Champs again (and for the first time)!!

Our Trinity Christian School athletes cemented their place in the New England Association of Christian Schools (NEACS) history books this weekend

 

Our girls' volleyball team won its first championship - state or regional - by defeating Central Christian Academy of Connecticut three games to two. They started slowly and quickly found themselves down two sets to none. Even in the third set, the team was faced with elimination but survived three game points in the third set (down 24-21), but dug deep, didn't lose heart and came back to win that third set. They won the fourth set to force a do-or-die fifth set. After starting the game down six points and later facing an 8-4 deficit, the Swordsmen roared back to claim the championship with a final score of 15-13 in the deciding set. Kaylee, our lone senior, and Taylor received all-tournament honors, and Caroline was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Trinity also finished the year with an unblemished record of 13-0.

In clinching the volleyball title, the Swordsmen athletics program completed what could be dubbed as the "Regional Slam," having now laid claim to the Girls' Volleyball ('16), Boys' Soccer ('11, '12, and '16), Girls' Basketball ('14), and Boys' Basketball ('16) titles. TCS currently holds three of the four regional trophies! TCS joins only three other schools (Emmanuel, CT; Trinity, VT; and SMCA, NH) to have accomplished this feat since 2000, and TCS and SMCA are the only two schools to accomplish that this decade.

About the same time Caroline pounded her final spike to end the volleyball tournament, the referee's whistle blew to conclude the guys' soccer game vs. Emmanuel. The championship game began with each team attempting to establish a rhythm on a slick field, but Trinity's squad quickly began to take control of the midfield with intricate passing combinations and its trademark ball control. The times that Emmanuel did obtain, they were quickly hounded into errors by front to back pressure. Dima got the Swordsmen on the board 14 minutes into the game, and 12 minutes later, Stan blasted home a shot to give Trinity some much needed cushion. Despite the soggy field conditions, Trinity's stingy defense was in lock-down mode, yielding only a couple of legitimate attempts on goal. Stan, Ben, and Henry were named to the all-tournament team, and Drew was recognized as the Most Valuable Player. Trinity finished the season at 12-4-1.

None of this would be possible without the dedication and commitment of our coaches - special thanks to the Oxfords (Mr. and Mrs.), Coach Lampman, and Coach Foss.

M. Kingsley's 2015/16 Basketball season summary

 

 Where did the season go?  We were just playing the Christmas tournament. 

 

 

To summarize the girls' basketball season, the Trinity girls started conference play after Christmas and played extremely well, only losing to SMCA, and finishing the conference season in second place with a 6-2 record.  They defeated Tabernacle in the state semifinals and then fell to SMCA for the NHACS championship.  Caroline and Taylor were named to the All-Tournament team.  

Their performance in the regular season and the tournament earned them a 5 seed in the NEACS regional tournament.  Their first matchup was against Trinity of Williston, VT, which they won 43-32.  This victory sent them to a semifinal matchup against SMCA...for the sixth game against them of the year.  TCS applied pressure throughout the game and closed to within six, but a late 10-0 run by South Merrimack provided the needed cushion to pull out a 38-29 victory.  The girls then concluded their season with a rematch against an Emmanuel team that had solidly defeated them by double digits in mid January

. In a complete reversal of roles, the Trinity girls jumped out to an early lead an utilized their pressure to dominate the game in a  20 point victory, clinching the 3rd place consolation trophy for the NEACS tournament for the second consecutive year.  Congratulations to Caroline and to Keri for earning all-tournament honors!  

 

The Trinity girls finished their season with a 15-10 record, clinching second in the NHACS and third in the NEACS.

The Trinity boys likewise earned a 6-2 record in their NHACS games and earning a #2 seed in the state tournament. 

They did not lack for excitement, losing to Emmanuel of CT on a last second bucket in January and to South Merrimack on a three pointer with four seconds left in February.  The boys defeated #3 seed Victory Baptist in the semifinals of the state tournament to setup a much anticipated rematch with defending champion SMCA.  Unfortunately, SMCA was too much for Trinity at the offensive and defensive end of the floor and was once again crowned champion of the NHACS with a 58-40 victory over Trinity.  Jacob and Jordan received all-tournament honors.

Trinity received a #3 seed for the regional tournament, and they defeated #6 seed Twin City in a rematch of the Twin City Christmas Tournament championship game.  This game propelled them into a semifinal rematch with #2 seed Emmanuel. Looking to avenge its 2 point loss in January, Trinity started slowly, leading by 5 points and 12 points at the end of the first quarter and first half, respectively.  The knockout punch came with a 19-2 run in the third quarter, and Trinity pulled away with a 61-40 victory which landed the team in just its second NEACS regional championship game (and first since 2012) against...SMCA.  The championship game started very inauspiciously for Trinity as they dug a 15-5 hole against SMCA's speed and height.  However, by the middle of the second quarter, Trinity had caught up with SMCA and engaged in what would be one of the most exciting regional championship games in recent memory. 

The game itself produced over 25 ties and lead changes, with each squad answering the bell with clutch three point baskets, jump shots, and free throws.  Even after two calmly sunk free throws by Kent with eight seconds remaining, Trinity and its fans had to wait for a last second three pointer by SMCA to be off the mark before celebrating a 67-64 win and its first boys' regional basketball title in school history.  Jake was named to the all-tournament team, and Tim (who scored a career high 31 points, including 7 three pointers) was named tournament MVP.

Trinity's boys finished with a 19-6 record, earning second in states and first in the NEACS.

We thank all of our coaches, players, and fans for a terrific season, and we give God the glory for all that was learned and experienced through the inevitable lessons a basketball season brings!