Painted on a gymnasium wall at Stillwater Christian School, adjacent to a row of banners commemorating the athletic program’s 42 state championships, a biblical passage from Corinthians reminds athletes what they’re playing for.
It reads: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” Athletic Director Mark Pond, before he exits the gym, makes sure to point the passage out.
“That’s one thing we really strive for here,” Pond says. “A big part of the program is to promote character and Christian values.”
Stillwater Christian School is celebrating its 30-year anniversary. In those three decades, the high school has built a reputation as one of the most dominant athletic powers in the Montana Christian Athletic Association (MCAA). The gym itself is an apt reflection of how far the school’s athletics have come.
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Stillwater Christian School’s Trevor Holladay, left, jostles for position with Polson’s Caden von Wildenradt during the Cougars meeting with the Pirates in Kalispell. |
“When I was here,” Pond, who graduated from the high school in 1992, said, “the gym had a concrete floor with tile. I’m amazed my knees still work.”
In recent years, Stillwater has expanded its schedule to include a formidable lineup of bigger public schools, signaling a new era of competitive interplay for the small Christian school. So far, the Cougars have fared well. The volleyball team, for example, is 20-0 this season with victories over Class A Whitefish and Columbia Falls.
The average enrollment of those schools is more than 600. Stillwater has fewer than 90 high school students, and nearly 70 are involved in athletics. There are 28 boys out for soccer, which Pond said is comparable to some Class AA programs, the largest class for Montana public schools. Not having football in the fall, Pond said, significantly boosts soccer numbers.
Furthermore, nearly every student is also involved in band or choir, or both.
“I see the bulk of our kids performing in band and choir and performing at a very high level, I believe,” Pond said. “And most of them are in sports. I don’t think you see that at most schools.”
Stillwater has traditionally offered boys soccer and girls volleyball in the fall, and boys and girls basketball in the winter. Last fall, it brought back girls soccer, coinciding with schedule expansions in the other sports.
The volleyball team now plays seven varsity opponents from Class B, three from Class A and one from Class C. Dave Shawback, head volleyball coach, said as his program achieves more success, larger public schools are more willing to schedule matches against Stillwater, because “they can see an advantage to playing us.”
In turn, this strengthens Shawback’s program because it offers the opportunity to face a high level of competition. The Cougars’ undefeated record proves they can handle the bigger schools.
“We have quality athletes and students,” Shawback said. “They work really hard and have really good discipline in the classroom and in sports.”
“I don’t think it has a lot to do with how many kids a school has,” he added. “I think it’s what the athletes are doing with their talents that’s the most important thing.”
Also in recent years, Stillwater has implemented track and golf programs, though neither sport is officially sanctioned by the MCAA. Golf, thus far, has consisted of inter-squad club play, though Pond is trying to get the team in some meets against other schools.
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Varsity boys soccer coach Timothy Anderson meets with his players near the northern goal before taking on Polson at Stillwater Christian School. |
Pond also hopes to get the track athletes involved in competitions against other schools but, similar to scheduling efforts in other sports, there are inherent difficulties and occasionally impossibilities because of Stillwater’s inclusion in the MCAA. Stillwater isn’t a member of the Montana High School Association (MHSA), which has its own set of rules.
For example, an MCAA school is not allowed to participate in an MHSA competition with multiple schools, Pond said, which essentially bars Stillwater from track meets because they generally have more than two teams. But scheduling, say, a volleyball match against Columbia Falls is feasible as long as both schools want to do it.
Even that dynamic is fragile, though. If the MHSA alters league requirements or realigns its conferences, a non-member school like Stillwater may get bumped off the schedule, Pond said.
“It’s year to year,” Pond said. “It’s kind of precarious for us.”
In 1985-86, the girls basketball team won the MCAA state title, the first in the school’s history. Since then, the girls have won seven more basketball titles, the boys have won eight, the volleyball team has won 10 and boys soccer has won 16, including the last seven.
A number of Stillwater’s athletes go on to play in college, often at small Christian schools. Zach Smith is playing soccer at Gonzaga University. Smith comes from a long line of quality boys soccer players under coach Tim Anderson. Meanwhile, the girls, in their second year, are making rapid strides.
“Last year, eighth graders were 50 percent of our team,” head coach J.R. Hemp said. “This year, we have a complete high school team. So that’s a big movement forward.”
Since Stillwater is not publicly funded, athletic programs make due with the resources that are available. Pond said the school provides playing facilities and buses, but teams are responsible for gas, which he called “kind of a struggle.”
“At (a Class AA school), one coach gets paid what I pay a whole staff,” Pond said. “Actually, I would say less, probably half. It’s definitely a big sacrifice for the coaches.”
Pond is clearly and rightfully proud of his athletic program, and he points to the expanded public-school schedule as an indication of Stillwater’s elevated standing in Montana athletics.
“We’ve been blessed,” Pond said.