Previewing boys soccer in West Tennessee
Teams favored to reach the state tournament
• Dyersburg – The Trojans are a veteran group with lots of seniors in the starting lineup. Dyersburg reached sectionals last year, but lost on the road at Jackson Christian. The Trojans will try to use their experience to win close matches this year.
• Jackson Christian – The Eagles had a young team last year and reached the Class A-AA state tournament. They will try to build off of that and make one more run before the program goes to Division II-A next year.
• Lexington – The Tigers made their first trip to the Class A-AA state tournament last year, and they are the favorites to be the best in this area again this year. Lexington won the District 14 A-AA and Region 7 A-AA championship last year.
• Madison – The Mustangs lost some key players off of last year’s team, but they will work to improve as the season goes on and be ready to make a push to win the district championship in May.
• Sacred Heart – The Knights reached the state tournament two years ago, but came up just short last year. Sacred Heart will try to use the large number of returning players to make a run at a second trip to state this year.
Players to watch
• Lane Allen (South Gibson, Senior, M/F) – Allen scored three goals last season and added seven assists, and he is one of the top goal scorers returning. His leadership will be key on the field.
• Nick Bezold (Madison, Senior, M) – Bezold is one that works hard on the field, and that work usually results in positives for the Mustangs offensively. He will be a leader for a younger Madison team this season.
• Seth Brown (Milan, Senior, M) – Brown is back for his senior season and ready to lead an improved Milan team to get a few district wins.
• Sidney Bryant (Sacred Heart, Senior, M) – Bryant was the All-West Tennessee Offensive Player of the Year in 2015. He had 20 goals and seven assists last year, and he will again play a key role in the offense.
• Brandon Butler (Westview, Senior, F) – Butler is a two-year starter and will be looked at to create goals with his ball-control skills.
• Jacob Cotner (McNairy Central, Junior, GK) – Cotner has been a wall in goal for the Bobcats in goal, and he will again be hard to score upon.
• Salvador Damazo (North Side, Senior, F) – Damazo has been the go-to scorer for the Indians for the past couple seasons, and he has one more chance to lead North Side back to the state tournament.
• Marshall Davis (Jackson Christian, Senior, D) – Davis was the All-West Tennessee Defender of the year last season after starting all 25 games and leading the Eagles’ defense to shut teams down.
• Jack Edwards (USJ, Junior, M) – Edwards was one of the top goal scorers in West Tennessee last season before he went down with a torn ACL at the end of the season. He had 21 goals and 12 assists when he got hurt.
• Bryce Ellis (Lexington, Senior, F/M) – Ellis knows how to use his speed to get to goal. With the leading scorer gone from last year, he will be called upon to score even more.
• Sean Graham (Sacred Heart, Junior, M) – Graham is a possessing midfielder, and he knows how to distribute the ball up the field. He finished last season with nine goals and eight assists.
• Jacob Greene (Peabody, Senior, M) – Greene uses his 6-foot-3 frame to get up for headers, and he can distribute the ball to forwards with his foot skills.
• Trace Haggard (Jackson Christian, Junior, GK) – Haggard came up with some high-level saves to keep opposing teams from scoring goals. He enters his second season with the soccer team with more experience.
• Lane Henry (Chester County, Senior, D) – Henry is a lock-down defender and he led the Eagles to four shutouts last season. His defensive communication will be key with new players on the field.
• Caleb Johnson (Chester County, Senior, F) – Johnson scored 16 goals last season and added six assists. With only five starters back, his leadership will be crucial.
• Will Linam (Adamsville, Senior, M) – Linam will be a senior leader on a young Cardinal team. He has already picked up an assist this season in a win over Fayette-Ware
• Tristan Lowery (Lexington, Junior, M) – Lowery has been named to the All-West Tennessee First Team each of his first two years of high school soccer. He is expected to have another big season this year.
• Grant McMahan (McNairy Central, Junior, M) – McMahan is currently out with an injury, but when he returns, he will be a definite scoring threat. He led the team in scoring last year.
• Leonardo Mendez (South Side, Sophomore, M) – Mendez will try to anchor the midfield for the Hawks this season as they try to be an improve team.
• Jose Mesa (Crockett County, Junior, F/M) – Mesa was the leading scorer for the Cavaliers last season, and he is back as an upperclassmen ready to help his team climb the district.
• Angel Navarette (Westview, Senior, D) – Navarette was an all-district first team selection last year, and he is back to lead the Chargers on the defensive end of the field.
• Will Pucek (USJ, Freshman, F) – Pucek moved up a year early and had a breakout season as an eighth-grader. He has had a year of experience, so now he will try to improve his role on the team.
• Mikey Sanders (Peabody, Senior, M) – Sanders uses his speed to get up and down the wings of the field and get crosses off into the box.
• Dawson Siegler (Scotts Hill, Senior, D) – Siegler will be a senior leader and the anchor on the backline that will have to play well for the Lions to be successful.
• Joey Soriano (Madison, Sophomore, M) – Soriano is strong with the ball at his feet. He has the foot skills to break down defenses, and that will be important for the Mustangs this season.
• Andrew Whitnell (South Gibson, Junior, GK) – Whitnell had four clean sheets last year, and he has split time in goal over the last two seasons, so he brings experience to the field.
• Garrett Winget (Lexington, Senior, F/M) – Winget is a workhorse for the Tigers, and he uses that work ethic to create chances for his team on the offensive end.
District Breakdowns
District 13 A-AA
• Crockett County – The Cavaliers are young this season with one senior and four juniors, so they will try to use the early part of the season to find a rhythm on the field to be ready to make a run in May.
• Dyersburg – The Trojans return nine of 11 starters from last year’s team that won the district title before falling on the road in sectionals.
• McKenzie – The Rebels were competitive with many of the top teams in this district last year, and they will try to build on that to earn a berth into the region semifinals.
• Milan – The Bulldogs didn’t win a district game last season, but coach Trevor Brittingham is optimistic that his team can have a better season with more experience on the field.
• Obion County – The Rebels have struggled in the first week of the season and suffered a loss to Dyersburg already.
• South Gibson – The Hornets should challenge Dyersburg for the top spot in the district. They have to figure out where goals will come from as 49 of the 58 goals scored last season were scored by players that have graduated or left the team.
• Westview – The Chargers return seven starters from last year’s team that finished third in the district, and they will try to use the experience to climb back into the top two.
District 14 A-AA
North
• Gibson County – The Pioneers are hoping to pick up a few more wins this season and begin to build themselves as more of a contender against teams across West Tennessee.
• South Fulton – The Red Devils have been second in the division for the past two season, and this could be the year that they get back on top.
• Trenton Peabody – The Golden Tide won the division last year, and with six starters back, they have the potential to get back to that top spot. Peabody is senior-laden with five seniors playing key roles on the field.
• Union City – The Golden Tornadoes have competed well against the top two teams in the division, and they want to try and beat one of them this year and host a district quarterfinal.
South
• Chester County – The Eagles reached the region semifinals last year before falling to Dyersburg. This team is young, but the goal is still to get back to the region tournament and keep advancing.
• Fayette-Ware – The Wildcats lost in the district semifinals last year on the road. They are hoping to grow in the early season and be ready to face the tough teams in their district.
• Lexington -- The Tigers return seven players from last year’s team that reach the state tournament for the first time in program history. They have a strong group of senior leaders ready to get back to Murfreesboro in late May.
• McNairy Central – The Bobcats have the potential to surprise some teams this year, and they have their goal set on getting out of the district for the first time in program history. With three seniors, the future is bright for this program.
• South Side – Even though the team returns just two starters from last year, there is optimism about the season. They have the potential to improve on the two wins that the program had last year.
District 15 A-AA
East
• Adamsville – The Cardinals are young and inexperienced, but they are hoping to improve on the three wins from last year. Opening the season with a win over Fayette-Ware was a good step in the right direction.
• Liberty – The Crusaders are under a new head coach in Greg Petty, and he will try to get the program going in a positive direction.
• Madison – The Mustangs lost some key players from last year, but they will try to fill those holes and stay near the top of the division and the district.
• Riverside – The Panthers play in a tough district, but they will try to play well in the district games to see if they can pick up a few wins.
• Scotts Hill – The Lions picked up 10 wins last season before losing in the district quarterfinals. With four starters back, they will young, but this team has a lot of fight.
West
• Covington – The Chargers should take a step forward this season and try for one of the top three spots in the division when postseason rolls around.
• Haywood – The Tomcats scored three goals on USJ in the season opener, but the defense showed some holes. Haywood needs to make the adjustments throughout the season to be ready for a better postseason this year.
• Jackson Christian – The Eagles return the nucleus of last year’s team that reached the state tournament. They return all of their skill position players and want to be even better this year.
• Millington – The Trojans struggled at times last year, especially against the better teams in the district. They will try to be more competitive in a second season in Class A.
• North Side – The Indians started the season well last year, but didn’t keep it going down the stretch. North Side will try to play with a little more consistency this year and make another run at the state tournament.
• Ripley – The Tigers have proven that they will be a little tougher to beat this season. They have played well in the first week of the season and will want that to continue.
Division II-A
• Sacred Heart – The Knights return nine starters from last year’s team that was one goal away from having a chance to play at the state tournament. With players like Sidney Bryant, Sean Graham and Christian Navas back, this team could be tough to beat.
• USJ – The Bruins are young this season, but they have the ability to make a run at the district title and a No. 1 seed in the region tournament. They started the season 7-0-1 last year, so they will try to do that again and end the season like that.
Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.