One Storm, Many Teams

Our varsity athletes received the star treatment at our ESPY-like awards show - The Squallys - on Friday, May 19th. This event honors our players and teams for their achievements this year. And what a year it has been for Storm athletics, with many records broken and two state championship appearances.

Here are this year's winners...
- Athletic Trainer Of The Year: Corinne Benefield
- Spirit Of The Storm Award: Alex Fisher and Austin Cembor
- Bailey Moody Courage Award: Memphis Fitzgerald
- Comeback Of The Year: Baseball
- Male Breakthrough Athlete: Jon Burton
- Female Breakthrough Athlete: Ella Style
- Most Memorable Performance: Vincent Maraschiello
- Female Rookie Of The Year: Clara Allen
- Male Rookie Of The Year: Santos Wade
- Best Upset: Boys Basketball
- Record-Breaking Performance: Boys Swim 200 Medley Relay
- Outstanding Female Athlete: Ellison Chadwick
- Outstanding Male Athlete: Sam Thacker
- Program Of The Year: Softball
- Coach Of The Year: Joey Thacker
- Team Of The Year: Boys Basketball

#GoStorm

Did you miss it? You can watch the entire event online here.

Providence Christian Academy is thrilled to announce the hiring of the new head coach of the Storm football program, Coach John Russ.

Coach Russ comes to Providence most recently from Tattnall Square Academy in Macon, Georgia, where he served as associate head coach. Prior to that, he coached at Mercer University. He also has experience coaching at Georgia State University as a graduate assistant. Coach Russ is a Gwinnett native. He played high school football at Mill Creek and played collegiately at Mercer, where he served as a four-year captain.

"I am blessed and honored to become the next head coach at Providence,” said Coach Russ. “I would like to thank Joey Thacker, Sean West, Brad Williams, and IV Bray for believing in my vision for Providence. I will create a culture that will develop individuals spiritually, academically, athletically, and socially. I expect our football program to be built on trust and competitiveness. I can’t wait to get started and begin to build relationships with the staff and students at Providence."

Asked about Coach Russ coming to Providence, Drew Cronic, the head football coach at Mercer University, responded,“I want to congratulate Providence Christian on their decision to make John Russ their next football coach. I have great admiration for John as a man, leader, and coach. He did a tremendous job for Mercer University, both as a player and a coach, and I am proud for him to have this great opportunity. He is a winner in every way. I know his influence will be quickly felt by his staff, players, and the entire community."

"Providence got a good one in John Russ," Jeff Saturday, former Indianapolis Colts head coach and 14-year NFL veteran, said. "He does a tremendous job developing both kids and coaches on and off the football field. He connects to people, and they respond to him in a positive way. His level-headed approach allows him to both encourage and give correction the right way. I could not be more thrilled for John and for Providence."

Providence Christian Academy proudly announces that Sean West is the new Athletic Director.

Coach West spent the past year serving as Providence’s new Director of Sports Performance.  He oversaw the development of Storm student-athletes while managing the school’s new “Win Center” for Sports Performance. He also served as an assistant baseball coach.
 
Before coming to Providence, Coach West spent the past 14 years coaching baseball at several colleges, including Emory, Oglethorpe, UT Dallas, Denison, and San Diego Christian. He also served as the head coach for the Savannah Bananas, where in 2016, they won the Coastal Plain League Championship in their inaugural season. Coach West also represented the Pittsburgh Pirates as an infield coach within their minor league organization. Coach West has a BA in Communication from San Diego Christian and a Masters from Liberty University in Sports Management and Administration.

“We had a lot of quality candidates for this position, but Sean stood out because of his vast experience and the excellent job he did this past year working with our student-athletes,” said Brad Williams, the former Athletic Director who now serves as Providence’s Assistant Head of School for External Affairs. “We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber lead our athletic department.

“A proud member of the Providence Class of 2002 and a school parent, Coach West knows the mission and culture of our school. He loves the Lord and loves our students. He is committed to cultivating maturity in our student-athletes and leading the coaching staff to maintain a top-tier athletic program.”

Congratulations to Gracyn Miller, who signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her volleyball career at Emory and Henry College in Virginia. Gracyn made Region 5A First Team, Gwinnett County First Team, and All State Honorable Mention. She broke two school records and helped her team break 12 team records this year.

Chance Thacker signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his basketball career at Virginia Military Institute. He made Preseason First-Team All-State and 2020-21 Gwinnett County All-County. He's averaged 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists at Providence.

Congratulations to Sydney Hrehor, who signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her tennis career at Mississippi State. She is our first Power 5 signee for tennis.

Congratulations to Tony Carpio, who has signed to play basketball at the Citadel. While playing for the Providence Storm, he has averaged over 16 points and nine rebounds per game and was recently named Pre-Season First Team All-State.

Dre Booker is the Gwinnett Daily Post's Offensive Player of the Week! Dre rushed 26 times for 259 yards and a touchdown in last week's victory over Lakeview Academy. He is also the first player in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

Congratulations to Katie Perry, who won the Gwinnett Daily Post's Fans Choice Athlete of the Week! Thanks for voting Storm fans. Katie had ten strikeouts in five innings and allowed no earned runs, in addition to her two hits, including a triple, and four RBIs in a win over Tucker. She also struck out 12 in a three-hitter and had two hits against Mount Pisgah, and struck out nine and had two hits, including an RBI triple, against King's Ridge.

When the American League Division Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox starts tonight, we will be paying it a little extra special attention. The matchup will pit Providence class of 2005 graduate Collin McHugh of the Rays against class of 2015 graduate Garrett Whitlock of the Red Sox. Both guys will be in the bullpen for their respective teams, so they could make an appearance in any game in the series. Join us in wishing both guys the very best in the series!

Click here to read more in the Gwinnett Daily Post.

She won! ARae Reeves is the Gwinnett Daily Post Athlete of the Week! Thanks for voting Storm fans. This is the second week in a row that a Providence student has won the poll. ARae went 4-for-4 and hit for the cycle, including a leadoff triple in the seventh inning that led to her scoring the game-winning run, in a 6-5 win over Loganville Christian, and also had three hits, two doubles and two RBIs in a 9-6 win over North Cobb Christian. Way to go ARae!

Matthew Miller won the Gwinnett Daily Post Fan's Choice Football Player of the Week! Thanks to all our Storm fans who voted. Matthew had a school-record 14 catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns in last week's game against Athens Academy. Well deserved Matthew!

Taylor Lewis has broken the school's career ace record this week, breaking the previous record of 251 set in 2019 by Lauren Yost. Taylor, a junior, has 258 aces and counting! Way to go, Taylor!

Bailey Moody (class of '20) and Team USA won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games! Bailey and her teammates on the U.S. Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team medaled after their 64-51 win over Germany.  We are SO proud of you, Bailey!

Click here to read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about her story.

Our 2020-21 varsity volleyball team has won the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the fifth year in a row! These players maintained an average 3.69 GPA last season. The Storm is one of only 13 schools statewide. Go Storm!

The AVCA gives out this award to any high school or collegiate team with a combined average GPA of 3.30 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Jordan van den Berg ('20) was a record-breaking linebacker for the Storm. He's now committed to play for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Read more from Sports Illustrated here and the Gwinnett Daily Post here.

We're celebrating TWO state champions! Ayden Drake is the Girls A-Private State Champion in the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles! Ayden is also the High Point Total Champion and placed 3rd in the 300 meter dash. Elijah Williams is the Boys A-Private State Champion in the long jump and ranked 2nd in the triple jump!

The girls team also won third in the state! Sydney Flood won 5th in the discus and 4th in the shot put. Ellison Chadwick won 2nd in the long jump, 4th in the 100 meter, and 3rd in the 200 meter. Along with Ayden's points, these athletes lifted the team to their third-place win in the entire state.

Colin O'Leary won 4th in the 400 meter, and Devin Long won 6th in the triple jump. These are outstanding accomplishments for all these athletes. Way to go, everyone!

Congratulations to Jamie McDonnough, who signed his letter of intent to continue his basketball career at Gwynedd Mercy University in Pennsylvania.

Congratulations to senior Riley Cook, who signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his baseball career at Emmanuel College.

Providence senior Ayden Drake signed to continue her track and field career at Division I Samford University. Ayden has seven school records in track and field (300mh, 400m, 400mh, 800m, 4x100m, 4x800m, SMR). She is currently 3rd in the entire state in the 300 meter hurdles and first in Single A Private in the 300mh and the 400m.

Congratulations to Skyler Jordan, who signed to continue his football career at Alcorn State University. Skyler is the first Division 1 signee in Storm football history. He holds the school record for career and single-season touchdown receptions and career and single-season receiving yards.

Congrats to Myra Newhouse for signing to continue her soccer career at Toccoa Falls College!

Providence senior Shawn Combs signed to continue his soccer career playing for the Trinity Baptist College Eagles. Congratulations Shawn!

Name: Madelyn Levy

School: Providence Christian

Class: Senior

Favorite pro tennis player: Coco Gauff

Best tennis player in Gwinnett not on my team: Bella Tucker

Favorite playing surface: Asphalt

Song that gets me ready for a match: Any song in the genre of pop gets me pretty excited to play

Favorite teacher: I’m honored to be taught by each teacher at Providence, no favorite!

Favorite restaurant: I love Agavero, great Mexican food!

Noteworthy:

♦ Went 16-1 as a sophomore

♦ Also a key starter on the Storm’s basketball team

Coach Anne Crist’s take: “Madeline is the quintessential athlete: focused, mentally tough and highly disciplined. She is a joy to all her coaches, coming to tennis after basketball playoffs, ready to jump into another tennis season. She lost only one match in her sophomore and junior years, playing mostly at the No. 2 spot. But in addition to her athletic prowess, she is kind, exemplifies great character and is respected by teammates and coaches alike. We will be sorry to see her go, but she will be leaving a great legacy at Providence for others to emulate.”

https://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/sports/2021-gwinnett-daily-post-super-six-tennis/article_08a5d97e-c65b-5c66-a721-d48bdcf7e257.html

Our Middle School Competition Cheer Team won first place in the Sapphire division (Level 1) and overall Grand Champion of the FCC National Christian Cheerleading Championship Competition.  The competition is a 3-day event held in Orlando, Florida over New Years.  Our Elementary School Competition Team took 5th place overall. They competed against 15 other teams to claim the title.

• Naomi Woodley, 5th grader, was the National Tumble Champion
• Autumn Reece, 2nd grader, was the National Jump Champion.
• Our Head Coach, Kimberly Huff was a top 3 finalist for FCC Coach of the Year.

Our middle school girls had a total of 5 competitions this year, and they won every single one so they had a perfect, undefeated season.

Anthony Bown has signed to continue his baseball career playing for the Lincoln College Linx.

Anthony played catcher for the Storm.

Read more in the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The Gwinnett Daily Posts pays tribute to the Providence Storm seniors whose senior year was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Click here.

Jordan van den Berg who is continuing his football career at Iowa Western. He earned many accolades for his performance this season including being named the Region 8-A defensive player of the year and making the AJC all-state team.

Read more in the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Congratulations to Coach Joey Thacker for being voted Region 8-A Coach of the Year!

Congratulations to Elijah Williams on being voted Region 8-A Player of the Year!

Congratulations to sophomore Sydney Hrehor, who was named to the Gwinnett Daily Post super six for tennis! She’s being recognized as one of the preseason’s top six players in the county!

Read more here.

Jordan van den Berg has earned all-state football honors by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as one of the defensive players in Single A. Jordan had a team record 157 tackles this season.

Maymie deMayo is the Gwinnett Daily Post's Fan's Choice Winter Athlete of the Week. Maymie is sophomore member of the varsity girls basketball team. She was selected for the poll after the team's win over Strong Rock where she had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.

According to Coach Kindig, “Maymie is an incredible young woman. There are plenty of things she brings on the court, but the person that she is and the way that she plays is where her impact is truly felt. She is a culture-driver for our team and is a captain as a 10th-grader. That speaks to the way that she leads by example and the tone she sets by the effort with which she plays. She has been coming into the gym multiple times a week all season at 6:30 a.m. to get extra shots up. Quite honestly, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a player dedicate herself to her game, our team and our program the way Maymie has these last few months. She is one of our most coachable kids and the type of player that makes coaching fun.”

Thanks to everyone who voted. And congratulations Maymie!

The Gwinnett Daily Post covers the varsity boys basketball team after their 8-0 start this season, marking a new era in the Storm's basketball program.

To read more, click here.

Providence Johns Creek senior Leila Moss has signed to continue her soccer career playing for the LaGrange College Panthers.

Leila is the starting keeper for the Storm.

Read more in the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Jordan van den Berg was named the region 8-A Defensive Player of the Year.  

JJ led the region in total tackles with 157, which was good for the second-highest total in Gwinnett County.

Several other Storm football players received recognition as well.

Evan O'Leary made the first-team offense, and Chason Dickens made the first-team defense. Zach Douglas, Skyler Jordan, and Casey Luck made the second-team offense, while Sam Johnson and Griffin Pressley made the second-team defense.

Hannah Nolan has signed to continue her softball career at Georgia Southwestern University.

Hannah finishes her Providence career owning seven different school records, including single-season records in doubles, triples, and batting average, and is top 5 in three other offensive categories.

Alaina Emminger has signed to continue her volleyball career at Emmanuel College.

Alaina will graduate as the most effective hitter and strongest volleyball player Providence has ever had, breaking three school records.

Her career stats include 182 aces, 552 digs, 89 blocks, and 1,111 kills.

Varsity volleyball coach Katie Bailey celebrated a milestone of 100 wins at Providence.

In her fourth year as coach, she is now the all-time winningest volleyball coach in school history, with a total of 107 wins.

Her varsity squad broke four school records during the 2019 season. 

Providence Christian won the Silver Division title of the Gwinnett County Volleyball Championships at Parkview on Saturday.

The Storm (26-14) defeated Grayson in the championship match 25-20, 25-19, following earlier wins over Collins Hill (25-14, 25-16) and Mountain View (25-19, 30-28).

Alaina Emminger had 38 kills and 11 digs, upping her career kills total past the 1,000 mark, a first for a Providence player. The Storm also got 13 aces from Taylor Lewis and 12 digs and 38 assists from Lauren Yost.

Source: Gwinnett Prep Sports

The Providence Storm has once again won the Georgia High School Association Spirit Sportsmanship Award!

This honor is voted on by competing schools in our region. Three sports, including football, softball, and boys basketball won for their individual sports and Providence won the overall award as well.

Congrats Storm fans and athletes for reflecting our standard of fan support that cheers for our players and not against our opponents and that shows hospitality and respect toward opposing teams.