ACSI School Sees 96 Baptisms After Athletic Events: “Beautiful, Holy Chaos”

By Josh Worden 

The idea that culminated in 96 student baptisms at Valor Christian High School (VCHS) began with a question. 

Why not here? 

Jessika Caldwell, Assistant Athletic Director for Spiritual Formation, asked that question after hearing about Ohio State football players gathering for worship, testimonies, and baptisms. So she helped VCHS, an ACSI exemplary accredited school in Colorado, launch “5th Quarter” in the fall of 2024. 

At each of the five 5th Quarter events VCHS has held after a home athletic event, students gather as a community, encounter Jesus, and celebrate what God is doing in one another's lives—and in the case of 96 students: decide to get baptized. 

"5th Quarter creates a unique opportunity for students to celebrate their faith together in a setting closely connected to school life,” Caldwell said. “At Valor, we teach that sport is an opportunity to worship the Lord. 5th Quarter puts that into action by moving straight into worship after a game, regardless of the outcome.” 

That was especially true at the most recent 5th Quarter on Sept. 18. In a football game between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the state, VCHS suffered a last-second defeat. 

“What happened afterward may have said more about our community than the game itself,” Caldwell shared. “Hundreds gathered to worship together on the football field, and 17 students were baptized. It was a powerful reminder that our identity and worship are not dependent on the scoreboard.” 

Each 5th Quarter opens with worship led by a local church, followed by three or four testimonies by VCHS student-athletes, and a time of reflection, prayer, and baptism. 

VCHS staff members follow up with students who are baptized and make sure life group leaders, coaches, and other relevant people are aware. 

The events are also geared toward preparing students to be disciple-makers and leaders. With adult staff support, students help lead the gatherings by preparing testimonies, promoting the events, helping set up, and inviting classmates and friends from other schools. 

A VCHS student, Clayton, was baptized at one of the first 5th Quarters in his sophomore year. As a junior, he shared his testimony during another 5th Quarter. Now a senior, he helped baptize his sister Annika, a freshman, at the most recent 5th Quarter. 

"5th Quarter has meant so much to me personally,” Clayton shared. “It feels like faith is being lived out rather than just talked about. We worship whether we are happy after a win or sad after a loss. I want people to know that our generation is on fire for the Lord. We truly love Him, and we will share the gospel with others." 

Clayton and Annika Lumpkin at the most recent 5th Quarter

5th Quarter is designed to give students the opportunity to publicly acknowledge their faith in front of the people they spend most of their lives with: friends, teammates, classmates, coaches, and teachers. 

"At times it has been beautiful, holy chaos where students were pressing up against the baptismal pool like they would at a concert, just to get a glimpse of their friend and celebrate them as they came out of the water,” Caldwell said. 

Staff members are also keenly aware that nearly all of the roughly 1,100 students at VCHS are in Gen Z. 

Ike Shepardson, Chief of Christian Integration and Discovery at VCHS, says Gen Z has “a soft heart toward God.” Shepardson has seen that firsthand with many students, including one student-athlete who told Shepardson he wanted to get baptized at 5th Quarter. 

"He has everything going for him: athletic ability, intelligence, and charisma, but he needed to make his faith his own,” Shepardson said. “His parents came to support him, and he came out of the water beaming with joy at what God was doing in his life." 

Valor Christian has long been known for successful athletics and being the alma mater of NFL player Christian McCaffrey. Last April, McCaffrey was present for a school-wide assembly as VCHS retired his No. 5 jersey and prayed for him and his family. 

That was just one moment of many to celebrate at VCHS lately.  

“Our experience has reinforced the importance of genuine relationships, student ownership, and creating opportunities for young people to experience and express their faith together,” Caldwell said. “My continued prayer is that more schools across the country would offer up opportunities outside of the norm to help our students experience Jesus in a new way.”