Basktball Schedule for WE 12/19/09

Warrior Athletics - Basketball @ Grace

Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Start Time: 4:30 pm


Games: VG, VB
Bus Departs: 2:30pm
Travel Time: 1.25 hours
Game Time: 4:30pm

Directions from school.

Start out going WEST on BAPTIST CAMP RD toward POMONA RD
Turn RIGHT onto US-19 N/US-41
Merge onto I-75 N
Merge onto I-20 W/GA-402 W viaEXIT 247 toward BIRMINGHAM
Merge onto GA-6 W viaEXIT 44 toward AUSTELL
Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto POWDER SPRINGS-DALLAS RD SW
End at 5790 POWDER SPRINGS DALLAS RD SW


Warrior Athletics - Basketball @ Faith

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Start Time: 4:30 pm

Games: JVB, VB
Bus Departs: 3:30pm
Travel Time: 15 minutes
Game Time: 4:30pm

Directions from school.

Start out going WEST on BAPTIST CAMP RD toward POMONA RD
Turn LEFT onto US-19 S/US-41
Merge onto EXPRESS WAY N/US-19 BR/US-41 BR/GA-92/ATLANTA RD toward GRIFFIN.
Turn RIGHT onto VARSITY RD
Turn LEFT onto SPALDING DR
End SPALDING DR


Warrior Athletics - Girls Basketball Tournament @ Calvary Christian

Date: Friday, December 18, 2009 and Saturday, December 19,2009


Friday, Dec 18
4:30 Varsity Girls Grace Christian vs Byne Memorial
6:00 Varsity Boys Grace Christian vs Byne Memorial
7:30 Varsity Girls CCS vs Skipstone Academy
9:00 Varsity Boys CCS vs Lafayette

Saturday, Dec 19

12:00 Varsity Girls Consolation Game
1:30 Varsity Boys Consolation Game
3:00 Varsity Girls Championship Game
4:30 Varsity Boys Championship Game
6:30 pm - All Tournament Teams Announced
6:40 pm - Team Trophies Presented

Game: VG
Bus Departs: 2:00pm
Travel Time: 1.75 hours
Game Time: 7:30pm

Directions from the school.

Start out going WEST on BAPTIST CAMP RD toward POMONA RD
Turn LEFT onto US-19 S/US-41
Merge onto GA-16 W toward NEWNAN
Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto US-29 S/US-27 ALT S/GA-14 S/JEFFERSON DAVIS MEMORIAL HWY.
Merge onto I-85 S/GA-403 S
Merge onto I-185 S/GA-411 S viaEXIT 21 toward COLUMBUS
Take the WILLIAMS RD exit,EXIT 12
Keep LEFT at the fork to go on WILLIAMS RD.
Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto VETERANS PKWY/US-27/GA-1/MARTHA BERRY HWY.
Turn LEFT onto OLD MOON RD
7556 OLD MOON RD is on the LEFT

Boys Basketball Games and Directions for WE 12-12-09

THURSDAY DEC 10, 2009

Warrior Athletics - Basketball @ Victory


Games: JVB, VB
Bus Departs: 2:45pm
Travel Time: 1 hour
Game Time: 4:30pm

DIRECTIONS:

Take 19/41N to GA 20E
Turn LEFT onto ZACK HINTON PKWY S/GA-155/GA-20. Continue to follow GA-20.
Turn LEFT onto GA-20/GA-212/MCDONOUGH HWY. Continue to follow GA-20 E/MCDONOUGH HWY.
Turn RIGHT onto FLAT SHOALS RD SE
1151 FLAT SHOALS RD SE is on the RIGHT



Date: Friday, December 11, 2009
Start Time: 6:00 pm

Warrior Athletics - Basketball @ Friendship Christian

Game: VB
Bus Departs: 3:45pm
Travel Time: 1.5 hours
Game Time: 6:00pm

DIRECTIONS:

Start out going WEST on BAPTIST CAMP RD toward POMONA RD
Turn RIGHT onto US-19 N/US-41 N
Merge onto GA-20 E
Merge onto I-75 N/GA-401 N via the ramp on the LEFT
Merge onto I-675 N viaEXIT 227 toward I-285 E
Merge onto I-285 E/GA-407 E toward AUGUSTA/GREENVILLE
Merge onto GA-141 N viaEXIT 31B toward CUMMING/DAHLONEGA
Turn RIGHT onto BROOKWOOD RD
BROOKWOOD RDbecomes MATHIS AIRPORT PKWY
Turn RIGHT onto OLD ATLANTA RD
3160 OLD ATLANTA RD is on the RIGHT

Warriors vs. Crosspointe

Well, it was another huge night for the Warriors! Our last home game for the 2009 season was against Crosspointe. Our Warriors played another great game and Coach Eric and Coach Jonathan and I are truly proud of our Warriors. We had a night filled with more Warrior firsts and it was just an awesome night all around! The weather cooperated and it was a great night to play football – a little damp and cool, but real football weather.

Our Warrior offense put 28 points on the board Friday night! We had three different players score touchdowns – Ty Reeves had his first touchdown ever and a two point conversion, Tommy Couch scored a touchdown and Dustin Barnett scored two touchdowns and a two point conversion, including the first ever kick off return for 6 points. What a spectacular play! Tommy Couch also had two receptions. Dustin rushed for 69 yards plus had another 57 yards on his kick off return for the touchdown! Tommy rushed for 76 yards and had two catches for another 14 yards. Ty rushed for 41 yards and Will Brand had a couple rushes for some positive yardage too. Total offense for the night was more than 200 yards. It took us a little while to get the ball moving, but once we did, the Warrior offense was effective.

Defensive efforts were off the chain! We had four players with double digit tackles. Ty Reeves led the team with 15 tackles! Chris Siebert was just one short with 14 stops, followed by Braxton “the Beast” Pryor with 12 tackles and Tommy Couch had 10 tackles. Josh King had 7 stops and Troy “Tank” Tankersley had 6 tackles.

The best aspect of the game Friday night was the spiritual presence. Crosspointe head coach, Wally Wetherbee, has become a close friend through this season. We share common goals with regard to our players and it was evident from the time they arrived on campus that this was going to be a special night. The commraderie and sportsmanship on both sides of the ball was outstanding and something we are all extremely proud of. What a difference from our game against Covenant. Friday night was a good game. I think we all had fun and enjoyed the game, despite the loss. Don’t get me wrong, we want to win, but sometimes things happen that bring you beyond the final score and, for me anyay, Friday night was one of those times.

Following the game, we all circled up around the “Big W” and talked about the evening and one of the Crosspointe coaches shared some of his personal history at our old camp and shared with us how he has been so moved at what God has been doing at our school. Coach Wetherbee followed by praying that the Lord bless our school. It was a powerful moment for me, not just as a coach, but as a person. Afterward, Coach Eric circled up the Warrior troops and asked that our coaches pray over our players and we had another awesome spiritual and emotional moment for our seniors, our team and for me. I am humbled by the commitment of the people of Skipstone. People like Eric and Jonathan, the Moody family, the Napier family, Randy Freeman and all the parents, volunteers and fans of Skipstone and I pray that our Lord will continue to bless you all for your limitless faith in Him.

Next week we play Twigs Academy. This will be the last game of the 2009 Football season. So Warriors, it’s time to push even harder. We must stay focused and apply all that we have learned this season. This is your time! Time to execute. Time to trust your knowledge, your abilities and your teammates. This is your time to WIN!

For His glory,

Coach C U P P

Warriors vs. Covenant

Wow. I wish I had more positive things to say about our game against Covenant this past Friday, but I really had to search my heart. This is the biggest school we have played this season. Covenant has as many students in their high school as Skipstone has in our entire student body. They were big, fast, strong and a very disciplined team. Number 7 is a talent, the most talented player we have faced all season and I have no doubt that we will likely see him on Saturday afternoons in the coming years. I have played against guys like this, many years ago… back in dark ages as my kids would say, and I can only say this, I always considered it a privilege to witness exceptional talent as there was always something to be learned from sharing the field with exceptional players.

Early on in my high school career I remember playing against Suncoast High School. They had a player that was probably the best I have ever seen, up close and personal. His name was Anthony Carter (AC) and, well, the game was memorable, to say the least. As I recall, he touched the ball six times and scored six touchdowns and ended up with some ridiculous numbers like 350 combined yards for the night. It did not matter how or what he did, he was a pure athlete. If memory serves, his scores came on a punt return, kick off return, a reverse and three receptions. He was simply spectacular. He went on to play for the Michigan Wolverines and then on to the Minnesota Vikings. While I remember snippets of his televised highlights, I will never forget that Friday night under the lights in South Florida. It was like watching a grown man play with boys. Amazing. One of the thoughts I took away from that night was, no matter who we played from here on out, we would never face another AC, well, at least not that season. I also decided that if there was another AC out there, I wanted to be ready. I was inspired. It made me push myself harder in practice and push harder during game time.

Friday night’s game brought back some of those memories. Overall, Covenant was an excellent team and I will keep my opinions of the coaching to myself… We will suffice to say that there were many, many opinions from friends and family and while I agree with most of it, this is football. So, I am not saddened by the performance of number 7, as I think he is probably just like I was, he just wants to play football (put me in coach, I’m ready to play…), so quite the contrary, he was exciting to watch. Now this is not to say that I was not cheering and coaching our boys to put a lick on him, but once you face a player of that caliber, well, it really puts the rest of your opponents in perspective. It did for me and it is my hope that it will do the same for our Warriors.

We had an awesome week leading up to the game and then we had a terrible week leading up to the game too. Satan was very busy last week. Lot’s of things going on, battles and distractions and lots of stuff in and away from school. It was like Satan was making a big push because he knows the Lord is pouring out His blessings on our school. We received phone calls and had meetings with coaches from other schools all trying to give us information so we might beat Covenant. We even had game film. The Warrior coaching staff began to develop very high expectations for Friday’s game, especially coming off our best game yet with FCA. We also had the privilege of tapping the talents and experience of Anthony Mitchell, a retired NFL defensive back. Anthony played for the Baltimore Ravens when they won Superbowl 35. He went on to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinati Bengals. He loves working with kids and I think he really caught the Skipstone bug.

I asked Anthony to come out and help our defensive backs understand the finer points of covering the pass. He came out Tuesday, spent an hour and a half with the Warriors and then showed up Wednesday and Thursday. Then he came to the game too. He knows stuff about football. Lots of stuff. He shared his talents and knowledge with our Warriors. And we were all inspired. It was another one of those awesome God moments at Skipstone.

I was dreaming of a Facing the Giants moment. I don’t remember praying for victory, but I do remember praying for focus and strength and some other things, well maybe I prayed for victory, no I’m sure I did and I also prayed for humility. I am pretty sure I did not pray to be humbled 70 to 0. It is interesting how our Lord works on things like that, isn’t it? I prayed for humility and I received a lesson in humility, or maybe I should say, a lesson in how not to be humble. And this is the really, really significant part of my Friday night. Coach Eric and I were discussing the outcome of the game afterward and he said to me in so many words, if you are all about winning and would ever do that to another team, please tell me now so that I can walk away, because I will never be a part of such a debacle. Prayer answered. The truth is, if I ever have a moment like last Friday, on the winning side, I hope someone kicks me square in the rump. And there was another amazing side effect from this lesson, or, in reflection, it is possible that the entire lesson was not even directed at us but at some others in the crowd.

Many of our friends attend our games. They love the atmosphere and everything that is Skipstone. Two of my friends coach my younger son, Kaden, in a local recreation league. They had a game Saturday morning against an opponent that is, well, maybe a bit like our Warriors – small in numbers, new, and lacking experience. They have not won a game yet this season, as a matter of fact, they have not scored a point this season. Now my friends and I have discussed game plans and figured out what we were going to do for Saturday's game. This was an opportunity for several of the Locust Grove Cowboys to do things they do not normally get to do in a game. Run the ball, catch the ball, kick the ball and play different positions. Everyone was really looking forward to the game. And then there were my friends, these two coaches, at our game Friday night. And they started changing their game plan. It became not about our Cowboys, but about ALL the kids. What can we do so they (the other team) can have the opportunity to score a touchdown? Or complete a pass? Or run the ball? It was awesome! And I think our little Cowboys sensed what was going on and they had more fun that game than any other time in recent memory. That was little league ball at it’s best. Unfortunately, the other team did not score, but they did do much better and had some successes in the other aspects of the game.

Friday night was one of those teaching moments. What is amazing to me is how it touched people beyond our small community. That the lesson was taken beyond Skipstone, and then applied, with great success I might add. Something else I took away from Friday night was maybe the most significant revelation for me, as a coach, for the season. These young men, our Skipstone Warriors, have huge, ginormous hearts. They will not quit, no matter what the odds. We also learned that our Warriors are full of integrity. They played and acted with integrity all night, even when they had every reason not to. I don’t know if these are learned traits or not. I’m just not that smart. What I believe is that the philosophy and the Christ centered values of Skipstone builds a solid foundation for all of our students and athletes. We are so blessed to have so many young men and women and boys and girls with such important attributes.

Some might say I tend to live and breathe football more than the average person, and that may be true. I love football and I love sharing the game with kids. Coach Eric and Coach Jonathan and Coach Eric E., they are all the same way. And when you work with the players day in and day out, grinding on the fundamentals and techniques and all the mental aspects of the sport and then, one of them has that moment, when it all clicks and the light comes on and you can see it in his eyes, and then he executes perfectly, well, it is absolutely awesome. And we have had a bunch of those moments this year. The really amazing thing about Skipstone is we are allowed to go even further with the teaching. Because we are committed 100% to the Skipstone ministry.

The athletic program at Skipstone is really an extension of the Skipstone ministry. It is an opportunity to spend more time talking and learning about our Lord and Savior. Friday night is a perfect example. There are lessons there. And at Skipstone, we get to talk about them and learn to apply them to life. Athletics provides tons of opportunities to teach about life and Jesus Christ. And for the Warrior coaching staff, our focus is to teach our players to be Christ like, not just on Friday nights, but all day, every day.

We have two games left this season. One more home game this Friday. I believe both are winnable games for us, but then I believe that all our games are winnable. We have the best fans on the planet and I hope that all of you just keep being you. Loving and encouraging and down right crazy about our Warriors. I am amazed every week at your support. Thank you for that. And I cannot say enough about the Skipstone administration. We are so fortunate. So, look out Cross Pointe. The Warriors are coming!

Fight on,

Coach Cupp

Warriors vs. FCA - First Homecoming Ever

What an awesome night! It was the first homecoming ever for the Skipstone Warriors and it rocked the house! I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but man, we just keep getting better. We scored in the first half! First time ever. We engineered some awesome offensive drives and really controlled the ball. The defense was phenomenal. If it weren’t for three freak plays in the beginning of the third quarter, the score would have been 15 to 14. And if the offensive coordinator had made a couple less mistakes (yep, that would be me), the outcome might have been very different. Regardless, our Warriors were terrific!

Most of our guys were back and healthy and it showed. And we were really fired up. That showed too. The statistics showed improvement as well. Tommy Couch rushed for 57 yards, one touchdown and a two point conversion. Tommy also had three receptions for another 20 yards. Dustin Barnett rushed for 33 yards and scored a touchdown on an awesome fumble recovery. He also went 8 for 12 in passing. Will Brand rushed for 38 yards and had one reception and Ty Reeves rushed for 94 yards and had another 44 yards on four receptions. The O Line was great and really controlled the line of scrimmage.

Defensively, Ty Reeves and Braxton “the Beast” Pryor had 11 tackles each. Tommy Couch had 8 tackles, Chris Siebert had 6 tackles, Will Brand had 5, Ethan Bonds and Troy “Tank” Tankersly had 4 each and Adam Gauotte had two stops.

The atmosphere was the best yet. Half time is forever burned into my memory as I walked my little girl down the field for the home coming court. I know my wife feels the same way, as she walked our oldest son, number 22 (DL) down the field too. It was great fun and it is just amazing to me how each and every week just gets better and better. The excitement is contagious and I love it. But back to football…

Our Warriors have been dedicated and working really hard and it is really making a difference. I am extremely proud of their performance and their character. I am so excited about our game next week. If we keep progressing as we have been over the coming weeks, I think our season will end very, very well.

Continuous praise and thanks to all the Skipstone volunteers, administration, families and students. You all are the best! I am humbled by your dedication and support. Thank you for all you do, for without you, none of this would be possible. And I thank the Lord daily for this opportunity. I am so blessed to be a part of this amazing place.

With Warrior love,

Coach Cupp

The Very First Warrior Home Game Ever

The first ever home game for our Skipstone Warriors is in the books and it was spectacular. Our sincerest thanks to Chip and Shondi Moody, Dr. Napier, Randy Freeman, Coach Eric and Coach Jonathan, the Warrior Athletics Booster Club, and the fans and families of Skipstone. The atmosphere was electric and the hard work and dedication of all those involved is simply AMAZING. You all are the heart ans soul of our Warrior Football team.

Huge thanks to our Warrior neighbor, Leonard Hatcher, and our very own John “the Turf Whisperer” Blaine for all their hard work and dedication to making our facility absolutely perfect for opening night. We have the greatest facility anywhere. And I might add, we have the coolest scoreboard anywhere (another Chip Moody masterpiece). Everything was simply perfect… well, except that we lost, but our Warriors played their hearts out and left everything on the field this week.

Our thanks to Heritage Christian for being such a class act. Great sportsmanship, solid team and a bright future. Wonderful coaching staff too. At half time, Skipstone organized a game of bombs away. It was great fun and all involved had a real big time. I cannot wait to see what happens next week!

As far as the game goes, our Warriors played even better than last week. Our boys keep learning and just keep getting better and better! We had more stellar performances. There were several first downs and more than 170 yards rushing, spread evenly across our four guys that carried the ball. We averaged about 4.5 yards per carry. That’s awesome! No completed passes this week, which is one of the things we will be focusing on in the coming weeks. Tommy Couch scored our only touchdown – but it was a fantastic run - fourth and goal, from about 9 yards – Ty Reeves lead the way, making two, that’s right, TWO critical blocks to get #24 in the end zone. That was followed by Dustin Barnett scoring Skipstone’s first ever two point conversion! It was a tremendous run, as it looked like Dustin was going to be sacked in the backfield, but he broke loose, sensing the end zone, he jumped from about 2 yards out to cross the goal line. Great job!

Defensively, our Warriors held Heritage scoreless in the second half. We had two players with 9 tackles (Braxton “the Beast” Pryor and Ty Reeves – terrific performances). Tommy Couch and Troy “Tank” Tankersley had six tackles each, two others with four, another with three – amazingly, every single Warrior had at least one tackle for the night! That is just phenomenal! Everybody played and EVERYBODY contributed! Tommy C. had an interception, which also set up our TD. It was a great effort – Tommy was tracking the receiver and put himself in great position and just when the very well thrown pass looked like it was going to hit the receiver in the hands, Tommy accelerated and reached out and snatched it away – it was a perfect pick and I had the best seat in the house! After he gathered it in, he sprinted 50 plus yards down the sideline. It was the best play of the night… The second best play included me doing my Joe Paterno impression…. A Heritage running back was trying to round the corner and our middle linebacker (#70 – Ty Reeves) had a bead on him. I had the best seat once again and just could not pull myself away from the play… no way was I going to miss this hit!… and Ty dropped the hammer on this guy and, well there were body parts flying everywhere, most of which were mine… it was AWESOME!!! I got leveled… clipboard flying… and I was cheering the whole time. Warrior defense, you held your opponents scoreless in the second half – way to go!!

Another notable performance came from Ethan Bonds. Ethan filled in for injured center Chris Seibert. Ethan has never played center before and he learned how to snap a ball this week. He did it all, including shotgun and long snaps. His performance was nearly flawless and inspiring and I am so proud.

We do have some bad news. We lost a Warrior Friday night. Josh Kilcrease hurt his leg late in the game, but he hung with us until the end. Mr. And Mrs. K. took him to the hospital after the game and x-rays showed a broken Fibula. Josh goes to the doctor Monday to see if he will need surgery, so please, please keep Josh and his wonderful family in your prayers and let’s all pray for a speedy recovery. Josh has shown tremendous progress. His dedication and work ethic have been inspirational and he has been an exceptional example for his team mates. We are with you Josh, so keep the Faith. And on that note, Kyle Cupp is heading back to the doctor Monday too. Seeing a surgeon to discuss options for his knee. Please keep him in your prayers. We will keep you posted.

Next week is Homecoming. We will be playing Faith Christian and it will be another exciting game. So, plan on coming out and cheering on the Warriors next Friday. Kick off is at 7:30.

Needless to say, once again I am overflowing with pride and joy for these young men. We made some mistakes early on in the game, but our Warriors battled back, kept fighting and kept pouring their hearts out on the field. These Warriors will not quit. They are truly coming together as a unit… and when they get there, lookout! So Warriors, heal your wounds and sharpen your minds, for our next battle is just a few days away.

Once again, thanks to my most beautiful and amazing wife. You are my rock. I love you.

Coach

My helmet will produce Warriors
Psalm 60. 7