Scottsdale Prep Athletes Receive Directors Cup

The Athletics Department of Scottsdale Preparatory Academy, home of the Spartans, received the Great Hearts Directors Cup for the second year in a row. This is only the third time this award has been presented with Veritas Prepwinning the cup in its inaugural year in 2019.  The trophy is on display at Scottsdale Prep for the entire school year.

A little over 3 years ago, Great Hearts Arizona Athletic Director Jon Rickey and the athletic directors from around the region wanted a way to showcase the most successful Great Hearts Academy based on high school team wins and came up with the idea of awarding a trophy that could travel from year to year to the winning school. They are currently working to develop a banner that can be displayed permanently at the academy to commemorate the winning year.  The Great Hearts Directors Cup is modeled after the NCAA Directors Cup and uses a similar point system to calculate each year’s trophy recipient.

Rickey presented the award during Scottsdale Prep’s Homecoming Pep Assembly. “It was exciting to give this award to Scottsdale Prep during their assembly.  I was very humbled to be a small piece in what was truly a wonderful event! With a school that has over 300 current Fall athletes, you could tell that Scottsdale Prep has a lot of enthusiasm for their teams!”

The athletes of Scottsdale Prep have a lot to celebrate.  SPA Football Coach David Primavera was named 12 News A+ Coach of the Week earlier this year.  You can read more about that story here.

Upper school Athletic programs at Great Hearts are designed to be co-curricular. Scholars benefit from the development of habits and virtue as part of the athletic experience. We strive for excellence on and off the field, providing an experience that shapes our athletes to be better people. The best measure of success of a Great Hearts athletic program is found in the character of the athlete it produces.

Rickey continued, “This award is something that can be shared for all of Scottsdale Prep. All of their teams, athletes, coaches, and parents of their high school teams should be sharing in this achievement! It takes effort and time to be successful in athletics and it truly does take everyone playing a role having and then being able to share in the success!”

Rickey spoke highly of Scottsdale Prep Athletic Director Duane Ediger, who joined the SPA faculty in the 2014-15 school year.  “Mr. Ediger is definitely the “Dean” of Athletic Directors in our network, having served in Arizona interscholastic athletics for over 30 years. He is very loved and respected throughout Arizona and has led Scottsdale Prep greatly over the last several years.  I am happy for him and his assistant AD and Girls Basketball Coach, Teray Allen-Lisbon who has also served for many years at SPA.”

Great Hearts athletes train and practice with vigor similar to their approach in their academic pursuits. Our athletic programs foster a sense of cooperation that builds community and creates the life-long friendships. Our programs also foster team spirit and encourage the celebration of accomplishments and personal growth. Through community and building relationships, athletes are held to the highest standard of integrity and sportsmanship.  Read more about Athletics in Classical Education here.

“Success in sports and athletics is never accidental or coincidental. There are hours upon hours of training and preparation in and out of season to have even some success,” explained Rickey.  “Players are better than before, teams are better than before, so it’s even more difficult now to get a win. This should be a shared achievement for the campus, and I hope all at Scottsdale Prep, whether athletes or not, whether high schoolers or not, should all feel honored in this. It truly is a great day to be a Spartan!”

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