Students participate in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes basketball tournament in the Clarke Central High School Competition Gym on April 1, 2016. The tournament has been an FCA tradition since 2008 and has provided opportunities for community building. “Events like these are important because it gives students an opportunity to connect and have fun,” two-year CCHS FCA basketball tournament participant Jerithy Mejia, a junior, said. “(The event will) bring people closer and create a positive environment. It also gives students something fun to be a part of, and it’ll help people build stronger connections with the people around them.” Photo by Julie Alpaugh
The CCHS FCA will host its annual basketball tournament in the CCHS Competition Gym on April 24, where students will combine basketball with community.
For the second consecutive year, after a brief pause due to COVID-19, the Clarke Central High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes will hold its annual basketball tournament in the CCHS Competition Gym on April 24 from 4 to 7 p.m.
The FCA is an international non-profit Christian sports organization, and the tournament was created as a community-building event, giving students a place to connect, compete and engage with their faith.
“It’s a space to come (and) have some friends, play some ball. Before and after each game the kids play, we gather up and they pray,” CCHS math department teacher and FCA Huddle coach Aaron Cavin said. “If you’re praying with people before a game and after a game, it really refocuses your thoughts and it creates, from our perspective, more of a communal environment, which I think everybody kind of enjoys.”
Student-athletes pose for a group photo at the 2025 Fellowship of Christian Athletes basketball tournament in the Clarke Central High School Competition Gym on April 18, 2025. CCHS math department teacher and FCA Huddle coach Aaron Cavin will supervise the event, which will include food, games, and a guest speaker. “I started teaching in 2006 at Clarke Central, and I started helping with FCA. One of the local youth pastors was helping me with FCA at the time, and had some students that were part of his church and also were part of FCA,” Cavin said. “He had the idea, and said, ‘Hey, why don’t we have a three-on-three tournament, have some games, have some food, and have someone come in and speak,’ and so we went for it. It’s been really good memories over the years.” Photo courtesy of Aaron Cavin
Cavin began teaching at CCHS and working with FCA in 2006, and started the tournament tradition in 2008. The event, which has a $1 entry fee, will feature three-on-three play, beginning with a series of games to allow time for participants to arrive.
“We want to create a space where it’s communal. We have girls that will play against boys, and then we’ll have some teams that are girls and guys. It’s not hyper-competitive,” Cavin said. “We want to create (a place) where kids can have fun, play hard, find some community (and) also be touched by the gospel.”
“We want to create a space where it’s communal. We have girls that will play against boys, and then we’ll have some teams that are girls and guys. It’s not hyper-competitive.”
— Aaron Cavin,
CCHS math department teacher and FCA Huddle coach
The event is open to all Clarke County School District high school and middle school students. It will include guest speaker Byron Rideau, who will be delivering a brief message, along with Little Caesars pizza for participants, something that two-year CCHS FCA participant Jerithy Mejia, a junior, is looking forward to.
“To me, FCA means having and being surrounded by a strong community where people can grow in their faith and support each other,” Mejia said. “I’m most excited about spending time with everyone and playing basketball with my friends, but also the energy and environment that comes with everyone being there.”
