Top 15 Jackson area high school players from 2017-18
In recapping the 2017-18 school year, we have looked at the most memorable games, best coaching jobs and top teams.
We wrap up our look back with the top 15 players from 2017-18.
There were lots of top notch athletes in West Tennessee this past year, so narrowing it down to 15 was extremely tough.
1. Jamirah Shutes (Haywood girls basketball) – Shutes, the 2018 All-West Tennessee girls basketball player of the year, led the Lady Tomcats to the semifinals of the Class AA state tournament.
And she put on a show doing so, scoring over 40 points in the final three games of the season and breaking the single-game scoring record at the state tournament.
The Memphis signee averaged 29.2 point and 7.9 points during her senior year.
MORE: Haywood's Shutes breaks state tournament record, again
2. Katie Turner (McNairy Central softball) – Turner led the Lady Bobcats to the Class AA state tournament for the second straight season.
Behind the pitching of Turner, McNairy Central won the District 14-AA and Region 7-AA.
The Lipscomb University signee went 30-8 this season with a 0.95 ERA, giving up 31 earned runs and striking out 428 batters.
The senior also batted. 400 with 41RBI, eight home runs and 32 runs scored.
MORE: Top 15 West Tennessee teams from 2017-18
3. Kade Pearson (Huntingdon football) – Pearson, the All-West Tennessee football defensive player of the year, was named a Class 1A Mr. Football finalist for 2017.
He helped lead the Mustangs to the Class 1A quarterfinals.
Defensively, Pearson finished the season with 46 solo tackles, 26 assisted tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. He also ran the offense at quarterback, going 48-of-96 passing for 957 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,312 yards and another 16 touchdowns.
MORE: Huntingdon's Kade Pearson named All-West Tennessee Defensive POY
4. Tylandrius Parks (Middleton boys basketball) – Parks, the All-West Tennessee boys basketball player of the year, led the Tigers to Class A sectionals before falling to Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering.
Parks, a Union University signee, led Middleton to the District 14-A and Region 7-A titles. He averaged 21 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.0 assists as a senior.
MORE: Middleton's Tylandrius Parks named player of the year
5. Decourtney Reed (Haywood football) – Reed, a junior, helped the Tomcats reach the Class 4A semifinals at running back.
He rushed for over 2,000 yards last season and 35 touchdowns to be named the All-West Tennessee football offensive player of the year.
He returns this season as one of the top returning running backs in West Tennessee, and Haywood is expected to be the top team in the area.
MORE: Top 15 West Tennessee coaching jobs in 2017-18
6. Jordan Vick (Camden volleyball) – Vick, the All-West Tennessee volleyball player of the year, led the Lady Lions to a feat that no public school in West Tennessee had achieved.
The Union University commit helped Camden finish in the top four of the Class AA state tournament.
As a junior, Vick finished the season with 870 assists, 103 aces, 345 kills and 364 digs.
MORE: 2017 All-West Tennessee Volleyball
7. Chloe Moore (Greenfield girls basketball) – Moore, an All-West Tennessee girls basketball first-team member, ran a guard position as the Lady Yellowjackets win the Class A state tournament.
A Class A Miss Basketball finalist averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds on the way to being named the Class A state tournament MVP, while shooting 49 percent throughout her sophomore season.
MORE: Greenfield wins Class A state championship
8. Tess Darby (Greenfield girls basketball) – Darby, an All-West Tennessee girls basketball first-team member, was key around the basket as the Lady Yellowjackets won the Class A state championship.
She was a Class A Miss Basketball finalist with her teammate averaged 15.2 points and 4.9 rebounds, while shooting 44 percent as a sophomore.
MORE: Top 15 Jackson area most memorable game from 2017-18
9. Daryl McElrath (Riverside boys basketball) – MeElrath, a Northeast Mississippi signee, was one of the most dominant players in West Tennessee as a senior this season.
He was named to the All-West Tennessee boys basketball first team after averaging 25.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists as a senior.
10. Tristan Lowery (Lexington boys soccer) – Lowery, a Christian Brothers signee, helped lead the Tigers to the Class AA state tournament for the second time in his career.
During his senior season, Lowery scored 48 goals and added 15 assists as Lexington won the District 14-AA and Region 7-AA titles.
11. Benjamin Sidwell (TCA tennis) – Sidwell, a junior, helped bring home two state championships for the Lions.
He was the No. 1 singles player for the team that won the program’s first-ever state championship in the Small Division.
He followed that two days later by winning the Small Division doubles state championship along with teammate Cam Presley.
12. Raleigh Odle (Riverside baseball) – Odle, a Columbia State signee, helped lead the Panthers to the Class AA state championship game.
The senior was 9-3 on the mound with a 2.39 ERA and 96 strikeouts. He also batted .391 to go along with 13 home runs, 34 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.
13. Loral Winn (Dresden track and field) – Winn, a junior, won two state championships in track and field this season in the Small Division, and she finished second in the cross country state meet.
Winn won the Small School 800-meter run, clocking in with a time of 2:16.01, almost seven seconds better than second place. Winn finished with a time of 5:09.23 in the 1600-meter run, winning by more than 20 seconds.
14. Anna Johnson (Dresden girls cross country) – Johnson, a junior, brought home two gold medals this past season – one in track and field and one in cross country.
She started off the year by winning the Small Division state championship in cross country with a time of 20:02.95 to be named the 2017 All-West Tennessee girls cross country runner of the year.
Johnson then followed that by winning the 3200-meter race in May with a time of 11:50.26.
MORE: Dresden's Johnson named All-West Tennessee runner of the year
15. Aly Goodman (South Gibson girls soccer) – Goodman, the 2017 All-West Tennessee girls soccer player of the year, helped lead the Lady Hornets through a one-loss regular season.
The Murray State commit scored 42 goals and added 18 assists this past season as they reached the Class AA region semifinals.
MORE: 2017 All-West Tennessee Girls Soccer
Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.