The question for sports at Hopkinsville-Christian County Academy is now the same one members of the general public have concerning the construction of the school itself. That question being “what now?”
The 2022-2023 athletic year has been planned to be the last for Hopkinsville and Christian County with the upcoming merger of the two schools. However, a possible “big wrinkle” was thrown into the plans when the construction bids for Hopkinsville-Christian County Academy came in above expectations, and not just a little bit.
The Christian County School Board rejected the bids during a recent board meeting, stalling the process for the time being. While the new facility had not been projected to be ready until fall of 2024, the merger of the two schools has been scheduled to go ahead and take place using existing facilities beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. The same was set to take place in athletics.
To date, moving on as scheduled with next year’s merger has still been the plan publicly.
From an athletic standpoint, there are some approaching dates that could require confirmation of that plan sooner rather than later. Fall sports are the first in line for some important announcements and decisions, especially as it pertains to the team sports of soccer, volleyball, and football.
With the current plan in place, when the fall seasons end this year, the tenure of those sports at Hopkinsville and Christian County will come to an end. Here is where things get “interesting” so to say.
As those seasons end, the off-season preparations for the next year will get underway. Those preparations would then be for the soccer, football, and volleyball teams at Hopkinsville-Christian County Academy. To begin those preparations there would seem to be the need for leadership in the new HCCA programs.
To proceed in getting ready for the 2023-2024 school year, coaching decisions will likely have to come fairly quickly after the conclusion of the 2022 season, so that off-season plans can be put into place. Whether that action involves coaches on staff in the district, or an outside hire, a long decision-making process could hinder the start of the programs at Hopkinsville-Christian County Academy.
Facilities are less of an issue for the fall sports in the immediate future, as there was going to have to be at least one year of using existing facilities. Soccer can continue to play at the Stadium of Champions complex. Volleyball can play either at the current Hopkinsville gym or the Christian County Gym. The plan is for Wolfpack football to make its home at the Stadium of Champions.
With facilities not an issue, the coaching decisions would seem to be the first big items on the table. And, with the “final season” of athletics for Hopkinsville and Christian County getting underway, the clock is now officially ticking on those actions.
Which brings us back to the question, “what now?”
