District 15 A-AA seems to be wide open

Jackson Christian has been the top of District 15 A-AA for the past three seasons with three straight trips to the Class A-AA state tournament.

The No. 2 team out of this district has changed through those years with Liberty in 2013, Trinity Christian Academy in 2014 and Madison in 2015.

That parity should again be featured in this district as there is no clear cut favorite to win the district.

Jackson Christian might have been the team to beat recently, but the Lady Eagles have lost nine Division I club players over the past two years.

There will be some new faces on the field for Jackson Christian as it tries to stay atop the West Division standings.

The defense should anchor the Lady Eagles with goalkeeper Kady Cook and sweeper Catie Beth Hatch back for their senior year. Hatch was named the All-West Tennessee Girls Soccer Defensive Player of the Year last season.

Sophomore Mary Claire Swaim got experience last year in a starting role, and that should help her as she becomes more of a focal on offense.

Two of TCA’s three losses came against Jackson Christian last year, so the Lady Lions will try to win this year and claim the division.

TCA will be led by two seniors in Brynne Lytle and Laney Akin, but the team also had a strong freshman class that has matured on the field. Addie Rogers and Jenna Layne are two key sophomores this year.

Covington should also play a role in the winner of the West Division with the scoring of Madison Luttrell.

Madison won the East Division last year on the way to finishing runner-up in District 15 A-AA and Region 7 A-AA before being eliminated in the Class A-AA sectionals.

The Lady Mustangs return the nucleus of last year’s team with hopes of claiming the district title.

Brittany Bray and Camryn Meyer will be the focus offensively for the Lady Mustangs.

Liberty, North Side and Adamsville will also play a factor into the top spot in the division.

The Lady Crusaders are under a new head coach in Greg Petty, and Petty has gotten the best out of the teams he has coached.

Liberty is led by a strong group of seniors with Amber Byrd, Alyesia Pavia and Taniya Brook.

North Side went through some rebuilding last year, but the Lady Indians return seven starters from last season. Seniors Valeria Lopez and Karina Ramirez will be the leaders.

The two teams that advance out of the district meet up with teams out of Memphis in the Region 8 A-AA semifinals, and those games have been lopsided in recent years.

Michael Odom, 425-9754