Main Story

Texas private-school championship season delivered a week of breakthrough wins, dynasties and close races. Southwest Christian captured its first TAPPS 5A volleyball title after two straight runner-up finishes, while Prestonwood sent retiring coach Ryan Mitchell out with another state crown. On the cross-country course, Houston St. Thomas won TAPPS 6A boys, John Cooper claimed SPC 4A girls with a tightly packed team, and returning SPC member TMI Episcopal swept the individual 3A races.

By the Numbers
  • Prestonwood finished 42-4 and won its eighth state volleyball title; Taylor Johnson recorded 19 kills and nine aces in the final.
  • Southwest Christian finished 35-1 and won its first state volleyball championship.
  • St. Thomas scored 36 points to win TAPPS 6A boys cross country; individual champion Isaac Knape ran 15:21.7.
  • John Cooper won SPC 4A girls cross country with 46 points, placing all five scorers in the top 14.
  • TMI Episcopal won the SPC 3A boys team title with 39 points; its individual champions ran 15:15.2 and 18:58.0.
Yes, But

Not every result was settled in the available reporting: final results for TAPPS 2A and 1A volleyball were not posted at press time. Cypress Christian’s loss in the 5A final was a setback, but the program reached the state championship after making the Final Four the previous year.

State of Play
  • Prestonwood, Ovilla Christian and Covenant continued championship-winning traditions, while Southwest Christian and Pantego Christian broke through for landmark volleyball titles.
  • Houston-area teams featured prominently across TAPPS and SPC cross country, including St. Thomas, Providence Classical and John Cooper.
  • TMI Episcopal marked its return to SPC competition with both 3A individual cross-country crowns.
Bottom Line

The week showcased both the staying power of Texas private-school dynasties and the payoff from persistence: established programs added to their legacies, while Southwest Christian finally turned repeated title-match heartbreak into a championship.