Christ Church continues to be one of the top Athletic programs in the state

By Neill Kirkpatrick

Special to the HSSR

Greenville – The Christ Church Episcopal School Cavaliers have one of the top sports programs in the state of South Carolina every year and while great athletes make all coaches look good and help post winning records it is the commitment and consistency of its coaching staffs that keep the Cavaliers competing at the highest level each year.

Heading up this juggernaut is Athletic Director Molly Miller. Coach Miller finished her seventh year as AD while also finishing her 13^th year as head coach of the girls’ lacrosse program. Her lacrosse squad made it into the upper state championship game this past season and finished the year with a 12-6 record.

The Cavaliers had an outstanding 2023/24 athletic year as they brought home four state championships (Girls Tennis, Boys Golf, Football and Boys basketball), five runner-up finishes (Boy’s and Girls soccer, Boy’s tennis, Girls track and field and Boys x-country) and they had three third place finishes (Girls Golf, Boys track and field and girls x-country)

The HSSR asked coach Miller what is one of the keys to the Cavaliers success. She said, “The collective commitment of our students, coaches, and community to pursue excellence daily. From pre-season workouts to post-season meetings where we reflect on ways we can continue to improve as a program and overall athletic department, and everything in between, all contribute to the success of our programs.”

Two of the four state championship teams repeated football and boys’ basketball while the girl’s tennis team three-peated. The boys golf team extended their state record golf state  championships to 21.

The success at CCE is also rooted in the school’s core values; 1 - Commit to excellence, 2 - Compete with integrity, 3- Have fun and enjoy all aspects of the CCES school experience, 4 - Promote a Growth Mindset and resilience in the pursuit of mastery, 5 - Enhance a faith-based education, 6 - Respect academic programs and faculty, 7 - Support health and wellness, 8 - Cultivate a family environment and sense of belonging, 9 - Create a culture of responsibility, accountability, and ownership and 10 - Everybody matters.

“Our commitment to keeping our values at the forefront of our decision-making. We are intentional and reflective about building programs that balance the many "whys" for playing a sport - from our elite athletes with aspirations to play at the next level to those looking to get involved in our community outside of academics, we want to value the student experience while also emphasizing the qualities that are critical to compete at a high level consistently,” said coach Miller.

The coaching staff consists of; Baseball - Brian Simpson, BBB – John Butler, GBB - Jordan Filiatreau, FB – Quin Hatfield, BXC - Charlie Woodward, GXC - Ana Doran, BGolf - Cody Robertson, GGolf – Dan Wilkie, BLax - Joey Porchetta, BS - Anthony Esquivel, GS - Jacob Rawlings, SW - Matt Jacobsen, GT - Rae Sobocinski, T&F - Darrell Durham, VB - Alexis Coleman, WR - Kenneth Ramey, and Strength Coach- DJ Johnson.

Wallace Adams-Riley will be taking over the state’s premier boys tennis program. The boys’ team has won a state record 24 state championships but they have also finished runner-up another 15 times.

While CCE does not add new coaches often but when adding a new coach to the staff Coach Miller looks for coaches that are program leaders, knowledgeable in their field, and have a passion for working with young people.

Coach Miller said, “Coaches must recognize that there is a common goal outside of the win/loss record of their team at CCES. We are mentors, advisors, and educators. We collaborate as coaches and hold ourselves to a high standard of excellence.” 

Rounding out the staff are Corrie Leonard (Administrative Asst) and trainers MJ Suber and Angie Johnson.

The vision statement for CCE is Athletics is an exemplary program that develops and promotes competitive, well-balanced students, coaches, and teams who faithfully pursue excellence with integrity in sport and their community.