SOCCER ELITE EIGHT: Madison stays No. 1 for third straight week

This past week was a big one for high school boys’ soccer teams across West Tennessee.

Many of the Jackson teams faced each other in some rivalry matches.

The Best of the West Tournament began at University School of Jackson on Tuesday.

And many teams faced critical matches that would be key in deciding the seeding for the upcoming district tournaments.

There weren’t too many surprises, but the rankings did shift around quite a bit.

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, here is the new boys’ soccer Elite Eight:

1Madison (15 A-AA) (8-4-1) – The Mustangs picked up three wins over the past week against Sacred Heart, Crockett County and Liberty. Madison needs one win in its final two District 15 A-AA East Division matches to clinch the No. 1 seed. Last week: No. 1.

2Chester County (14 A-AA) (7-0) – The Eagles remained unbeaten through their first seven matches of the season after beating Dyersburg 1-0 in the Best of the West Tournament. Chester County faced USJ Thursday night in the second match of BOW. Last week: No. 3.

3USJ (D2-A) (6-5-1) – The Bruins picked up two wins this past week over teams from Jackson. USJ beat Jackson Christian in a rivalry match, and then beat North Side to open the Best of the West Tournament. Last week: No. 4.

4Jackson Christian (15 A-AA) (10-4-1) – The Eagles had a strong week that included clinching the District 15 A-AA West Division No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the tournament. JC beat Sacred Heart, Ripley and Haywood, but lost to USJ. Last week: No. 6.

5Lexington (14 A-AA) (8-2-3) – The Tigers played two quality components and picked up two victories along the way. Lexington beat Dyersburg 4-0 before opening its Best of the West Tournament with a win over Sacred Heart. Last week: No. 7.

6JCM (15 A-AA) (7-2) – The Cougars rejoin the rankings after clinching at least the No. 2 seed in the District 15 A-AA East Division. JCM picked up three division wins over Adamsville, Liberty and Riverside. Last week: Not ranked.

7Sacred Heart (D2-A) (6-5) – The Knights had a tough week dealing with adversity and a tough schedule. All four opponents played were ranked in the Elite Eight. Sacred Heart took losses to Jackson Christian, Madison and Lexington, but did pick up a win against TCA. Last week: No. 2.

8TCA (15 A-AA) (7-3) – The Lions will be the No. 2 seed from the District 15 A-AA West Division. TCA played a pair of non-division matches this week, beating Crockett County and losing to Sacred Heart. Last week: No. 8.

Dropped out: Trenton Peabody (8-3)

Teams eligible for the Dirty Dozen rankings are those who represent schools from The Jackson Sun’s 13-county circulation area: Madison, Gibson, Henderson, Chester, Hardeman, Haywood, Crockett, Weakley, Carroll, Benton, Decatur, McNairy and Hardin.

Michael Odom, 425-9754