Athletics News

Fernando Machuca ’22 wasn’t feeling any nerves Saturday afternoon, the first or the second time.

The Rabun Gap (Ga.) coaching staff tried to ice Christ School’s kicker on the final play of the game by calling a timeout, even after he’d successfully made a 31-yard field goal.

Following the break in play, Fernando lined up and simply did it again to give Greenie varsity football its first win of the season as time expired, 38-35.

Davidson College basketball has been known to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.

Christ School alumnus Ben Craig ’18 has put himself into position to experience the sights and sounds of March Madness firsthand by making the Wildcats’ roster for the 2020-21 season. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard from Montreat, N.C., is listed as a junior.

Every day on the practice field and certainly in spurts throughout games, Christ School coach Guy Campbell ‘00 sees growth and improvement.

More importantly, he sees a varsity soccer team that has not bailed out on the season.

Saturday was a dreary day weather-wise in the Asheville area, but the rain and mud did not hinder Christ School cross country.

Rocky Hansen ’24 (16 minutes, 3.84 seconds), Dawson Reeves ’24 (16:47.61), and Jackson Burch ’22 (17:10.02) were the first, second, and third-place runners in a Carolinas Athletic Association meet at Asheville Christian Academy.

Varsity soccer broke through in a big way Friday afternoon.

One of our captains, Carson Campbell ’21, had a goal and two assists in the Greenies’ 4-0 shutout at Asheville Christian Academy.

Looking around the state, only about a dozen football programs in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association have committed to anything resembling a full schedule this fall. And all public-school games are on hold until February.

So when the lights come on Friday at Fayssoux Field, Christ School really will be in some rarefied air for one of the most talked-about season openers in its history.

September 22 is the first official day of fall on the calendar and Tuesday represents a new beginning as well for Christ School soccer.

Blessed with depth and a good blend of new and returning talent, the Greenies are home for their 4:30 p.m. season opener with defending state champion High Point Wesleyan Christian Academy.

Just about every Ivy League football program was swooning over Painter Richards-Baker ’21.

In the end, it was about finding the one which best suited the Christ School senior with a trusty set of hands and weighted 4.6 grade-point average. Painter gave Dartmouth College a verbal commitment on Monday.

Thursday afternoon was akin to Christmas morning for Christ School soccer players and coaches.

The Green-White preseason scrimmage represented the first athletic event of any kind for the school since March.

John Freeman ’16 is a living testament to the saying “when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.”

Kaedin Robinson ’19 had laser-like focus when it came to eventually playing NCAA Division I football. The Christ School alumnus succeeded where many have failed by going to junior college first.

Robinson announced his verbal commitment to the University of Central Florida on Thursday.

For the second time in three years, Carson Ownbey ’18 and one of his teammates on the UNC Charlotte golf team made for a winning combination in the Carolinas Four-Ball Championship.

Competitive sports are slowly resuming and it is obvious that two Christ School golfers have been polishing their shot-making and putting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Charles Howden ’22 (boys 16-18) and Jamal Hutchinson ’23 (boys 14-15) won their age divisions at the National Junior Golf Association Players Championship held Saturday and Sunday in Travelers Rest, S.C.

Most people associate Aydan White ’20 with football and rightfully so. But there has never been a 110-meter hurdler like him at Christ School either.

HighSchoolOT.com has recognized the school record-holder in the event with a place on its West All-Senior Track & Field Team.

Three seniors from the Christ School lacrosse program are still raking in accolades, months after their final game as Greenies.

Attacker Davis Lindsey ’20, goalkeeper Beau Hecimovich ’20, and midfielder Jack Fitch ’20 were named to the HighSchoolOT.com West All-Senior Team on Monday.

Chad Treadway ‘19 acclimated to college baseball quicker than most young pitchers and was moving up the chain at Georgia State University.

The Christ School alumnus had gone from the bullpen to a weekend starter prior to the Panthers’ season being ended abruptly by the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Treadway showed enough in 16.1 innings of work to be named to the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American team.

Christ School has risen to be one of the premier football programs in western North Carolina in recent years, and that spot looks to be secure for 2020.

The Asheville Citizen-Times covers more than 30 high schools in the region. The newspaper selected its top-10 college recruits for the upcoming season on Thursday and half the list is comprised of Greenies.

The sun peeked through the clouds at precisely the right moment Friday morning as family and friends gathered outside Stolz Hall for a signing ceremony. Henry Muller '20 will be continuing his golf career at Sewanee (Tenn.): The University of the South, making him the 19^th Greenie senior to commit or sign with a college sports program.

Like most athletic events planned for this spring, the fourth annual Bull City All-Star Games – Cullen Classic has been cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, organizers of the May 30 charity exhibition at Duke University still wanted to recognize the top-100 high school lacrosse players in North Carolina. Of the boys players who were chosen, three are from Christ School – goalkeeper Beau Hecimovich ’20, attacker Davis Lindsey ’20, and midfielder Jack Fitch ‘20.

Christ School is well-represented on the list of finalists for the 2020 Western North Carolina Sports Awards presented by Ingles.

Andrew Hammel ’20, Aydan White ’20, and Davis Lindsey ’20 are in the running for awards as are a pair of Greenie state-championship teams from 2019 – Lacrosse and Track & Field.