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Flagstaff Christian School has grown its presence in high school-level athletics at a rapid pace.

The young athletic program broke through with its first state championship at the end of the spring, when the Warriors brought home the Canyon Athletic Association (CAA) title in boys volleyball. A magical run as the No. 4 seed in the Arizona CAA Division I Boys Volleyball State Championships solidified Flagstaff Christian as a future force in the league.

The team played 12 regular-season matches, evenly split between home and away contests. Flagstaff Christian played its home matches at the Flagstaff Family YMCA, not too far from campus. Its six road matches consisted of trips to Prescott and the Phoenix area.

No matter what venue the team played in, it was prepared to react no matter how the ball ricocheted off the ceiling.

“We practiced in one of the wilder gyms with how the rafters affect the ball,� said Warriors senior Logan Maycumber. “Our team has gotten used to that, so when we move to other gyms that are usually bigger, we feel like we can play a lot freer.�

The tournament play-in match to start Flagstaff Christian’s postseason run against Brighton Charter on April 29 was played at Coconino High School due to contention regarding the roof size at the YMCA. Flagstaff Christian won the match, 3-1, to secure a spot in the semifinals against top-seeded BASIS Prescott on May 1.

“That first game I think was the longest one I’d ever played,� said sophomore Jaxon Barrick. “We only had a day of rest before playing the No. 1 seed. The whole day before, I was scared, just getting a little nervous.�

The team played three matches in five days en route to the school’s first state title. After defeating the Brighton Charter Tigers, Flagstaff Christian traveled to Caurus Academy in Phoenix and defeated BASIS Prescott, 3-2.

In a schedule that had teams often meet twice during the regular season, Flagstaff Christian avenged losses to BASIS Prescott in both matchups before the playoffs.

“The atmosphere after that game was absolutely amazing,� Barrick said. “As a team, we felt like we could easily win the championship after that and just conquer everything because we played so well in the semifinal.�

It was another single day of rest before the team made its way to Thunderbird High School for the championship game against No. 2-seeded 91st Psalm Christian School. The Eagles were fresh off a five-set victory over No. 3 Heritage Academy in the semifinals.

It was clear that Flagstaff Christian’s semifinal win gave it the confidence needed to play well for the title. The school’s longest-tenured high school program delivered its first state championship with a resounding 3-0 sweep over 91st Psalm Christian on May 3.

“Even I, as a coach, had a few nerves going into that championship game, but not as nervous as the BASIS Prescott game,� said Warriors head coach Melisa Barrick. “After winning the third set, I was kind of like, ‘Oh, wait, we just won.� To win in three was crazy.�

The dream season for Flagstaff Christian was taxing on the volleyball team and its staff, but the perfect result in the championship match showed how hard work paid off and how good the Warriors were when it mattered most.