Spiritual focus helps home-schoolers bring home state trophy
Nick Peterson drives inside to look for an open teammate.
Josh Jarvis, right, battles Dalton Mosser for possession of the ball as the final seconds tick down to the buzzer against Foothills Christian. The Crusaders won the semifinal game 50-46.
The Crusaders huddle up in the locker room before the first game of the State Championship Tournament against Rimrock Christian.
Assistant Coach Dave Prier challenged his team to each take one stone before the first game of the state tournament. "Ten stones that can be used to bring this state championship home," said Prier.
Stephen Sprunger is raised on the shoulders of the Flathead Valley Homeschool Crusaders after winning the Montana Christian Athletic Association Championship Game against Stillwater Christian 61-58 at the University of Great Falls last February.
The Crusader Bench erupts after Isaac Rajkowski, left, sank a pair of free throws to give the team a three point lead in the final seconds of the Championship game.
Jace Voigtlander aims a shot over Foothills Christian Nathan Haines in the Falcons semifinal game.
Isaac Rajkowski folds his hands in prayer before the start of the Championship game.
Isaac Rajkowski opens up the bible to Psalm 46 on the bench as Jace Voigtlander, left, and Stephen Sprunger, look on during the Championship game.
Flathead Valley Homeschool Crusaders Stephen Sprunger and Issac Rajkowski dive for a lose ball against two Stillwater Christian Cougars in the waining moments of the Championship Game.
With five smooth stones, David was able to slay Goliath.
Assistant coach Rich Jarvis challenged the Flathead Valley Homeschool Crusaders boys basketball payers to each take one stone before the first game of the Montana Christian Athletic Association’s state championship in Great Falls last month.
“Ten stones that can be used to bring this state championship home,” Prier said.
The team was made up of players who are home-schooled from all corners of the Flathead. Senior Jace Voigtlander decided to stick with home-schooling when his family moved to the Flathead Valley after he found out there was a home-school basketball program.
“I was going to be able to play and meet new guys there. I really liked home-schooling because of the atmosphere. So it was kind of a win-win situation,” Voigtlander said.
With a period of sharing, devotions, and prayer before and after each practice and game, playing for the Crusaders presented an opportunity to grow in a relationship with both God
and teammates. Third year head coach Tim Peterson saw the team become more unified throughout the season, in large part due to the spiritual focus the team possessed.
“The kids just started gelling,” Peterson said.
After finishing the regular season with a record of 15-4, the Crusaders won their first game of the state tournament convincingly over Rimrock Christian, 72-42.
The next game was against Foothills Christian School, a team that had beaten them the previous two years in the championship game. The two battled through each possession and by the fourth quarter, the Crusaders developed a lead, but the Foothills Eagles narrowed the margin as the clock wound down. After coming out on top 50-46, senior Isaac Rajkowski was reminded of the biblical story of Gideon.
The championship game was played against local rival Stillwater Christian. The two games they had played during the regular season were close, and the final game of the season proved no different. In the end, free throws hit by Rajkowski and fellow senior Stephen Sprunger helped to seal the Crusaders’ 61-58 victory.
“While I was waiting for Isaac to make his free throws I started to get all teared up because I knew we were ahead and this was finally ours ... I was just so amazed that even in a silly game of basketball that God was still going to come through for us,” Sprunger said.
“That last game was the accumulation of the whole season,” Peterson said. “They fulfilled my joy.”