Austin grew up playing baseball and basketball before eventually shifting his focus to football in high school. He played four years at Marshall County High School, earning All-Region honors three times and being named Region MVP his senior year.
Right after high school, Austin stepped into coaching football. He coached quarterbacks at Forrest High School, for two years, then served as the quarterback’s coach and co-offensive coordinator at Richland High School for one year.
When Austin joined Generations Christian Academy, we were so excited to have him as a part of the GCA team as we began to build our athletic department from the ground up! He helped launch and began coaching our cross-country program in 2021. In year three, we added basketball, in which he coached and continues to coach our skill development seasons competitive teams. Austin has also coached our track season in the Spring, as well as GCA golf, for three years, providing additional private lessons during the summers. In 2025 we added flag football teams and had our first inaugural seasons in which he was the head coach for both the 10U and 12U teams.
“I’m a firm believer in the role athletics play in shaping the character of young people. My goal is to coach kids hard and coach them with love, pushing them into uncomfortable places while encouraging them that they can overcome. I believe in the process. Training matters more than trophies. I want our athletes to learn to build each other up, give 100% effort, and think about their teammates when things get tough. To me, sports are one of the clearest pictures of what it means to be part of the Body of Christ. They allow students to be part of something bigger than themselves and contribute in their own specific way.”
TENNIS COACH
David started playing tennis when he was 10 years old, competing in USTA tournaments through adulthood. He won the individuals league championship every year of his high school career along with league MVP in 2017. A few years later, he became a certified tennis professional under the Racquet Sports Professional Association. Coaching since 2020, he has helped develop top junior tournament tennis players. Throughout his college experience, David also competed in one of the top adult flag football leagues in Southern California as a slot wide receiver. His team won multiple division championships and was awarded 2021 championships game MVP.
As Head Tennis Coach at Generations Christian Academy and Offensive Coordinator Coach for our flag football teams, we are excited to have him as a part of our Athletic Department as we continue developing both the lower and upper school athletic programs!
“I have always been very passionate about athletics, but even more so than that, wanting to exemplify Jesus Christ in every atmosphere. Sports is the place where athletes are encouraged, challenged, called to lead and must persevere. You learn a lot more through your losses than your wins in sports and in life. Jesus is always there to show grace and give another opportunity in every circumstance. Relying on Christ in places like sports will also reflect your character outside of sports.”
Ariel has grown up playing sports and loved them since she was a little girl. Although in elementary and middle school years she played basketball, football, ran track and played soccer, soccer was ultimately the sport that she dedicated the majority of her time and athletic efforts to!
Playing all throughout elementary and then into middle and high school, she was a part of her school’s teams, playing on junior varsity upon moving to Franklin in the 10th grade and finishing 11th and 12th grades in high school on her varsity soccer team at Centennial High School. Ariel also played on multiple travel teams and took part on ODP teams. Set to play college soccer on scholarship after she got her H.S. degree, Ariel decided to lay down her soccer cleats and focus on her next season studying at Belmont University. She remained playing on rec teams throughout her college years and still thinks back fondly on her time playing the sport and the friendships made over the years through athletics.
As our Upper School Vice Principal, a teacher, wife, and a mother of four, she stays busy, so we are thankful to have her as a dedicated part of our GCA coaching team!
“I truly love the character that sports can help form, when walked out in a healthy, God-centered way!
Athletics can spark such beautiful growth in a person and I fully believe that God can (and does!) use all of it…not to mention it’s FUN and a great way to connect with people and be a part of a team. Pushing ourselves physically, learning how to be disciplined, having fun—and honoring God while we do it—this is the goal of GCA athletics, and I’m honored to be a part of it and assist our amazing Head Coaches in any way I can! GO MIGHTY RAMS!”
