Just like he did 13 years ago, Aaron Sovern is taking a leap of faith.

Family, and the warm sun, is calling him west.

The Yorkville Christian boys basketball coach, and athletic director, has announced that he is stepping down.

Sovern and his wife Liz, who teaches at the school, will stay on through the school year before moving west to Arizona.

“Just family, quality of life, something my wife and I had talked about doing for a while, probably five years,” Sovern said. “A lot of factors played in.”

Brady, youngest of the Soverns’ two sons, attends Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.

Sovern doesn’t have anything lined up at the moment, but would like to get into scouting at the professional or college level.

“Our son is out there, and is probably going to put roots down there,” Sovern said, “plus just overall health is a lot better with the dry heat. Winters are difficult here.

“All the signs point to this happening at this time. It’s not an easy decision. You put so much time and energy and sweat equity to get something off the ground. We think the timing is right.”

Sovern, an Aurora native who graduated from Aurora Christian and played collegiately at Judson, first was pitched the idea of being the athletic director at a new Christian school for the 2013-2014 school year.

He previously taught for 13 years in Indian Prairie School District 204, and worked for four years doing community relations with the Milwaukee Bucks.

“That opportunity with the Bucks fell through, Yorkville Christian was presented to me, wasn’t sure if I was interested and my wife came to me and said ‘I had a dream you’ll be working at a Christian school,’” Sovern said. “I said ‘funny you should say that.’”

Yorkville Christian, founded in 2001, had 13 students Sovern’s first year.

The school this school year started with 210 high school kids, and over 70 in grade school.

“The first couple years were very humbling,” Sovern said. “We didn’t even have a building when I was hired. Yorkville Christian was just a vision.”

Sovern started the boys basketball program the 2014-2015 school year, and two years later it became a full member of the Illinois High School Association.

They were in a temporary location for four years. Fourth year, with 45 students in the building, they did athletics at Cross Lutheran.

Yorkville Christian’s current athletic facility, “The Canyon,” opened in 2019.

“It’s just been amazing. Every time I drive up there, I smile,” Sovern said, “knowing the energy and effort put into it.”

Originally hired as athletic director and dean of students, Sovern for eight years was AD and principal, along with the basketball coach. His wife has served as a biblical studies teacher and school nurse.

“When working at a Christian school you wear multiple hats. That is everybody,” Sovern said. “It’s been an awesome experience.”

In his 12 seasons, playing one of the stronger independent schedules around, Sovern’s Mustangs went 186-153. Yorkville Christian has won four regional championships and two sectional titles in the IHSA playoffs.

In 2022, the Yorkville Christian team led by Jaden Schutt, who played for two seasons at Duke and is now at Virginia Tech, won the Class 1A state championship.

“We have set a bar, set a standard,” Sovern said. “It makes you proud in that respect that we’ve been able to grow like that.”

Sovern’s last team, led by All-State guard and SIU-Edwardsville commit Jayden Riley, went 23-11 and reached a Class 2A sectional final.

Even with Riley graduating, Sovern believes next year’s team could be even better.

“We always talk about as a team leaving places cleaner than you found it. That’s a big thing for me is leave it better than we found it. Everything is in a good place now,” Sovern said.

“We told our boys, the basketball boys, when you’re in Champaign next year you better believe I’ll be there with you. Big things are on the horizon. This doesn’t stop.”