Top 15 Jackson area coaching performances for 2016-17

Jackson Sun

Through the 2016-17 season, many teams made runs in the postseason. Strong coaching helped those teams make those runs.

Haywood coach Kendall Dancy reacts during a Class AA sectional game against South Side at Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn., on Monday, March 6, 2017.

So here is a look at the top 15 coaching performances this season:

1. Kendall Dancy (Haywood boys basketball) – Dancy led the Tomcats to the Class AA semifinals, and that came with Dedric Boyd missing 11 games, including five postseason games.

2. Brent McNeal (South Side girls basketball) – McNeal led the Lady Hawks to an undefeated regular season record, and they continued to play well in the postseason to reach the Class AA quarterfinals.

3. Michael Stroup (Scotts Hill football) – After a 7-3 regular season, Stroup led the Lions to the Class 2A state quarterfinals, including an upset of previously unbeaten Adamsville. Stroup is now head coach at University School of Jackson.

4. Todd Lumley (Peabody baseball) – Lumley led the Golden Tide to a top-four finish in the Class A state baseball tournament, and they won the District 14-A championship for the fourth-straight year along the way.

5. Jack Peel (USJ baseball) – After losing seven starters from last year’s team, Peel took the Bruins to the Division II-A state championship game as they finished as state runner-up.

6. Jerrod Shelton (Crockett County boys basketball) – Shelton took the third-seeded Cavaliers and led them to the program’s first-ever District 13-AA championship. Crockett County reached the Region 7-AA semifinals.

7. Joseph Wuchter (Peabody boys soccer) – Wuchter has been building the Golden Tide program into a contender over the past couple seasons, and this year they reached the Class A-AA sectionals.

8. Tyler Sowell (Scotts Hill softball) – Sowell has helped build the Lady Lions back into one of the top teams in West Tennessee, and this year they won the District 15-A and Region 8-A championship en route to making the Class A state tournament.

9. Ethan Ellis (South Gibson girls soccer) – Ellis helped the Lady Hornets get out of District 13 A-AA for the first time as they reached the Class A-AA sectionals before losing to Madison.

10. Mellanie Surratt (McNairy Central softball) – For the first time in program history, Surratt led the Lady Bobcats to the Class AA state tournament, and they followed that with three wins to reach the state championship game.

11. Tyler Turner (Liberty football) – Turner took a talented Crusader team and got them to mesh together to do something that a Jackson public school hadn’t done in a while. Liberty reached the Class 3A state title game.

12. Farris Lowery (Huntingdon girls basketball) – Lowery led the Fillies to the Class A state quarterfinals. Along the way, he guided them through tough games against Dresden and an overtime win over TCA.

13. Alan Eubanks (Huntingdon baseball) – Eubanks helped the Mustangs through the lessons learned during the 2016 season to get the team back to the Class A state tournament.

14. Jennifer Wheeler (Jackson Christian softball) – Through a tough schedule, Wheeler kept the Lady Eagles focused on the end result, and that was a finish in the top four at the Class A state tournament.

15. Tony Shutes (USJ girls basketball) – With a talented group, Shutes helped the Lady Bruins get over the hump and reach the Division II-A state title game for the first time.

Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.