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The CAL girls’ varsity soccer team won the Male Bulldog Cup this past week with resounding victories over Mercy, Central Hardin and Male! Kenzie Dannelly, Erin Scheiter and Molly Andres were named to the all-tournament team.

CAL 1 Mercy 0
Senior co-captain Annie Beanblossom, back in the lineup following an injury week off, led the CAL girls to another great team defensive effort along with Sophie Schulz, Corinne Warlick, Laura English and goalie Molly Andres to record their third shutout this season in Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over rival Mercy. Nifty and nimble Megan Mintman and Erin Scheiter deftly handled the ball through the middle to initiate numerous scoring opportunities and Megan capped her performance by stuffing in a rebound off Faith Shepherd’s shot at 29:10 in the second half for the game’s only goal. CAL dominated ball control for most of the game and outshot Mercy by a wide margin with great shots by Haleigh Fortuna, Kenzie Dannelly, Megan, Erin Scheiter and several other CAL players. The girls played very hard all night and their work rate and effort was fantastic.

CAL 2 Central Hardin 1
Senior co-captain Kenzie Dannelly sparked CAL to their second victory of the week in the Male Bulldog Cup, a 2-1 win over Central Hardin, and a berth in Saturday’s Cup Championship game. The first half was mostly back and forth with neither side gaining advantage until Dana Joss hit a hard strike off the left post at 9:30. Kenzie hit the same post at 2:30, but the half ended 0-0. CAL came out strong in the second half with numerous excellent shots on goal in the first five minutes, including a free kick by Annie Beanblossom, a chance by Haleigh Fortuna and a sharp strike by Kenzie. Finally, at 30:18 left in the game Kenzie collected a long pass, dribbled around a defender and then smoked a shot screaming past the CH goalie into the net for a 1-0 CAL lead. Central Hardin responded swiftly, knotting the score at 1-1 just one minute later off a corner. At 26:08, Kenzie lofted a long, beautiful diagonal ball to a streaking Dana Joss on the right side who broke free of the goalie, spun back and chipped the ball into goal. CAL 2-1!!! The next 26 minutes displayed an intense defensive struggle in which CAL’s back line turned away every CH attempt. On to Saturday’s championship game!

CAL 3 Male 1 ; A Tale of Two Half’s
Our CAL girls’ team started the first half on a high following the previous night’s homecoming football game victory. But, Male slipped through for a surprising goal at 25:15 to take a 1-0 lead. The team slumped a bit after falling behind, and the first half ended at Male 1 CAL 0.
Whatever Coach Zutt told them at half-time worked well! CAL came out with tremendous zip and energy to start the second 40 minutes. Just four minutes in, at 36:08, Haleigh Fortuna cruised down the right side and hammered a shot home to level the score at 1-1! Erin Scheiter dominated the middle with power and force and kept advancing ball after ball with strong kicks. Megan Mintman played tough in the middle and even a few minutes at forward. Then, at 17:40 Kenzie Dannelly broke free on the left side, dribbling more than half the field before unleashing a screaming shot past the goalie for a CAL 2-1 lead that was never relinquished. Everyone got in the act during this game. Abby Benge played solid in the back line in relief of Corinne Warlick who played her normal tough and error-free game. Seniors Annie Beanblossom and Sophie Schulz and Sophomore Laura English stood firm in the face of Male second-half counterattacks, turning away all runs. Outside midfielders Faith Shepherd, Dana Joss along with Olivia Ashby and Nicole Athanasakes maintained forward pressure on Male’s defense all day, while ably falling back to help defend with the back line. Cassidy Bennett and Sara Quinton provided plenty of quality plays to cheer in the second half. To top off the victory Liana Forwith flicked a perfect header forward to Haleigh who broke free with her second goal of the day to make it 3-1 CAL! 

Coach Zutt commented that he encouraged the girls at the half to keep playing hard, because there were “still 40 minutes to go” and that “things will break our way”. Boy, was he right. “I’m very proud of what the girls accomplished as a team this week” said Coach Zutt. With the win, CAL improved their record to 7-3-1 on the year.
There is little time to celebrate the Bulldog Cup victory. Monday night, CAL plays last year’s Regional Champion, Assumption, at CAL. Game time is 7:30 pm. It will be a fantastic game and evening of soccer so come out and cheer on the girls!!

The Centurions joined the caravan of UL and UK football fans on Friday night and Saturday morning to play in the Thoroughbred Smash Tournament in Lexington. Over two days, it was a clean sweep with CAL winning five matches in two sets each. Wins included Rowan County, Johnson Central, West Jessamine, and Hardin Central (coming from 7 behind in set 2). Finally, CAL was raring to go in the championship match against Lexington Catholic, winning set one, 25-8! CAL went on to win set two and the championship trophy, 25-21. A great end to a 7 and 0 match week!

We need fan support for Thursday night’s game against Eastern. This will be one of the most important and toughest matches of the season. Come Out & Support CAL Volleyball!!!

The CAL boys golf team  hosted the Battle of the Bluegrass golf tournament on Saturday and had an exceptional day for golf. The tournament was a major success with over 95 young men battling it out for the win. 

The tournament was held at Cardinal Club in Shelbyville, KY and the course was in spectacular condition and yielded some very good scores.  Brendon Doyle from St. Xavier was the overall individual medalist of the tournament shooting a (-3) 69.  Second place went to Spencer Reed from Ballard with a score of (-2) 70.  The St. Xavier Tigers won the overall event with a team score of  (-1) 287.  Our Christian Academy team came in a respectable eighth place.

Thank you to all of our sponsors for their support a great event!

In what could be considered a light week of golf action, the competition that faced the CAL Girls Varsity Golf team couldn’t be taken lightly…with big regional match-ups against perennial foe Sacred Heart and Martha Layne Collins H.S. (Shelbyville).

In the end, the Lady Centurions added two more important match victories to their total and continue to improve as we enter the second half of the season and a push toward regionals. On Tuesday, the CAL lineup of Sarah Son (Jr), Abby Stivers (Jr), Carly Clements(Jr), Delaney Wilson (Fr) and Emily Neat (So) were fired up to take on Sacred Heart Academy at Vettiner Golf Course on a hot and steamy afternoon. The Valkyries seem to win every tournament they enter, but on this day, their biggest mistake was not bringing their best team to the match, possibly overlooking the team that they’re used to getting the better of. Junior Sarah Son continued her hot streak with another fantastic 39 and was backed up by a strong 43 by fellow junior Abby Stivers and a 46 by Carly Clements. Freshman Delaney Wilson also turned in one of her best nines of the season and helped secure the 178-185 victory over Sacred Heart.

On Thursday, we travelled to Shelbyville to take on Collins at Shelbyville Country Club on yet another blistering afternoon. The team played well at times, yet struggled on a very unfamiliar course with trouble lurking around every bend and hill. Again we were led by junior Sarah Son and a repeat 39 as she continues to ride a hot streak. Junior Carly Clements posted an all-important 45 that was key to the 195-200 victory over Collins. Abby Stivers rebounded from a rough start to finish 1-over par over the last 3 holes thanks to a chip-in birdie on hole #8. Delaney Wilson and Emily Neat played strong supporting roles and continued to work hard toward a strong showing at regionals next month. Junior McKenzie Robinson also saw her first on-course action of the year.

A short school week this week will be used for skills practice and a practice round at Henry County Country Club, the site of this years regional tourney. On Thursday, the Lady Centurions will take on Oldham County at Long Run.

When Gideon was overmatched by the Midianites 135,000 to 32,000, he sought direction from God who reduced his army to 300. God won the victory over the Midianites, bringing glory to himself through the courage of those men willing to do battle with a united heart in God. The Israelite victory shocked the world.

When the CAL football team faced the largest school in the state of Kentucky, Coach LeFors reminded the team that they play for God, not for man; and each team is allowed only 11 men on the field for each play. With that confidence, Chad Lewellyn, Nate Smith, Rider Sparrow and Zach “Bonecrusher” Page marched to the center of the field to meet the opposition for the coin toss. The Centurion representation deferred the advantage of having the ball first to give Eastern every opportunity in the battle.

Nathan Bader kicked the ball to the Eagles, leading CAL into battle. After an initial bulge of 18 yards, the Eagles offense stalled upon the fearsome front four of Page, Jake Paulson, Michael Lagestee and Jed Clay. The secondary flank of Sparrow, Lewellyn, Smith, Zac Passafiume, and Bill Jessee protected the end zone from an aerial attack.

After the Eastern stall, Nathan Christmas brought the Centurions on the field to take ground from the opponent. Christmas went 5 for 5 for 56 yards and a touchdown on the first CAL drive of the game. After catching the touchdown, Passafiume snuck into the end zone to receive the pass from Tanner Young for a 2-point conversion while the rest of the field was looking for a kick to put CAL up 8-0.

The defense continued the shutdown of the Eagles offense which failed to move the ball more than a few yards. Sparrow proved mightier than the Eagles, with 8 solo tackles and 2 assists for the game. Jessee added some tough hits on drive diminishing tackles when Eastern tried to run outside the tackles. Smith, Lewellyn and Passafiume all collected interceptions. Chuck Williams recovered a fumble for a total of 4 turnovers in the game for the CAL defense as they also held Eastern to less than 100-yards rushing for the game.

While Eastern sputtered, the CAL offense thrived. Christmas completed his first 9 passes with 3 going to Cody Davis on pivotal third and fourth down conversions. Lewellyn collected 54 yards receiving and game’s second touchdown, which put the Centurions ahead 15-0 after a successful Bader PAT. Eastern managed a touchdown late in the second quarter to move within striking distance at 15-7 at the half.

Peyton Griffee, Blake Catron, Evan Wilson, Lagestee and Clay then laid the foundation for the highway of Payne–Nick Payne. Payne broke out with a 43-yard touchdown run, putting CAL ahead by two scores. With the momentum, the CAL defense quickly returned the ball to the offense. Payne took the ball into the end zone again pushing the score to 29-7. That momentum sprung from Bader’s foot as he sent two kick-off’s into the end zone for touchbacks. After a touchdown reception from the Eagles, Payne finished off the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown run.

With the final minutes ticking away, Eastern moved inside the 5-yard line against the battle and weather fatigued Centurion troops. In an effort of heart since the game had been decided, the defense stood strong for four last gasps to keep the ball out of the end zone and preserve the final score: 36-19. With the heart and courage of David, Gideon, Joshua–with the heart and Spirit of Christ, CAL football achieved victory against a 6A football opponent for the first time in school history, shocking the Eagles and the Louisville football community–but no surprise to the Centurion nation.

GO CAL!

Football began the 2013 season at home, playing Lexington Christian for the Asbury Trophy. In a matchup that has been decided in the final minutes each of the last two years, this year’s game was dominated by the Centurion thunder on the defensive line and the lightning from the secondary.

Zach “Bonecrusher” Page led the stonewall in the middle, flanked by new faces freshmen Jake Paulson and and Michael Lagestee. Chad Lewellyn and Zac Passafiume cleaned up the edges garnering the tackles. The Eagles went three and out on their first three possessions, gaining only 15 total yards on the ground.

After trading possession of the football a few times, CAL opened up the scoring on a beautiful 38-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Christmas to Chad Lewellyn. Christmas sent the ball to the middle of the end zone as Lewellyn was turning to make his break. CAL celebrated the perfect timing of the play with a perfect PAT through the uprights from Nathan Bader for a 7-0 lead.

The defense returned to the field with electricity in the secondary. LCA went to the air for only the second time of the game, and Nate Smith went to the ball and took it from the sky and ran it back to the end zone. Suddenly, the LCA bench sat back shocked from the sudden 14-0 deficit.

Bader added a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter for 17 CAL first half points. LCA mustered a defensive touchdown and a rushing touchdown to bring the score to 17-13 at the half, but the second half belonged to the Centurions.

Lewellyn struck the Eagles’ heart with an interception on the first play of the second half. Both defenses battled hard, producing a scoreless third quarter for the offenses. CAL extended the lead, though, with a Passafiume interception returned to the end zone. Early in the fourth, the CAL offense put another stamp on the dominance with a 6-yard touchdown run behind an offensive line led by seniors Peyton Griffee and Blake Catron. Payne earned a second six-pointer on a 5-yard touchdown run later in the quarter to finish the scoring at 38-13.

The CAL defense and special teams extended last year’s momentum of being the toughest in the division not just by stopping the opponent, but by outscoring them as well 14-13. Rider Sparrow, Passafiume and Paulson each recorded 6 tackles, while Bill Jessee and Page recorded 5 apiece. Trevor Dwyer recorded 4 tackles, hovering around the point of impact on special teams return plays.

The CAL offense also found some momentum with a well-conditioned line that wore the Eagles down, providing a total of 136 yards, with a heavy load gained by Christmas and Payne. Lewellyn has proven to be a player to be feared with his 52-yard punt return, 206 multipurpose yards, and interception.

Some other Eagles are coming to Centurion stadium this week–the Eastern Eagles. Be there in time for this 7:30 kickoff. A minute of this CAL team’s play is not worth missing. GO CAL!!!

“I have been really impressed by how hard these ladies work during practice. They get along both on and off the court which makes for a fun, focused team working toward one goal – to win” says Coach Patty Ernst, and win they have in pre-season play. 

After daily two-a-day practices and conditioning since mid-July, the team headed off to Lexington to play in the Blue Grass Games, August 3-5. Over three days of play, they won eight of nine matches. The team was able to overcome: E-Town, Clark County, University High, Hopkinsville, Scott High, Betsy Layne, Boone County, and last year’s tournament runner-up, Henry Clay. The team only dropped one match all weekend to Oldham County HS. In the end, the Centurions won the gold medal in Flight 2. Since then, the team has also showed their stuff in successful scrimmages against E-Town and Whitefield.

The 14 hard-working girls of this year’s team are: four Seniors, Kendall Bloomquist, Alisha Mitchell, and Alissa Turner; Connor Cook, Team Manager; three Juniors, Erica Heetderks, Juliann Parrish, and Rachel Amin; a half-dozen Sophomores, Caroline Rassenfoss, Kasey Wilmsmeyer, Abby Davis, Katie Amin, Hadley Trenaman, and Jill Von Hoven; and one Freshman, Lindsey Bray.

Coach Patty Ernst is in her fifth year at CAL and her second year as Head Coach. She is also the Director of Volleyball Operations at MidAmerica Sports Club.

The official season starts this week Come see the team play at Male on Monday night and, in what’s sure to be a really tough match, at home against nationally-ranked Mercy on Tuesday night.

On Tuesday night, the CAL softball team, along with parents, faculty, and students held a softball lights celebration/reunion game. The “Softball Lights Campaign” has been five years in the making. It is through families and players giving of their time with numerous fundraisers, including the softball annual trivia/game night and pancake breakfast, along with several donations, that made Tuesday night’s celebration truly unforgettable.

In December, an anonymous donor generously offered to match donations up to $15,000. This spring, another donation was received to complete the campaign and the softball lights were installed late June.

“Tonight was a once in a lifetime experience to have the past and the present come together for fellowship, and to celebrate the lights for the softball field. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and playing in the rain was awesome. I would like to thank all of the people who came together to make this happen. It was a long time coming,” said head softball coach, Kyle Mullin.

“We are so excited about the softball light’s project coming to fruition. We want to thank our current players, parents, families, and alumni for their hard work and financial commitment, said Director of Athletics, Darin Long. The addition of the lights will give CAL players more flexibility in building their skills and growing the program. As an athletic department and school, we are very excited tonight!”

The new softball lights will now allow CAL to host doubleheaders and tournaments as well as bring more teams to the English Station campus.