SPORTS

H.S. FOOTBALL: Who NOT to vote for Super Seniors

Brandon Shields
bjshields@jacksonsun.com

Later this summer, we at Jackson Sun sports will mark the fourth year we honor football players who have already accomplished a lot going into their senior season of high school with a series of articles chronicling each of them.

We call that series of stories Super Seniors.

Earlier this week, we announced we’re expanding that series by adding an extra player and giving the series 13 articles that will begin on Aug. 1.

This added player won’t be selected by us at the Sun, but he will be selected by you our readers.

To give you an idea of who NOT to vote for, we should let you know what 12 athletes are already on the list, so you can stop feeling compelled to vote for these young men. Here they are in alphabetical order with their credentials from the past three years to put them on this list.

Mitchell Bodiford (University School of Jackson, running back): Was named the 2013 All-West Tennessee Sophomore of the Year after leading the Bruins in rushing with more than 1,200 yards. He had a good start last year before injuries hampered the second half of his season.

Deshawn Brown (Camden, running back): Rushed for more than 2,400 yards last year and was the second-leading rusher in the area when the Lions’ season ended in the second round of the 2014 Class 3A playoffs.

Cal Gobbell (Hardin County, quarterback): Was a key receiver for the Tigers as a freshman and sophomore and moved to quarterback last year and was one of two local passers to surpass 1,000 yards in both passing and rushing in 2014 en route to being named All-West Tennessee Junior of the Year. He’s also committed to play baseball at Tennessee.

Andrew Goldsmith (Trinity Christian Academy, running back/linebacker): Three NCAA Division I offers with interest from multiple other schools after a solid career so far carrying the ball, leading the Lions’ defense and being a catalyst for the program in recent seasons.

Emmit Gooden (Haywood, defensive lineman): Has many NCAA Division I offers including many from the Southeastern Conference and is rated as the top prospect in the state by 247Sports.com. He’s been first-team All-West Tennessee the past two years.

Sadarius Hutcherson (Huntingdon, linebacker): Has been a big concern for opposing offensive coordinators as they’ve needed to pay attention to him on each snap and try to keep him from the ball carrier. Has three NCAA Division I offers and is rated as a top 30 prospect in the state by 247Sports.com.

Kendrick Malone (Peabody, quarterback): Led the Golden Tide to the Class 2A state championship last season after being virtually unstoppable in the team’s ground game while also being able to hit his receivers at the right time whether they were running deep routes, short passes or mid-range routes to keep opposing defenses honest.

Austin Parker (Jackson Central-Merry, linebacker): He’s flown under the radar the last couple of years as opposing offenses have done their best to avoid him, thus his production has been lower than it could’ve been regarding tackling totals. He has one offer from Jacksonville State, but offers from bigger schools could be on the way later in the year.

Eli Parker (Trinity Christian Academy, wide receiver): Was named All-West Tennessee first-team receiver the last two years and has been the No. 2 receiver for the most effective passing offense in the area. He was also named the 2012 AWT Freshman of the Year and has been a key role player on special teams as a kicker.

Jack Surber (McKenzie, quarterback): Was among the passing leaders in the area all season and nearly passed for 2,200 yards and rushed for more than 500. He led the Rebels to their first district championship since 2010 and first playoff berth since 2011 before falling to the eventual state champion in the quarterfinals.

Tariquious Tisdale (Lexington, defensive lineman/linebacker): Recently committed to Ole Miss with three NCAA Division I offers and serious interest from a few other schools in the SEC. He’s increased his ability in the weight room in the offseason and is primed for a big senior year.

Easton Underwood (University School of Jackson, quarterback): Was named All-West Tennessee first team last year and has offers from three Division I NCAA teams. He threw for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore while sharing starting duties and surpassed 2,000 yards last season as the long starter.

Anyone who wants to vote for the reader’s choice selection can do so by contacting the phone number of e-mail address listed at the end of this column with the name of a player and his school. If you want to let us know why he should be, go for it.

If you want to vote via social media, post a vote on our Facebook page at Jackson Sun Sports or tweet with the hashtag #JSSuperSenior with the name and school or the Twitter handle of the athlete. Voting ends July 5 at midnight when the TSSAA’s dead period officially ends.

Brandon Shields is the high school sports columnist for The Jackson Sun. Contact him at 425-9751 or at bjshields@jacksonsun.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at jacksonsunsports.