Mike Ellson, Athletic Director
Coach Ellson began at CPA in 1987. He has served as a Physical Education Instructor, Head Boys Basketball Coach (1988-2000), and Girls Head Basketball Coach (2007-2010).
Coach Ellson was the first coach at CPA, and he has coached other sports including cross-country, soccer, baseball and track. Under Ellson's direction, the boys basketball team won a TANAS State Championship in 1992, and his 1998 team won CPA's first TSSAA basketball district championship. The girls program also saw district championships in 2009 (first in school history) and 2010, a region championship in 2010 (first in school history), and a sectional championship in 2010. Finally, the boys and girls teams won more than 250 games during Ellson's tenure as coach.
He is heavily involved with athletic administrators at the local, state, and national level, where he serves as: District 10AA Athletic District Coordinator, Leadership Training Program Coordinator for Athletic Administrators in Tennessee, Elected Member to the Tennessee Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (TIAAA) Board of Directors , and Workshop and National Faculty presenter (2010 National Athletic Directors Conference, Orlando, Florida) .
Coach Ellson has been married to Mary (a CPA 4th-grade teacher) for more than 26 years. They have three children: Michael, a senior at Belmont University; Marshall, a freshman at MTSU; and Molly, a sophomore at CPA.
Jennifer Martin, Sports Information Director
Coach Martin comes to us from the University of Alabama, where she completed her degree in Public Relations. Jennifer was a star pitcher in high school, leading Ezell-Harding Christian School to five straight state championships from 1997 to 2001, earning all-state in each of those years, and finishing her high school career with a 107-9 won-loss record.
Her accomplishments on the field helped her achieve a full scholarship to pitch at the University of Alabama, where she left her mark on the record books, ranking in the top ten in wins, and in the top ten in almost every other career pitching category. She participated in two College World Series and was an Academic All-SEC performer in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 2003, she was an Academic All-American. She also led her team to two Southeastern Conference Tournament championships in 2003 and 2005.
Coach Martin is CPA's head varsity softball coach. She and her husband, Ingle Martin, are the parents of a son, Wright.
Eric Brandon, Head Groundskeeper
Eric brings a wealth of experience to CPA with an extensive background in the area of field-turf care. He joined our staff in August 2010, and he will also coach two sports (football and baseball) at both the middle school and high school level.
Eric was an outstanding tailback at Franklin Road Academy, amassing 5,000+ rushing yards and 53 touchdowns for his career. He was region MVP in 1997 and All State in 1999. He was also an outstanding pitcher and shortstop for FRA, where he won over 30 games as a pitcher and led his team to a state championship in 2000. He was an All-District performer all four years of high school and was All-State in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Finally, he was a second team high school All-American in 2000.
Eric played college baseball at Auburn University, throwing a perfect game his sophomore season. He was selected to the all-regional team, and he led the SEC in saves in 2001. He went on to play in the Minnesota Twins organization for two seasons.
Eric is married to Stephanie, and they have two daughters, Sarah Magee and Izzy.