JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Among area boys basketball programs, Impact Christian remains the new kid on the block.

The Lions certainly don’t act their age.

The fourth-year program is making its second trip to Lakeland this week when it faces Miami Schoolhouse Prep (20-8) at 10 a.m. in Class 2A state semifinals at the RP Funding Center.

Impact’s tradition is still developing, but its path is a unique one.

They Lions (18-8) have been eligible to compete in the state playoffs for three seasons. They’ve reached the state semifinals in two of those and were a point away from going to three in a row.

Just how big would bringing home a state title be

“It’ll be huge not for just us but for the fans,” said Impact junior guard Calvin Johnson. “It’s a lot of people behind the scenes who do a lot for us. That’s who we do it for.”

Impact is the newest program among the five teams from the First Coast who are playing in the state semifinals this week in Lakeland, and its story has been a good one. The Lions, just four years old, have never taken a season off.

The Lions hired coach Benjamin Jones away from Ed White High School in 2016, more than a year before Impact would even be eligible to compete for a boys basketball playoff spot. Jones took that Lions team to Lakeland in March 2017 so that they could watch the state semifinals and show them where they could be.

The Lions took that trip and message to heart and not only went to the state semifinals in their first season of playoff eligibility in 2018, but played for the state championship.

A return trip eluded them in 2019 with a 52-51 loss to Crossroad Academy, but the Lions are very much back this year.

“I think we’re peaking now at the right time,” Jones said. “Guys are starting to figure out what our identity is, where their shots come from, all those types of things. Right now, everybody’s bought in and guys have accepted settling in their role. I think we’re playing really well.”

Point guard Jordin Jackson, one of the foundational players during Impact’s rise, leads the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game. Johnson (10.6 ppg) and Timothy Grant (9.8 ppg) follow.