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Caroline Bonnecaze, Bay Area Christian
RUNNIN' WITH BONNECAZE: BACS Sophomore Experiencing Ultra Success Early
As Caroline Bonnecaze stepped up to the starting line at The Woodlands Christian Invitational on August 25, 2018, the then seventh grader didn't know what to expect.
Or, even what time to shoot for.
Bonnecaze just ran.
Her times got better and better as the season went on. Eventually on October 18, 2018, she took second place at the GHAC XC Championships for middle school.
“I think placing like I did really boosted my confidence especially for the years following,” Bonnecaze said. “It still drives me to compete harder at meets. Doing so well convinced me to keep doing cross country and I’m so glad I have.”
As she transitioned to the high school level in 2020 as a freshman at Bay Area Christian School, Bonnecaze continued to drop her time and kept finding the podium.
In October of 2020, Bonnecaze ran a thenpersonal best of 12:25.40 at the TAPPS 4A District 4 & 5 Championship to take home the district crown. She then advanced to the TAPPS State Championships, where she finished fifth overall.
Last spring, Bonnecaze took her success from the cross-country course to the oval. She advanced to the TAPPS Track & Field State Championships in all three distance races – the 800-meter, 1600-meter and 3200-meter. There, she ran personal bests in all three events.
Bonnecaze finished third in the 800-meter (2:25.55), fourth in the 1600-meter (5:37.77) and fifth in the 3200-meter (12:55.17) as a freshman.
“My success has been very rewarding,” Bonnecaze said. “It’s fulfilling to see your hard work pay off and see my times drop. Although I have good races, there are always races I don’t do as well in. Even though it’s disappointing to have a bad race, it keeps me motivated at practice to do better than the last time. I try to work on keeping a consistent workout schedule, so I don’t lose progress. Endurance is also something I constantly keep working on.”
Being this good at a sport which can take two to five to 12 minutes to finish a race, comes down to feeling and instincts for Bonnecaze.
While running, the sophomore thinks about things like “how far have I gone, how many more laps, what place am I in, if I need to pass people, if my pace is too fast or too slow, and how water will taste so good after I finish”. Even, what meal she will get after the meet is over.
With so many races under her belt, Bonnecaze admits she knows when it is time for that final kick to the finish.
“By the last 100 meters of a race I’m typically sprinting and the adrenaline takes over,” she said.
This year as a sophomore for BACS, Bonnecaze advanced to the TAPPS Cross Country State Championships for a second-straight year and finished 10th overall. This spring, Bonnecaze continues to run her distance races but has also added the long jump, reaching 14-feet7.5-inches in March as a personal best.
“This year I wanted to try something new, and I’ve never participated in a field event before,” Bonnecaze said. “Long jump has been unlike anything I’ve competed in, which I think helps me appreciate the other events more. I’ve enjoyed getting to start fresh at something and gain new skills. I’ve been working on the different parts of the jump and trying to get more height.”
So, could we see Bonnecaze running at the next level one day?
“Running in college hasn’t been my main goal, however, if the right opportunity arose, I’d consider the possibility,” she said.
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Titus Grumbles, BACS Wrestling
WINTER WARNING: Bay Area Christian Stars Were Ready for a Big Winter Season
BAY AREA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL WRESTLERS, SWIMMERS, SOCCER AND HOOPS STARS WERE READY FOR A BIG WINTER SEASON. AND DID THEY DELIVER! CHECK OUT THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COLD ZONE OF WINTER SPORTS.
Boys Basketball
[Back Row]: Bryson Garrison, JJ Greagrey, Dakota Rodgers, Jude Hebert and Austin Ariens; [Front Row]: Neal Cummings, Andrew Boyd and Josh Tidwell
Bay Area Christian School garnered wins against Briarwood, Holy Trinity Catholic, Legacy Prep and Cristo Ray Jesuit in non-district play in the 2021-2022 campaign. The Broncos came up short for a win in district play though, keeping them out of the postseason picture.
Neal Cummings earned first-team, all-district honors, while Dakota Rodgers and Andrew Boyd were second teamers. Wesley Barnes and Gabriel Moreno were honorable-mention picks as well.
As BACS looks towards the 22-23 season, there will be big pieces to replace as all their all-district picks were seniors.
Girls Basketball
[Back Row]: Lauren Yetter, Jenna Jones, Preston Walker, Jillian Price and Madison Sewell; [Front Row]: Jordan Tisnado, Gracie Rambin, Elle Underwood, Anna Sewell and Alyson Griffith
Bay Area Christian School not only got into the 2022 playoffs, but garnered a win once there.
The Broncos defeated Holy Cross of San Antonio 38-31 in the Bi-District round to punch their ticket to the Area Round. There, they fell short to Lutheran High School ending their season.
BACS was led by sophomore Gracie Rambin and senior Madison Sewell, who were both honorable mention, all-state selections. That duo also made first-team, all-district along with junior Jenna Jones.
Sophomore Jordan Tisnado and juniors Elle Underwood and Alyson Griffith were named second-team, all-district honorees. Senior Anna Sewell and freshmen Jillian Price and Lauren Yetter were honorable mention, all-district picks.
This team will have some experience back for the 2022-23 season as seven of the nine all-district picks are set to return.
Boys Soccer
[Back Row]: John Russo, David Boyd, Ethan Gould and Tyson Fenier; [Front Row]: Knox Nave, Treyton Showen, and Corban Whittington
Bay Area Christian School got into the 2022 playoffs and defeated The Atonement Academy 4-3 to advance to the Area Round. Once there, BACS fell short to Our Lady of the Hills, bringing an end to their season.
Once the season was concluded, the awards poured in.
Sophomore Corban Whittington was named first-team, all-district as a defender and sophomore Gavin Galindo as a goalkeeper. Second teamers included junior Knox Nave on offense, senior Trey Showen in the midfield and junior David Boyd as a defender.
Honorable-mention selections included sophomore Ethan Rasmussen on offense, junior John Russo and freshman Diego Rivera on defense and sophomore Benjamin Ahmed-Zaid at goalkeeper.
Girls Soccer
2021-2022 Bay Area Christian School Girls Soccer Team
The Broncos girls soccer squad had a nice season on the pitch in 2022.
In the playoffs, they earned a first-round bye and then defeated The Atonement Academy 3-0 in the Area Round to advance to the Regional Championship. Once there, they fell short to Cypress Christian School.
The squad was led by honorable mention, all-state selections – senior Annelise Shaw on offense and freshman Eden Haynes on defense.
Shaw and Haynes also earned first-team, all-district honors along with senior Madeline Ryan for her play in the midfield. Second-team picks included junior Piper Ashley on offense, senior Sabrina Bowers on defense and sophomore Sophia Grimm back in goal.
Honorable-mention picks included senior Milla Martinez on offense, and sophomores Samantha Stanley and Kennedy Pratt in the midfield.
Swimming
[Standing]: Abigail Hilliard, Ayden Hilliard, Jake Fincher, Robert Farland, Maddigan Staples and Kade Curley; [Sitting]: Clayton Yetter, Pauline Alberto, Aidan Curley, Campbell Bradley, Raymond Farland
It was a fruitful year in the pool for the Broncos. The boys swim team finished as the TAPPS Division III State Runner-Ups with 185.5 points, while the girls came in ninth with 87 points.
In the relays, the boys 400-yard freestyle took first place with a time of 3:43.86 (New School Record) and finished second in the 200-yard freestyle touching the wall at 1:40.52 (New School Record). Individually, freshman Ayden Hilliard had a solid high school debut. Ayden took fourth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:13.19 - New School Record) and fifth in the 100- yard breaststroke (1:09.44 - New School Record).
Sophomore Robert Farland took fifth in the 500-yard freestyle (5:51.43 - New School Record), while junior Aidan Curley took sixth (6:01.14). Robert also took eighth in the 50-yard freestyle (24.40). Freshman Raymond Farland placed eighth in the 100-yard butterfly (1:01.72) and 10th in the 200-yard freestyle (2:00.05).
For the girls, junior Abby Hilliard took sixth in the 100- yard breaststroke (1:19.60). The girls’ relay teams took sixth in the 200-yard medley relay (2:27.01), eighth in the 200-yard freestyle (2:08.23) and sixth in the 400-yard freestyle relay (4:57.05).
Wrestling
[Back Row]: Rylan Dee, Titus Grumbles, Kade Sink and Landon Hall; [Front Row]: Noah Pike, Matthew Anderson and Elliott Jones
Bay Area Christian School had a pair of wrestlers battle it out for TAPPS State Championships.
Titus Grumbles brought home the 195-pound State Championship defeating Trace Langin of St. Thomas with a pin at the 3:40 mark. Grumbles finished the season 21-4 overall.
In the 220-pound weight class, Kade Sink brought home the State Runner-Up medal. Sink fell in the State Title Match and finished his year with a 15-5 record.
Grumbles and Sink went on to take second and third, respectively, at Prep State as well.