Owensboro will welcome a growing slate of Kentucky Christian Athletic Association (KCAA) championship events during the 2026-2027 school year, bringing hundreds of student-athletes, coaches, families, and fans from Christian schools across Kentucky to the community.
The KCAA will host its State Cross Country Championships at Yellow Creek Park on October 31, followed by the KCAA Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball State Championships at the
Owensboro Sportscenter on February 26-27. In addition, Owensboro is expected to host multiple KCAA golf championships and invitationals during the spring of 2027, continuing a relationship that has brought several KCAA golf events to the community during the past two years.
Founded in 1984, the KCAA is an association of Christian schools across Kentucky that provides varsity and junior varsity athletic competition while emphasizing sportsmanship, character, and Christian values. The organization offers competition in sports including cross country, basketball, golf, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball, archery, and cheerleading. The association’s constitution describes its mission as providing organized athletic competition in coordination with Christian education, with an emphasis on sportsmanship, character, and Biblical standards. The KCAA State Cross Country Championships will be in Owensboro on October 31, 2026, and will begin the organization’s championship presence here for the 2026-2027 school year at Yellow Creek Park.
The event is expected to bring K-12 student-athletes from KCAA member schools to Owensboro, with 14 member schools currently fielding cross-country programs and approximately 400 runners listed on those rosters. Assumption Academy (Walton) has won the last five KCAA State Cross Country Championships. The KCAA’s cross country championship has a history of bringing athletes from throughout the Commonwealth together to compete for a state title. Hosting the championship at Yellow Creek Park provides an opportunity to showcase one of Daviess County’s outdoor assets while introducing visiting families to Owensboro’s restaurants, shopping, attractions, and other amenities.
The KCAA’s returning championship weekend in Owensboro will take place February 26-27, 2027, at the Owensboro Sportscenter, when eight boys’ teams and eight girls’ teams will compete for the association’s varsity basketball state championships. The event has quickly established a connection with Owensboro. The 2026 KCAA State Basketball Championships represented the first time the state tournament had been held in Owensboro, following several years at West Jessamine High School in Nicholasville. Community Christian Academy (Independence) won the 2026 boys basketball tournament, becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since Somerset Christian in 2019 and 2020. They come into the 2026-2027 season as the favorite to repeat again, becoming the first team to three-peat since one of the original member schools did from 1984 to 1986.
The 2026 tournament demonstrated the geographic reach of the event, with participating schools coming from communities including Bowling Green, Hardin, Independence, Leitchfield, Lexington, Louisville, Mayfield, Morgantown, Radcliff and Walton. Owensboro’s own Valor Christian Academy also competed in the tournament. There are currently 4 former KCAA
athletes playing basketball for Brescia University:
- Cole Phillips – 2024 KCAA State Champion and 2025 KCAA Mr. Basketball
- Micah Brown – 2024 KCAA State Champion
- Kyle Berkemeier – 2026 KCAA State Champion
- Rebekah Randolph- 2025 KCAA State Semifinalist
Additionally, Layla Rice of Valor Christian Academy is a member of the Kentucky Wesleyan College cheer team. The Sportscenter relationship with the KCAA actually began before the state championship. In November 2025, the facility hosted the KCAA Tip-Off Classic, with Bethel Christian Academy (Leitchfield) winning the boys tournament and Owensboro’s Valor Christian Academy finishing third. The 2026 state championship also provided a strong example of the type of community experience that can accompany a KCAA event. New Covenant Christian Academy (Hardin) captured the girls’ championship at the Sportscenter, defeating Northside Baptist Christian School (Mayfield) in the title game.
With 16 teams participating in the 2027 state tournament, the event will bring athletes, coaches, school administrators and supporters to Owensboro for multiple days. Those visitors create opportunities for local hotels, restaurants, retail businesses and attractions to benefit from championship weekend traffic. The KCAA’s relationship with Owensboro will extend into the spring, with the association planning to host the KCAA Invitational, KCAA JV State Championship and KCAA Girls State Championship in Owensboro during the spring of 2027.
The KCAA currently has 12 member schools with golf programs, providing another opportunity to bring student-athletes and families to the community. Tentative plans also call for the KCAA Varsity State Golf Championship to move from My Old Kentucky Home Golf Course in Bardstown to The Pearl Club in Owensboro in June 2027. The organization held its annual golf scramble scholarship fundraiser at The Pearl Club in July of 2026. The KCAA has awarded over $15,000 in scholarships in the last two years from proceeds generated from the scramble. KCAA partnered with Chick-fil-A Owensboro for the 2026 scholarship scramble.
The potential move would represent another significant addition to Owensboro’s KCAA championship portfolio and provide an opportunity to showcase The Pearl Club as a premier golf
venue. The expansion of KCAA championship events is part of a broader trend of Owensboro attracting state-level athletic competitions
*Photo credits to Jeff Massey – Maddog Photography