Top 15 Jackson area teams from the 2016-17 season
Three team state championships were brought to West Tennessee during the 2016-17 school year. Hardin County bowling won two of them, while Dresden won the Class 1A state football title.
A few others finished as runner-up at state, so here are the top teams from West Tennessee.
1. Dresden football – The Lions won the Class 1A state championship in dominating fashion with a 62-27 victory over Greenback.
Dresden’s closest win all season came in the state semifinals by 19 points over Wayne County.
2. South Side girls basketball – The Lady Hawks went through the regular season undefeated, and they didn’t lose in the postseason until the Class AA state tournament.
South Side drew eventual state champions Upperman in the state quarterfinals.
3. Liberty football – The Crusaders finished the season as the Class 3A state runner-up with a 12-3 record.
They lost to Alcoa in the state title game, and the other two losses were against North Side and Pearl-Cohn. But they fought through a tough schedules to make the strong postseason run.
4. McNairy Central softball – The Lady Bobcats finished runner-up in the Class AA state tournament with a 30-9 record.
Behind a dominating pitching performance by Katie Turner, McNairy Central was tough to beat from the start of the postseason.
5. Hardin County bowling – Both Hardin County bowling teams brought home state championships this season.
The girls won their fourth straight state championship, while the boys won their first-ever state title.
6. Haywood boys basketball – The Tomcats reached the Class AA state semifinals before falling to Maplewood by one point.
Haywood had to play 11 games late in the season without Eastern Kentucky signee Dedric Boyd, but Kennesaw State signee Tristan Jarrett helped carry the team.
7. USJ girls basketball – The Lady Bruins finished as the Division II-A state runner-up with a loss against Northpoint Christian.
USJ got over the hump with a sub-state win over Franklin Road Academy at home to reach the state semifinals.
8. Humboldt boys basketball – The Vikings were one of the most dominating Class A teams during the regular season with the lone loss coming against Poplar Bluff (Mo.).
Humboldt lost in the Class A state quarterfinals to Knox Grace to have an early exit from the postseason.
9. USJ baseball – Despite losing 7 starting seniors from last season, this year’s Bruin team finished as the Division II-A state runner-up.
USJ had to hold off a tough Knox Webb team in the seventh inning of Game 3 of the sub-state series to reach the state tournament.
10. Lexington baseball – The Tigers went on a long winning streak in the second half of the season behind a line-up full of hot hitters.
Lexington eliminated the defending Class AA state champions and finished in the top four in Class AA.
11. Peabody baseball – The Golden Tide finished in the top four of the Class A state tournament after winning the District 14-A and Region 7-A titles.
Peabody lost six games all season as they were dominant on the Class A level.
12. North Side boys soccer – The Indians went undefeated through the regular season before losing in the region title match, but they reached the Class A-AA state tournament.
North Side took the eventual state runner-up to the 109th minute before losing in the quarterfinals.
13. Camden volleyball – The Lady Lions put together another dominating season in the second year of having a varsity program.
They reached the Class AA sectionals before falling to Hume-Fogg.
14. Jackson Christian softball – The Lady Eagles played a tough schedule all season, and it paid off in the postseason.
Jackson Christian reached the Class A state tournament and finished in the top four of the season.
15. Westview girls basketball – The Lady Chargers reached the Class AA quarterfinals before losing to Gatlinburg-Pittman in overtime.
Westview was forced to play the first half of the season without point guard Tasia Jones, who was hurt over the summer.
Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.