One of just 50 in nation, Warrior Network earns prestigious club entry

KNOXVILLE — Christian Academy of Knoxville’s Warrior Network, a student-led broadcasting team, has been named to the National Federation of State High School Association’s Network Founders Club.

“This is a big honor, as CAK is among only 50 schools nationwide to be named to the NFHS Founder’s Club, an honor acknowledging the Warrior Network’s impact on the (Founder’s) network streaming over 1 million events since its inception in 2008,” a school press release stated.

“When we started the NFHS Network, we knew there was a significant demand for a platform like ours,” PlayOn! Sports CEO and founder David Rudolph stated in the press release.

“High schools have some of the most passionate fans in all of sports, and they covet the ability to cheer on the student-athletes and schools they support when they cannot physically be in attendance. Our Founder’s Club represents some of our company’s biggest champions and will continue to be integral to our growth.”

“We at the Warrior Network are honored to be acknowledged among the 50 schools that played a part in hitting the NFHS 1 million streamed events milestone,” Warrior Network teacher John Sessoms said.

“Congrats to all of the students who played a vital role in making this happen.

“And thank you to the late Jim Blackwell, who was instrumental in launching the Warrior Network,” he added.

As part of the Founders Club, each school receives a banner to hang along with an official certification marking the honor.

“All of the schools are part of the NFHS Network School Broadcast Program, which provides schools with the software and tools needed to produce and broadcast professional-grade events online, including sports, graduations, news, guest speakers, interviews, and award ceremonies,” the CAK release stated.

“This has been vital during this time of COVID-19, when we have been offering a streaming option of a high number of events,” Sessoms said.

“It’s fantastic to see high school stadiums and gyms packed with fans once again,” Rudolph stated. “But for those fans that live out of state, are tied up with business travel or simply can’t make it to an event in person, we’ll continue to keep them covered.”