stars were — Girls’ team: Olivia Chapman, Shelby Einwechter, Sydney Pearson, and Cristen Winkel; and Boys’ team: Ben Noble, Dan Roland, and Landon Shivers. ACS hosted the TSCAC All-Star Games this past Tuesday and fans had the opportunity to cheer on their favorite players for one last time this season.
ACS players named TSCAC All-Stars — Sydney Pearson, Shelby Einwechter, Olivia Chapman, and Cristen Winkel (from left, at left); and Ben Noble, Landon Shivers, and Dan Roland (from left, at right)
Senior Dan Roland was also honored just days before the championship tournament for pulling down 500 rebounds during his high school career. Roland became the 13th ACS Varsity Basketball player in school history to reach this significant milestone. He was recognized and given a special game ball at the Feb. 20 semi-final playoff game.
The undefeated Varsity Boys’ Basketball team received the TSCAC Championship Trophy at the conclusion of the February 22 Tournament in the ACS gym.
Congratulations to our Varsity Boys’ basketball team for winning the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference championship on February 22, beating the #2-seeded King’s Christian School 47-32. The ACS Boys, under head coach Dan Carney, finished the regular season undefeated in the conference and brought home the championship trophy for the 10th time in school history.
Our Varsity Girls’ basketball team was seeded in first place entering the championship tournament with a 12-0 regular season record. The team lost a hard-fought match in the championship game 45-41 to King’s Christian School. During the Tournament awards ceremony, the Varsity Girls’ team, under head coach Kaylee Breunig, was recognized for its outstanding regular season and received a TSCAC trophy.
The Varsity Girls’ Basketball Team received the TSCAC regular season 1st place trophy.
“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to host the Championship Tournament in the ACS gym and we are proud of every player on our Boys’ and Girls’ teams who always gave 110% whenever they stepped onto the court,” said Athletic Director Pam Hitchner. At the conclusion of the tournament, each member of the winning Varsity Boys’ team and their coaches climbed up a ladder to cut off a piece of the basketball net as a special keepsake, a tournament tradition.
The Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ teams will travel to Ohio next week to compete in a 3-day national tournament that concludes March 7. The tournament is organized by the National Christian School Athletic Association and features teams from across the U.S. who are the best in their regions.
“We’re very grateful to our school families and friends who filled our stands at home games and during the Championship Tournament, encouraging our athletes to do their best,” Hitchner said. “We also appreciate the parents and other volunteers, led by long-time ACS parent Terry Vogel, who worked in our Cougar Den concession stand throughout the season, helping raise funds for our athletic program.”
Hitchner also thanked and recognized the assistant coaches and team managers for their important contributions to a memorable season — Varsity Girls’ assistant coach Dara Kimmerley; Varsity Boys’ assistant coaches Drew Carney, Ben Chapman, and Paul Jones; and team managers Ashleigh Martin and Alex Wang.
CLICK HERE to read more about the championship games as reported in a February 24 Press of Atlantic City online article.
Our undefeated Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ basketball teams are heading next week into the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference playoffs. The Boys’ team, with an overall record of 17-9, enters the playoffs in first place after an undefeated (12-0) regular season in the conference. The Varsity Girls, 20-6 overall, also enter the playoffs in first place with a 12-0 record in the TSCAC. Both teams have a bye in the quarter-final round before hosting the semi-final games here at ACS on Thursday, February 20. Come out and cheer for our Cougars!
The Girls’ playoff game on Feb. 20 will begin at 5:00 p.m., followed by the Boys’ game at 6:30 p.m. ACS will be playing the winners of the quarter-final playoff games on Tuesday, February 18. There is a small conference gate fee for the Feb. 20 games – $1 per student, $2 per adult, or $5 per family.
The playoffs will conclude on Saturday, February 22 and ACS is hosting the consolation and championship games. The Girls’ consolation game will be at 1:00 p.m. and the Boys’ consolation game at 3:00 p.m. The Girls’ Championship Game will be at 5:00 p.m. and the Boys’ Championship Game at 7:00 p.m. The gate fees for the final games on Saturday will be $2 per student, $3 per adult, or $10 per family.
ACS recognized and honored senior guard Ben Noble, a member of the Varsity Boys’ Basketball team, for achieving the significant milestone of scoring 1,000 points during his high school career with a special presentation during a home game on Friday, January 31 in the ACS gym. Noble scored his 1,000th point before a record-breaking crowd by sinking a foul shot in the 4th quarter of the conference game against King’s Christian School.
After Ben sank his foul shot, the enthusiastic crowd, which had been informed that he was close to reaching the record, threw streamers and rushed the court to congratulate him. Ben is now just the 8th ACS Varsity Boys’ basketball player in school history to reach this significant milestone.
Athletic Director Pam Hitchner presented Ben with a special commemorative game ball. Ben’s parents, 9th grade sister, Paige, and other family members were invited to join Ben court-side to be recognized for their contributions to Ben’s success.
ACS went on to win that game 72-44, with Ben scoring 16 points in the game. This year, Ben has averaged 16 points a game, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Led by head coach Dan Carney, the ACS Boys’ Basketball team, who is undefeated in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference, will play again at home on Monday, Feb. 10 against Open Door. Ben and other senior players and their parents will be recognized and honored on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at our home games against Gloucester County Christian School. Go Cougars!
ACS and other Christian schools in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference are combining their efforts to support families dealing with cancer with a “Coaches vs. Cancer” campaign. Donations and gate fees collected at the February 3 middle school and high school basketball home games and at the Tuesday, February 11 home JV and Varsity games against Gloucester County Christian School will be donated to the TSCAC campaign.
Special T-shirts are being worn by ACS basketball players and cheerleaders at these games to support the cause. Income from the sale of the T-shirts is also being donated to the campaign.
Athletic Director Pam Hitchner said the funds collected this year will go to two families who have family members undergoing cancer treatment. One family is affiliated with Calvary Academy. The other recipient will be Kevin Weeks and his family. Mr. Weeks, who resides in Egg Harbor Township, is 31 years old and has six children. He is related to two members of the ACS Varsity basketball team, Aaron and Sam Glancey.
The Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball teams are off to a stellar start, with undefeated records of 5-0 in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC) and five weeks left in the second half of the season. “Both teams are doing great and playing better each time they’re on the court,” said Athletic Director Pam Hitchner. “We’re also very pleased with the enthusiasm of our school families and friends who are filling the bleachers at our home games and helping energize our players.”
The Lady Cougars, led by Kaylee Breunig in her 3rd year as head coach, started the season strong, winning the Delco Christian Tip-Off Basketball Tournament on December 7, with high-scoring guard Cristen Winkel receiving the tournament MVP award, both firsts in school history. The Girls’ team played well again in the December 27-28 Boardwalk Classic in Wildwood, losing to Absegami High School and then beating Cedar Creek High School.
The Varsity Boys’ team also got off to a great start in December at the Doane Academy Tournament, winning 2 out of 3 games and placing third in the tournament. Dan Carney is in his 4th year as head coach, assisted by Drew Carney, Ben Chapman, and Paul Jones.
The ACS teams have a challenging schedule, playing teams both in the TSCAC and in the Cape Atlantic League. The Varsity Girls currently have a 3-1 record against area high schools in the Cape Atlantic League and will face ACIT, Egg Harbor Township, Pleasantville, and Winslow Township in upcoming games. The Varsity Boys’ are 1-1 in games against Cape Atlantic League teams, and will be playing Cedar Creek at home on February 3.
Cougars’ Basketball is in full swing with six teams playing in this 2018-19 season. Congratulations to the High School Varsity Boys’ basketball team, under head coach Dan Carney, for beating Gloucester County Christian School this week at home and remaining undefeated with a 6-0 record and in first place in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference at this half-way point in the season. Tuesday’s game against Gloucester was a real heart stopper, with forward Cole Johnson sinking a 3-point shot with 3.5 seconds left in the game that tied the score and sent the game into overtime. ACS went on to win in overtime, 59 to 56. Johnson, finished with 14 points, joined by other outstanding contributions from forward Landon Shivers with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks, and point guard Ben Noble with 16 points. CLICK HERE to see a highlights video of Wednesday’s thrilling win. The High School Varsity Girls’ basketball team is also having a strong, winning season, with a 4-1 record and in second place behind King’s Christian School in the TSCAC. The Lady Cougars, under head coach Kaylee Breunig, beat Gloucester County Christian 51-21 at home this week. The JV Boys’ and Girls’ teams are also seeing success and are gaining a lot of on-court playing time experience.
The Middle School teams are a third of the way into their season in the Atlantic Cape Junior High League. The Middle School Girls’ team, under head coach Grant Miller, started off strong winning a season-opening non-league tournament at ACIT and have continued to excel in posting an 8-1 record so far. Seventh-grader Evangelina Kim is the leading scorer off the bench as well as a strong spiritual presence on the team. The Middle School Boys’ team, under first-year coach Lee Martin, is currently 3-3 and continues to improve each time the young players take the court. Eighth grade guard Caleb Vogel has lead the team in scoring, averaging almost 15 points per game.