Breaking down District 13 A-AA soccer

We continued our district soccer previews today with District 13 A-AA.

Yesterday, I looked at Division II-A West. For the next three days, I will look at the three Class A-AA districts.

Having three districts in Class A-AA is major change from last year when 13 A-AA and 14 A-AA were combined into one region because 13 A-AA did not have enough teams to compete as a district.

Many of the top teams from Region 7 A-AA were moved into District 13 A-AA. Dyersburg and Westview met in the region championship match the past four years. Both are in 13 A-AA, but will have a different look this season.

Teams:

Crockett County

Dyersburg

McKenzie

Obion County

South Gibson

Westview

 

Crockett County

The Lady Cavaliers must replace an important part of their attack as Carli Sisson, The Jackson Sun’s 2012 Offensive Player of the Year, has graduated along with Katie Williams.

Crockett County is also under a new head coach in Justin Cichello.

Seniors Janea Clement and Tara Dillon will be two of the leaders on this year’s team that will try to keep the Lady Cavaliers competitive in West Tennessee.

 

Dyersburg

The Lady Trojans have been the team to beat in Region 7 A-AA the past four years, as they have won four straight region titles and advanced to the state tournament in 2009 and ’10.

Dyersburg beat Westview 3-2 last year in the title game, but lost to Liberty in sectionals.

The Lady Trojans should again have a tough team under Greg Stapleton as Sadie Liljenquist will lead the attack.

 

McKenzie

The Lady Rebels will look to improve this season and try to make a run in the postseason.

McKenzie was put out in the first round of the Region 7 A-AA tournament last year by Crockett County.

 

Obion County

The Lady Rebels reached the Region 7 A-AA semifinals last season before falling to Dyersburg 5-0.

Obion County had an overtime win over South Gibson in the quarterfinals to reach that spot.

Soccer at Obion County has improved over the past couple of years under head coach Daniel Johnston as the boys’ team reached sectionals last year before losing to Trinity Christian Academy.

 

South Gibson

The Lady Hornets have not fared well in overtime during the postseason the past three years. They lost in all three times.

But this could be the year South Gibson turns it around. This is the second year the Lady Hornets have been under head coaches Michael Young and Ethan Ellis.

South Gibson returns seven starters from last season. Junior Abby Alexander will lead the Lady Hornets on attack after scoring 23 goals and adding six assists last year.

Junior Emily Rice will work to control the midfield for South Gibson.

 

Westview

The Lady Chargers were hit hard by graduation after last season with six seniors on the roster. Leading scorer Kayla Guthrie, goalkeeper Makenzie Vincent and midfielder Shelby Donavant are gone.

Westview will also be under a new head coach as Matt Cupples stepped down following last season. Hannah Steadman is the new head coach.

One positive for the Lady Chargers is that they have eight rising seniors this season, so leadership on the team should be fine.

Watch for players like Reagan Brock and Alex Crosser to step up.

 

Predicted order of finish:

1. Dyersburg

2. South Gibson

3. Westview

4. Obion County

5. Crockett County

6. McKenzie

 

District semifinals: Dyersburg vs. Obion County; South Gibson vs. Westview

District championship: Dyersburg vs. South Gibson

District champion: Dyersburg

Breaking down Division II-A West soccer

The fall high school sports season is quickly approaching, so it is time to take a look at which teams have a chance to make a deep run in the postseason.

I will be previewing each of the girls’ soccer and volleyball districts over the next 11 days. I will begin with girls’ soccer and then move into volleyball.

Today, we look at Division II-A West soccer. Two of the three teams that reached a state tournament last year from West Tennessee are in this district – Sacred Heart and University School of Jackson.

Sacred Heart moves to Division II-A after competing in Division I last season, and Jackson Christian made just the opposite move going back to Division I.

 

Teams:

Fayette Academy

Rossville Christian

Sacred Heart

St. George’s

USJ

 

University School of Jackson

The Lady Bruins have reached the Division II-A state tournament for the past four seasons with two state titles and a runner-up finish.

Last year, USJ reached the semifinals before falling to University School of Nashville.

The Lady Bruins went 17-4 last season and lost just two seniors Anna Pearson and Rachel Butler.

Three USJ players were selected to the All-West Tennessee team last season, and all three are back this year. Junior Rachel Giampapa, 22 goals and eight assists, led the team in scoring and should be the go-to player up front.

Junior Madison Perchik, three goals and 16 assists, along with sophomore Addison Dunn, 18 goals and eight assists, should control the middle of the field.

Junior Shelby Williams will be the anchor on defense.

Sacred Heart

The Lady Knights also return most of the squad that reached the Class A-AA quarterfinals last season. Sacred Heart graduated one senior in defender Janie Bistolfi.

Two players from Sacred Heart were named to the All-West Tennessee team last season, and both are back for their senior campaigns.

Alice Nelson, 17 goals and six assists, and Amber Winkelman, 19 goals and 14 assists, are both midfielders, but also were two of the top attackers on the team.

Sophomores Emma Sopcak and Amily Whitaker started last year as freshmen, so they will have a year of experience under their belt this year.

The Lady Knights were 15-5-1 last season, but competition will take a step up this season with the Division II-A teams.

District projections:

1. USJ

2. St. George’s

3. Sacred Heart

4. Fayette Academy

5. Rossville Christian

New H.S. Girls' Soccer Elite 8 (10/15)

1. USJ (13-3) – The Lady Bruins are a No. 1 seed entering the West Region tournament this week. Last week: No. 1

2. Westview (13-3-1) – The Lady Chargers are a No. 1 seed in the Region 7 A-AA tournament beginning this week. Last week: No. 3

3. JCS (8-7-1) – The Lady Eagles suffered a big loss to St. George’s to fall to a No. 3 seed in the West Region tournament. Last week: No. 2

4. Sacred Heart (11-4-1) – The Lady Knights are a No. 1 seed and host of the Region 8 A-AA tournament this week. Last week: No. 4

5. Liberty (9-4-3) – The Lady Crusaders are a No. 2 seed in the Region 8 A-AA tournament this week and earned a bye to the quarterfinals. Last week: No. 5

6. Crockett County (9-4-1) – The Lady Cavaliers fell to Westview but picked up two shutout victories. Crockett County is a No. 4 seed in the Region 7 A-AA tournament. Last week: No. 6

7. Madison (8-4-3) – The Lady Mustangs ended the season with another win and play Tuesday in the Region 8 A-AA first round as a No. 3 seed. Last week: No. 7

8. TCA (9-4-2) – The Lady Lions won two matches last week to end the season with momentum as Scotts Hill comes to town Tuesday in the Region 8 A-AA tournament. Last week: No. 8

How the H.S. Girls' Soccer Elite 8 fared Week 7

1. USJ (13-3) – Beat St. Mary’s 2-0

2. JCS (8-7-1) – Beat Sacred Heart 2-1; Lost to St. George’s 6-1

3. Westview (13-3-1) – Beat Trenton Peabody 10-0; Beat Crockett County 3-2

4. Sacred Heart (11-4-1) – Lost to JCS 2-1; Beat Adamsville 3-0

5. Liberty (9-4-3) – Tied North Side

6. Crockett County (9-4-1) – Beat McKenzie 9-0; Lost to Westview 3-2; Beat Gibson County 7-0

7. Madison (8-4-3) – Beat McNairy Central 5-2

8. TCA (9-4-2) – Beat Scotts Hill 5-0; Beat South Gibson 3-1

New H.S. Girls' Soccer Elite 8 (10/8)

1. USJ (12-3) – The Lady Bruins are the No. 1 seed going into the Division II-A West Region tournament. Last week: No. 1

2. JCS (7-6-1) – The Lady Eagles beat one district opponent, but a key match against St. George’s looms this week. Last week: No. 2

3. Westview (11-3-1) – The Lady Chargers picked up a big win over Dyersburg and should be the No. 1 seed in the Region 7 A-AA tournament. Last week: No. 3

4. Sacred Heart (10-3-1) – The Lady Knights secured the No. 1 seed in the Region 8 A-AA tournament with a win over Madison. Last week: No. 4

5. Liberty (9-4-2) – The Lady Crusaders dropped a tough one to McNairy Central, but came right back and beat Chester County. Last week: No. 5

6. Crockett County (7-3-1) – The Lady Cavaliers took the week off, but a tough match against Westview looms on Tuesday. Last week: No. 7

7. Madison (7-4-3) – The Lady Mustangs had two big district contests on the week and split them to earn the No. 3 seed in the District 15 A-AA North Division. Last week: Not ranked

8. TCA (7-4-2) – The Lady Lions fell to a No. 4 seed in the North Division of District 15 A-AA with a loss to Madison. Last week: No. 6

Dropped out: Chester County (8-6-1)

How the H.S. Girls' Soccer Elite 8 fared Week 7

1. USJ (12-3) – Did not play

2. JCS (7-6-1) – Beat Fayette Academy 4-0

3. Westview (11-3-1) – Beat South Fulton 5-0; Beat Dyersburg 3-2

4. Sacred Heart (10-3-1) – Beat Madison 4-2; Beat North Side 3-0

5. Liberty (9-4-2) – Beat Fayette-Ware 5-0; Lost to McNairy Central 2-1; Beat Chester County 2-0

6. TCA (7-4-2) – Beat Fayette-Ware 6-0; Lost to Madison 1-0 (OT)

7. Crockett County (7-3-1) – Did not play

8. Chester County (8-6-1) – Beat Lexington 3-0; Lost to Liberty 2-0

New H.S. Girls' Soccer Elite 8 (10/1)

1. USJ (12-3) – The Lady Bruins are a No. 1 seed in the Division II-A West Region tournament after beating JCS. Last week: No. 1

2. JCS (6-6-1) – The Lady Eagles lost to USJ, but a big matchup against St. George’s looms quickly. Last week: No. 2

3. Westview (9-3-1) – The Lady Chargers won a match and took a tie, but Westview has two telling games this week against South Fulton and Dyersburg. Last week: No. 3

4. Sacred Heart (8-3-1) – The Lady Knights picked up another division win, and a match against Madison is Tuesday. Last week: No. 5

5. Liberty (7-3-2) – The Lady Crusaders are back in the division title race after beating TCA. Last week: No. 6

6. TCA (6-3-2) – The Lady Lions fell from the top of the division losing to Liberty, but a match against Madison in the next two weeks will be the telling sign. Last week: No. 4

7. Crockett County (7-3-1) – The Lady Cavaliers beat Obion County in a key division match that gives Crockett County the chance to be a No. 3 seed. Last week: No. 8

8. Chester County (7-5-1) – The Eaglettes are the District 15 A-AA South Division champion with two weeks still to go in the season. Last week: Not ranked

Out of rankings: Madison (5-3-3)