The Woodlands Christian Academy Magazine: Six Degrees of TWCA

WHEN CHOOSING A SCHOOL OR COLLEGE, EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT A PLACE FEELING LIKE HOME OR HAVING A FAMILY ATMOSPHERE.

Well, The Woodlands Christian Academy truly feels like home as family ties run deep in Warrior Nation.

It's like six-degrees of TWCA, and it goes way back.

Take Reid Gettys, who starred at University of Houston as a member of the Final Four teams that made Phi Slama Jama a household name. Gettys coached his son Stew to state titles in basketball. His daughter, Kathryn, also played volleyball for the Warriors.

Joe, Jack, James and Joshua Bento played multiple sports for TWCA and brought home some hardware along the way. Joe played QB at UAB, James played college basketball at Mercer and Josh currently plays for the Warriors.

In 2019, Ryann Booth was all over the volleyball court as a dynamic libero. She has since passed the baton to her sister Jordan, who is an outside-hitter for Warrior coach Kori Parker.

Yes, Kori Parker is the mother of TCU-signee and potential Major League Baseball draftee Caedmon Parker. Little brother, Kai, is a freshman, who is also a three-sport athlete.

"This is literally like our home," Parker laughed. "We spend more time at TWCA than our own home. This is my second time around here and to see how the family tree has grown over the years, it really comes full circle."

Parker coached Julia Ambler in volleyball her first time at TWCA. Her mom, Julie, is now the Head of School.

"Everyone is so connected and intertwined that the family lineage will never disappear. It's really special," Parker said.

Staying with baseball, Carson and Caden Queck have patrolled the dugout at TWCA. Carson now plays at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Caden (Class of 2022) is verbally committed to Kansas State. Mom, Jessica, teaches in the lower school.

Athletic Director Randy Hollas has seen so many families come through his locker rooms. He can relate. His daughter Aubrey cheers for the Warriors as well as plays softball.

"If you are inside the 610 Loop in Houston at places like St. John's, Episcopal, St. Thomas and Kinkaid, you see that type of lineage of families that dates back decades," Hollas said. "It's like that here. It's a very intimate setting and the same names popped up over the years because we are so extracurricular driven. All of a sudden, we had kids we've coached who now have kids going here. It's really something."

Math teacher and swim coach Lisa Murphy was blessed with the opportunity to coach her daughter, Megan, who helped lead her team to a state title and was VYPE Private School Swimmer of the Year in 2019. Megan now swims at Incarnate Word.

The bonds go on and on. Soccer star Haley Pounds is now playing at Texas A&M, while her brother, Aaron, is one of the top young golfers in the State of Texas, who will dominate the high school scene before playing in college. He's just a sophomore.

The Warrior football and track stadium is one of the tops among Houston private schools… it's named after Tom Earle, who is the legendary cross country and track coach.

His daughters played volleyball back in the day for TWCA and now, Rachel, is a first-grade teacher building future Warriors. His wife Diane has also coached over the years.

"TWCA is a great place where there is a balance between academics and athletics," Earle said. "We develop kids here and our families support it. Some families have older kids in certain high school programs and younger kids on the way up to high school. They see where the programs are going and see the consistency of the coaches.

"So many of us have had kids who have played sports here and the parents can see the passion we have for our athletes, including our own."

Earle has been lucky enough to coach possibly the First Family of TWCA.

Ben Shearer is re-writing his family's record books in long-distance running. His brother Josh dominated during his TWCA days and runs at the University of Arkansas. His sister Hannah won two state titles for the Warriors back in 2014 and 2016. She runs at Missouri Science and Technology. His bothers Luke and Logan (Missouri S&T) also ran for TWCA.

To say it's all in the family at TWCA, would be a complete understatement and that's the way they like it.