In the fall of 1999, the idea to form a varsity football program at Covenant Christian Academy was hatched.  Students and parents alike had thought about this previously, but it was only a dream.  Not enough students, no athletic facilities or fields, no equipment, no coaches, and larger pressing school issues were the main deterrents.  But this time, a few determined individuals pressed through these issues and conducted a survey of the families.  The results indicated the time had come and the group presented a written plan to bring football to CCA.  First, the plan was presented to the Headmaster and the Board of Trustees, then the entire faculty, followed by question and answer sessions.  One by one, the issues were tackled and the critics won over.  A vote was taken and football at Covenant was approved for the fall of 2000.

To meet this timetable, many wheels were set in motion.  The three year plan for successfully implementing football at Covenant was to begin with a junior high team in the fall of 2000, consisting of 6^th through 10^th grade boys.  Six-man football was considered as a stepping stone, but immediate play in 11-man football was deemed the best approach.  In the fall of 2001, a junior varsity team would be added, consisting of 9^th through 12^th grade boys, with the junior high team continuing to play.  Finally, the varsity football team would debut in 2002, and play in TAPPS.  An athletic director, Chuck Skarshaug, was hired to help carry out the plan.  Trent Detamore, a successful public school football coach and athletic director, offered to assist in locating a good, energetic person to become CCA’s first football coach.  After some searching, one of Coach Detamore’s former players with Christian Outreach International Sports, Chris Dodd, was hired to coach football, teach and begin the program.

Coach Dodd quickly jumped into his new role, doing everything from finding used football and training equipment to asking current students to consider playing.  Reagan Rogers and Greg Scoggins assisted Coach Dodd during that first season.  They worked to find a place to practice and build a schedule of games, with few opponents interested in playing a new team.  After looking at city parks and other fields to find a permanent place to practice, Coach Dodd settled on the hill just west of the portable buildings at CCA. “The Hill”, as it was called, was over-seeded with grass and covered with shade trees.  The area between the trees was a little larger than the size of a basketball court, but to the 25 boys practicing, it was a place to begin.

And begin they did.  That first season, the young Cougars played seven games, so against private school junior high teams, and some against public schools.  CCA won its first six games, generating excitement in the school over this new sport.  During that span, Covenant defeated Kennedale High School’s 9^th grade team and Harwood Junior High’s 8^th grade team.  They lost their final game of the season to nearby Bedford Junior High’s 9^th grade team, 8-7.  The game finished in near darkness, as CCA faked a 44 yard field goal and came up short.  Nonetheless, a new tradition of excellence had begun.

In the fall of 2001, CCA added a junior varsity team to go along with the junior high team.  Boys in the 9^th through 12^th grades made up the JV team, and the junior high program consisted of boys in the 7^th and 8^th grades.  The junior varsity schedule consisted of public school JV teams from Colleyville Heritage, Grapevine, Trinity, Argyle and Azle, along with private school varsity teams such as Muenster Sacred Heart, Dallas Tyler Street and Irving The Highlands.  The Cougars finished 4-6, with wins over Colleyville Heritage and Irving The Highlands, and close loses to Grapevine, Trinity and Azle highlighting the season.  The junior high team finished 7-1, setting the stage for the next season.

In the summer of 2002, Steve Turner moved from Louisiana to take over the football program at CCA, and new Athletic Director Rod Butler was the defensive coordinator.  Coach Turner ushered Covenant into varsity football, as CCA continued their winning ways at the higher level of competition.  The Cougars won their first 4 games, lost a close game to Watauga Harvest Christian in the final seconds on a fumbled snap near the goal line, and then won their next 7 games to advance to the TAPPS State Championship game in Copperas Cove.  Along the way, the CCA avenged two losses from the prior year when they were a JV team competing against varsity private school teams.  Covenant defeated Muenster Sacred Heart and Dallas Tyler Street in consecutive weeks by an identical 10-6 score, the later game clinching the district championship in front of 600 fans at cavernous Pennington Field in Bedford.  In the State Championship game against Hallettsville Sacred Heart, the young Cougars saw their improbable run end.  The clock had struck midnight for the Cinderella Cougars, but their first varsity season had been a spectacular success at 11-2 and State Runners-up.

In the following season of 2003, Coach Turner guided the highly regarded Cougars to wins in their first seven games before dropping their final three regular season games.  CCA won their first playoff game at 9-1 Waco Texas Christian, 42-14, advancing to the State Semifinals against Hallettsville Sacred Heart.  The Indians got the better of Covenant again, winning the game in Little River, Texas.  This marked the final game for Jake LaMar, who graduated the following spring and went on to become an All Big 12 safety for the Baylor Bears.  Several other seniors who had been at CCA since the football program began also finished their careers that night.

In 2004, Coach Turner moved to coaching on the hardwood, and Rod Butler took over as the head football coach.  The young Cougars struggled with inexperience and the transition to a new offense, finishing the season at 5-5 and missing the playoffs for the only time in school history.  The Cougars did have several memorable games, rallying on a last-second touchdown heave from junior quarterback Luke LaMar to senior receiver Josh Skinner to defeat Fort Worth Calvary 30-29.  CCA also had a game with Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill stopped during the 3^rd quarter due to lightning in the immediate area, with the game finished the next day on Saturday at noon.  To this point, Covenant had played their home games at middle schools in Keller, occasionally playing at Pennington Field or Fort Worth Christian.

The 2005 season saw the arrival of head coach Joel Berry, who transformed the Cougars offense into an exciting and powerful machine, and moved the home games to Fort Worth Christian’s stadium.  Senior quarterback Luke LaMar, who went on to join his brother Jake playing at Baylor, had over 5,000 total yards and accounted for 60 touchdowns during the season.  CCA defeated Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill, rallying for 18 fourth quarter points to win the game on a 44 yard field goal by senior Quinn Brunk as time expired.  Covenant finished the regular season 9-1, and easily won their first two playoff games, including one at the Mustang Bowl in Sweetwater against Lubbock Christian.  The State Semifinals saw a rematch with Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill at Pennington Field before a crowd of 1,100, and this time turnovers doomed the Cougars in a close loss, as they finished one step short of the State Finals at Baylor University’s stadium with an 11-2 record.

In 2006, CCA put everything together for a perfect season.  Led by several Division 1 athletes, such as linemen Jeffrey Hyde and Alex Adams, and receiver Houston Tuminello, the Cougars rolled through their regular season schedule to a perfect 10-0 record.  After winning the first playoff game easily, CCA rallied to defeat Bryan Brazos Christian 48-42 and advance to their 2^nd TAPPS State Championship game against old nemesis Hallettsville Sacred Heart in Temple.  The Cougars fell behind 14-0 and nearly gave up another touchdown before halftime.  But Tuminello intercepted an Indians' pass in the end zone seconds before halftime, and returned it 105 yards for a touchdown to cut the halftime deficit to 14-7.  In the 2^nd half, the Cougars clawed back, finally taking the lead on a Braden Frazier touchdown run with just over one minute to play.  CCA intercepted a last ditch pass to seal the game and their first State Championship by a final score of 27-26, finishing the magical season 13-0.

In 2007, the highly ranked Cougars again roared through the regular season, finishing with an 8-2 mark.  After winning the first two playoff games, CCA once again met Hallettsville Sacred Heart in the State Semifinals in Temple. The Indians squeezed out a 17-14 win, as the Cougars narrowly missed recovering an onside kick and a chance to tie or win the game.  Junior quarterback Dillon Hess had a tremendous season, accounting for 4,000 yards of total offense and 43 touchdowns in leading Covenant to a 10-3 mark.  The following February, senior offensive lineman Jeffrey Hyde signed a national letter of intent to play football at Texas A&M University, and senior linemen Alex Adams and Jared Crafton signed national track letters of intent to throw the shot and discus at Illinois State and McNeese State, respectively.

The 2008 Cougars were once again young, but they clawed their way to a 5-5 season and a trip to the playoffs in a larger division than ever before.  Waco Reicher brought the season to an end, but senior quarterback Dillon Hess and senior running back Nico Bourgeois shined, earning scholarships to play college football at Beloit College in Wisconsin and Harding University in Arkansas, respectively.  CCA used an innovative offense to score in huge numbers, thrilling their fans during the wild season.

In 2009, new Athletic Director and head football coach Barry Morgan arrived on campus after 20 years leading Trinity Christian-Addison.  Coach Morgan, one of the most respected coaches in the state, brought a new emphasis on defense to go with the Cougars' powerful offense.  The result was a 9-4 season and another trip to the TAPPS State Semifinals, Covenant’s 6^th time to go to the Semifinals or better since 2002.  Waco Reicher again ended the dream of a State Championship, but CCA had once again staked their claim as a dominant football program in the state.  Senior quarterback Brett Maxie led the Cougars, earning a scholarship to Central Oklahoma to continue his football career.

So far in 2010, CCA has shown a versatile offense and a strong defense to move through the season in search of another long playoff run.  Through the years, CCA has built a reputation for excellence in football, and overall outstanding athletic and academic programs.  On October 23^rd, 2010, Covenant will unveil its new on-campus football and soccer stadium, with a special laser-cut grass field and spectacular stone scoreboard.  CCA football has come a long way since its humble beginnings, and the best is yet to come!