College Heights Christian
| College Heights Christian Cougars | |
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| Location: Joplin, MO | |
| Coaches | Jean Miller |
| State Championships | 2019 MSHSAA Class 2, 2021, 2022, 2024 MSHSAA Class 4 |
| National Appearances | 2022 NSC |
| Program Status | Active |
| School Size | 134[1] |
| NAQT Page | link |
College Heights Christian is a private school in Joplin, Missouri. The school has won four MSHSAA State Championship titles, in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
The school is changing its name to New Heights Christian Academy in August 2024.
History
Through 2018, College Heights qualified for the Class 2 MSHSAA state championship twelve times, advancing to the playoffs 7 times and finishing second in 2007 and 2018.
In 2019, College Heights won their district with a 580-360 win over Thomas Jefferson Independent, a school that had advanced to twenty straight Class 1 state tournaments before being reclassified into Class 2. This gave College Heights the longest active state appearance streak in all classes (entering the 2019 tournament) with 10 straight appearances from 2010-2019. After winning their sectional, they went undefeated in the preliminary rounds of the state tournament, including a 420-330 win over defending champion Louisiana. College Heights Christian earned their first MSHSAA state championship with a 450-340 win over Thayer.
In the 2019–20 season, College Heights emerged as one of the best teams in Missouri, led by sophomore Gabe Forrest. College Heights swept the field at the 2019 MOQBA Fall Championship, where Gabe was the top overall scorer in the tournament. The team also finished 6th at the 2020 NAQT Missouri Qualifier, and were favorites to win the Class 2 MSHSAA state championship before it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
In 2020–21, College Heights was recognized as a state powerhouse. They won their division of MOQBA Winter and placed 2nd at MOQBA Spring, and though that year's MSHSAA realignment moved them up to Class 4, they once again won the state title. Though they were unable to attend nationals, the team was ranked 3rd in the Missouri post-season team poll.
In 2021–22, College Heights was widely considered to be the best team in the state, winning tournaments such as WUFAT and MOQBA Fall. The team again won the Class 4 MSHSAA championship, though they were edged out by Ladue at the NAQT Missouri Qualifier. The team attended the 2022 NSC where they placed 25th, the highest of any Missouri team.
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- ↑ 2023-24 MSHSAA enrollment (grades 9-11 in March 2023), from https://www.mshsaa.org/Activities/SchoolEnrollments.aspx