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From the ground up: Cornerstone Christian building successful programs
BY Richard C. White, rwhite@starlocalnews.com
They may be small and they may be new, but the various varsity sports of Cornerstone Christian Academy are gradually making their mark on the McKinney sports scene.
"As an athletic director, there's little that is more rewarding," said Sean Hanlon, Cornerstone athletic director, "than to see a group of kids grow and build their character and see that translate to increased success, whether that be on the court or the field."
CCA was formed in 2004, but the athletic program didn't come to full fruition until 2009 and the school now competes in TAPPS 1A. Cornerstone offers boys varsity sports in football, basketball and golf, and girls varsity sports in volleyball and basketball.
"It's extremely encouraging because we lost an outstanding player to graduation and it's been great to see this year's team come together," Hanlon said. "The players have stepped up. It's a neat story to have them all share in the success of that, because it hasn't rested on the shoulders of just one person. They've accomplished this as a team."
The Warriors are 7-11 this season, with many of those losses coming prior to district.
"Early in the season we scheduled a lot of hard games to better prepare them for district," Hanlon said.
The boys basketball team is led by head coach Chad Hively.
"Their success this year tells me their resolve is strong," Hanlon said. "And they've been guided by excellent coaching and leadership."
The Warriors football team qualified for the postseason, but didn't get to play.
"We qualified for the playoffs, the state-wide Division II six-man playoffs," said Hanlon, who is also the head football coach. "Unfortunately, due to injuries, we could not play our first round game. We had to forfeit it and our final regular season game due to injuries. It was disappointing because this team had worked really hard. It would have been great to play the game and give the players that playoff experience that they'd earned."
In addition to the recent football and boys basketball playoff berths, Cornerstone's volleyball team also experienced success in a short amount of time.
The Lady Warriors, who are also coached by Hively, have been to the playoffs three years in a row, including an undefeated district run in 2011.
"That's a program I'm very proud of," Hanlon said. "Those girls have built a tradition of winning."
Despite Cornerstone's athletic successes, Hanlon is quick to point out to prospective families that the character of the athletes is more important than their accomplishments.
"Our athletic department will never be solely defined by wins and losses," he said. "It's about teaching kids' character just as much as it is about how to compete and win."
Cornerstone's greatest athletic asset may be the game-playing opportunities it provides, something talented players in much larger private schools don't always find.
"That's neat because a lot of those kids don't get that feeling at other schools," Hanlon said. "They now get to learn those lessons that athletics teach that the other kids at larger schools also experience."
Cornerstone's athletic department also offers archery and fencing.
"That's kind of a neat thing about our school," Hanlon said. "We've got some sports that not a lot of other schools have."
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