Being an independent school is challenging, but hasn’t slowed Covenant Christian

Covenant Christian’s Evan Pipe brings the ball up the court during a game against NorthPointe Christian on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Nick Oosterhouse fell to the court after making a circus shot in the final seconds of a game on Saturday, Dec. 21.

The senior from Grand Rapids Covenant Christian High School helped the Chargers beat Coldwater 34-32 at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament.

“It was a really good game,” Oosterhouse said. “Coach drew a really good play at the end. We got it to Ben (Elzinga) and Ben gave a good pass to me. It was one of the funnest games of the year, by far.”

The Covenant Christian players celebrated as if they won a conference championship. 

But that’s not something the school is able to do. For now, anyway.

Covenant Christian isn’t in a conference. It has been an independent school since the six-team River Valley Conference disbanded in 2014.

Covenant Christian’s Nick Oosterhouse, left, celebrates with Nathan Kerkstra after Oosterhouse scored the game-winning bucket to beat Coldwater 34-32 at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

It’s a challenge every season for Athletic Director Travis VanBemmel, who is in his 27th year with the school.

“Most athletic directors will start with a 14 or 16 game schedule,” VanBemmel said of varsity basketball. “I have to find 22. Every year, I have four or five schools that I can count on to schedule us. Basketball is a battle. Especially at the lower levels.”

Why haven’t the Chargers joined the Ottawa-Kent Conference? 

Well, they’ve tried.

“We’ve applied,” VanBemmel said. “We applied this past year. I made some calls when they were going through that (realignment) this last time. But I didn’t get much of a response. But I understand that, too. They’ve got to look out for their schools who were staying at that point. They weren’t looking out for Covenant Christian. I get that.” 

Dave Feenstra, the O-K Conference Commissioner, confirmed that they got Covenant Christian’s application last year when it had to restructure after seven schools left to form the River Cities Alliance.

“Yes, Covenant was considered for OK Conference membership,” Feenstra said via email. “The members of the OK Conference decided it was best not to expand the league at that time.” 

Covenant Christian coach Tyler Schimmel talks to his team before a game on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Tyler Schimmel, the Covenant Christian boys basketball coach, said it can be a challenge to motivate his team when they don’t have built-in rivals.

“The biggest challenge can be in season,” Schimmel said. “Keeping the guys motivated and focused. What can happen is, all of our eyes are always toward March. A lot of teams are focused on that, too. But they also have a conference tournament and they get to play (conference) teams twice.”

It doesn’t really affect the Chargers’ performance, however. They are a winning program every season. Last year, they had a dominant team that finished 18-9 and won a district and regional championship. Since 2017, Covenant Christian has won four district titles, four regional titles and went to the Division 3 state title game in 2017. It also won state titles in 1973, 1993 and 1994.

Schimmel said sometimes he has to manufacture team goals in the regular season. Especially when Covenant Christian plays Calvin Christian, NorthPointe Christian, Potter’s House Christian, Western Michigan Christian and Tri-Unity Christian.

“We do have some internal goals,” he said. “There’s like five or six smaller Christian schools that we play. We view those as conference games. So if we go 6-0 against those teams, we consider ourselves conference champs.”

Oosterhouse said he doesn’t mind playing for an independent school.

“I love it and all the guys agree, too,” he said. “The first game of the season, we played Byron Center. And they’re really good. We play some Class A and Class B schools. We still have a rivalry with Calvin (Christian). We just have to find the energy ourselves and build toward districts.”

Covenant Christian is building a new gym and an auditorium. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

When Oosterhouse shows up to school every morning, he’s greeted with construction cranes and the skeleton of a massive project that will give Covenant Christian a much-needed new gymnasium and an auditorium. 

The Chargers have played in a tiny bandbox of a gym since the school opened.

“I’ve lived in the area for a long time and I’ve only known Covenant as it is now,” Oosterhouse said. “All this construction, it’s cool how much it is expanding. Even though I’m not going to get to play in it, it’s cool for future generations.”

VanBemmel said the school has needed a new gym for years. They also don’t have an auxiliary gym.

“It’s going to seat around 1,800 people,” he said. “This one seats 1,200. We’re pretty excited about it.”

The Covenant Christian student section is usually packed. Here they cheer on the Chargers during a game against NorthPointe Christian on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Schimmel is a Covenant Christian graduate. He has mixed feelings about the new gym.

“I graduated in 2004 here,” he said. “This is my 12th year coaching varsity. It’s going to be kind of sad, to be honest. There’s been so many good memories in this gym. When we play here on a Friday night, and it’s packed, it doesn’t get any better. The people are right on top of you. It has the old Indiana Hoosiers feel to it. It’s packed, it’s loud.”

He said the new gym could open in January or February of 2026. 

Being an independent school isn’t the only challenge Covenant Christian faces. 

It’s growing. 

And that means a move up from Division 3 to Division 2. 

“We’ll be over 500 kids soon,” VanBemmel said. “We’re Class B (Division 2) now. Our whole world changed this year.”

Covenant Christian’s enrollment was 411 entering the school year.

“Our enrollment is 411 and the cutoff was 396,” Schimmel said. “So it’s kind of a bummer. So there’s new challenges with new teams to scout. It’s just a different game when you are Division 2. But we’re excited for that.”

This season, the boys basketball team is on a roll again. They are 7-1 after beating Coldwater on Dec. 21.

“I love my team,” Schimmel said. “They’re hard workers, they’re team-first guys. They just want to compete and they want to win. They’re blue collar. There’s no drama. They just come to work.”

Covenant Christian’s Caleb Dykstra is helped up by teammates Nick Oosterhouse, left, and Ben Elzinga, right, during a game against Coldwater in the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).