ATHLETICS

BOYS SOCCER TRIUMPHS WITH CHAMPIONSHIP WIN

Emery Thigpen, who was named Mississippi Soccer Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021, lifts the championship trophy while the team celebrates its victory.

JACKSON ACADEMY’S BOYS SOCCER TEAM ENDED ONE OF THE LONGEST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP STREAKS IN MISSISSIPPI HISTORY THIS PAST YEAR AND EARNED THEIR FIRST STATE TITLE UNDER SECOND-YEAR COACH PHILLIP BUFFINGTON.

JA ended Jackson Prep’s 10-year reign as MAIS division champions with a 6-3 victory for the Raiders’ first state title since 2010.

“We had the goal of winning a championship the last two years with what we hoped was going to be a team that could finally break Prep’s remarkable streak,” Buffington said. “Coming up short in last year’s championship in overtime showed the boys we had the quality to win but needed something more than just ability to win a championship. We learned a lot about that game and ourselves. This year’s group set out with a fire not matched by many with their goal of winning a championship, and we finally got over that mountain.” JA finished with an 18-4-1 record, 13-1 against MAIS teams, losing only to Prep 1-0 at Prep. JA had been in the state title game for the past three seasons before taking the title this past year.

As a player, Buffington led Prep to four straight state titles. Buffington, who is considered one of the top boys players

Photos by Chris Todd (left, lower right) and Robert Smith (upper right)

to ever play soccer in Mississippi, set the Mississippi record with 61 goals his senior season at Prep in 2005. He played one year at Marshall then three years at Mississippi College. He played three years of pro soccer, two in the United States and one in Australia. He has been coaching club soccer with the Mississippi Fire, now Mississippi Rush, since 2012 and was head coach at Manchester Academy in Yazoo City from 2013-2016 before coming to JA in the fall of 2016. “Our biggest strength was the impeccable senior leadership we had on the team in Emery Thigpen and Drew Antici (the only seniors in the starting lineup),” Buffington said. “Emery was our on-the-field coach and knew how to motivate his teammates when needed and lift our level when we needed it. Drew was our more silent leader and stand-out defender leading by passion to never quit at any moment.

“We had a very big and influential junior and sophomore class that we are extremely excited to have return next year who created and scored a lot of the goals we produced this year,” Buffington said. “The returning players still have that burning desire to build on last year and hopefully be able to repeat as champions in 2022.”

The other starters were juniors Andrew Burks, Marcus Harris, Will Rhodes, Samuel Hadley, J.Q. Morgan, Reed Travelstead, and Banks McNair, and sophomores Andrew Harrison and Win Hooker.

Photo by Chris Todd

Volleyball Continues MAIS Dominance

Jackson Academy remained the dominant volleyball program in the MAIS this past year as the Lady Raiders won their second straight state championship and their sixth in the past seven seasons.

Led by two-time Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and Louisiana State University beach volleyball signee Parker Bracken, JA finished the season with a 29-4 record. The team defeated Hartfield Academy for the title with a four-set victory at Mississippi College in Clinton.

It was the fourth straight year the two teams had met in the state title game. In 2019, JA finished with a 43-3 record, winning its last 18 matches. The Lady Raiders defeated Hartfield in the state title match that year, avenging the team’s loss to Hartfield in 2018. Hartfield’s win in 2018 ended JA’s four-year state title run and four-year unbeaten streak against MAIS teams.

“I think my girls emotionally grew more last season than they have the entire time I’ve been at JA,” Head

Volleyball Coach Melissa Denson said. “They chose to focus on the things they could control and handled the adversity better than I ever would have at their age. Winning the state championship with this group of seniors was something special. The legacy they paved at JA will be seen within our program for years to come. As much as I love to win, I love to watch my players grow into strong, confident women. Our school did a phenomenal job ensuring our girls had a chance to play for another title. The year 2020 is one we will never forget.”

Not only did JA defend its title, but the Lady Raiders also managed to deal with COVID-19 to complete their season.

“The season was emotional from the beginning with every day not being promised due to COVID-19,” Denson said. “Every day it felt like we were holding our breath that no one would get sick. Despite being extremely cautious, cleaning everything in the gym, and trying to avoid unnecessary contact, our team still got COVID-19. We all had to quarantine and move around several conference games. A few of us felt really bad, and coming back was a challenge. It took a long time to build our stamina back up.”

Winning the championship over Hartfield was a great way to end the season.

“We knew it wouldn’t be easy and that we had to be resilient,” Denson said. “Both teams fought the entire match and never gave up. We capitalized on the right moments and focused on trying to stay in the moment and better each ball. The key moment in the match was winning the second set after losing the first set. We showed a lot of grit, and we handled the adversity well.”

Parker Bracken, senior Natalie DeRusso, juniors Remy Jones and Anna Claire Sheffield, sophomore Ava Ladner, and freshmen Emma Robertson were the starters for the majority of the season. Seniors Gracie Coe, Pryor Mehrle, and Madeleine Pettus were key contributors off the bench.

Parker Bracken Leaves Mark on JA Athletics

Parker Bracken might be the most successful athlete in Jackson Academy history. If the volleyball star isn’t, it doesn’t take long to call the roll.

Parker is a two-time Mississippi Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year and helped lead JA to five MAIS state volleyball championships in six years.

The 5-foot-10 athlete led JA to a 29-4 record as a senior and defeated Hartfield Academy for the second straight season for the title. As a junior, she led the Lady Raiders to a 43-3 record, winning the last 18 matches.

Parker, who signed with Louisiana State University to play beach volleyball, is ranked as the No. 1 player in Mississippi and the No. 107 player in the nation by prepvolleyball.com. She is Mississippi’s alltime leader with 2,494 kills.

Parker is the second JA volleyball player to win Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year. Conley Chinn, now playing basketball for Belmont University in Tennessee, won in 2016. Parker is one of four JA athletes to win a Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year title. Curt Knight won the boys cross country award twice, in 2014 and 2015. Emery Thigpen won in soccer in 2021.

ATHLETIC SIGNINGS

In the 2020-2021 academic year, Jackson Academy celebrated the athletic accomplishments and collegiate commitments of 12 student-athletes. During individual and shared signing events throughout the year, these students officially committed to play college sports as friends, family, coaches, and Alpha and Omega buddies celebrated.

Parker Bracken

Parker Bracken signed to play beach volleyball at Louisiana State University, where she will compete as a D-1 athlete. Parker lettered in volleyball and track and was a cheerleader. She is the Mississippi all-time volleyball leader in kills with a total of 2,494. She holds the Mississippi Player of the Year title with Maxpreps, Prepvolleyball. com, the MAIS, and earned the distinction twice from the Gatorade Company. She was named the Wendy’s Heisman nominee for JA.

Jackson Conn

Jackson Conn committed to Mississippi State University’s baseball program. Jackson lettered in baseball and football and is a Preseason Perfect Game All American, a Preseason Under Armor All American, and was invited to play in the 2020 Area Code Games this past summer. At the plate, he finished with a .253 average with seven extra-base hits and 22 RBIs. He was second on the team in wins (5) and first in strikeouts (79) with a 3.42 ERA on the mound.

Mikey Elinski

Mikey Elinski signed to play soccer at Holmes Community College in Ridgeland. Mikey played varsity soccer at JA ninth through twelfth grade. He also played varsity football and ran track for the Raiders. During his senior year, Mikey contributed three goals, 16 shots, and one assist to the Raiders, aiding the team’s advance and ultimate state championship win. He went on to represent JA in the 2021 MAIS AllStar soccer team.

Brendan Gibson

Brendan Gibson signed to play football with Belhaven University. Brendan triumphed on the gridiron, basketball court, and track during his high school career at JA. He accomplished 87 career tackles in football, 78 during his junior year, one interception, 43 all-purpose yards, and two receptions. In track and field, Brendan won second place in the varsity state triple jump his sophomore year. He earned Most Improved and Best Defense honors in basketball. After a severe knee injury, Brendan proved his grit through months of physical therapy. He played the 2020-2021 basketball season with the Raiders.

Elena Roberts

Elena Roberts signed to play tennis at Mississippi College as the No. 4 ranked tennis recruit in the state. As of January 2021, Elena ranked in the top 400 tennis players of the nation. On the tennis court, she won five team championships and was a three-time individual champion. With Lady Raiders basketball, she was a member of two 5A state champion basketball teams.

Emma Roberts

Emma Roberts signed to play tennis at Mississippi College as the No. 1 tennis recruit in the state and, as of January of 2021, was ranked No. 79 in the nation. She was a five-time team champion as well as a four-time individual champion in tennis. Emma competed in the 25K Challenger at River Hills twice, was on the MaxPreps First Team Tennis, and one of three representatives and MVP for Mississippi in the Southern Cup Tennis Championship. She was also a member of two 5A state champion basketball teams and was a 2020 state 5A all-tournament team member.

Parker Ryan

Parker Ryan signed to play baseball with Pearl River Community College. Parker is a multi-sport athlete who lettered on the varsity baseball, football, and track teams. He was selected to the All-MAIS Team and the All-Conference 1st Team in baseball. He was ranked the No. 1 catcher in Mississippi by Perfect Game and named to the Perfect Game All-Tournament Team and All American Team. Parker finished his final season with the Raiders with a .318 batting average, 18 doubles, eight triples, and one home run. He also drove in 44 runs and scored 63 times while swiping 43 stolen bases.

Deion Smith

Deion Smith committed to play football at Louisiana State University after playing three football seasons at Provine High and his senior season at Jackson Academy. Deion was ranked the No. 1 player in Mississippi and one of the top ten receivers in the country. He was also ranked as the 65th-best overall prospect nationally in the 247 Sports composite ranking. As a junior, he caught 43 passes for 1,059 yards and 19 touchdowns and was named wide receiver to the Mississippi 5A All-State First-Team. As a senior, he caught 36 passes for 640 yards and seven touchdowns and added another 189 rushing yards and two TDs to go with a 69-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

McKinna Smith

McKinna Smith signed with Northwest Community College’s Rangers women’s basketball team. McKinna played varsity basketball since ninth grade, starting her career at Copiah Academy. She transferred to Jackson Academy at the beginning of her senior year. McKinna averaged 15 points, five rebounds, and two steals per game on the court and scored over 1,000 points, 275 rebounds, and 138 steals. McKinna was named Varsity Second-Team All-District in ninth grade, MAIS 4A Division 2 All-State First Team in tenth grade, and All MAIS Class 5A All-State All-Tournament Team in eleventh grade.

Branson Tadlock

Branson Tadlock signed to play baseball with Jones College. A multisport athlete, Branson played football, basketball, and baseball. In baseball, he was a five-year varsity starter and a three-time All-District player. During his senior season, Branson threw 22.2 innings and had one save with an ERA of 1.54. He also collected 28 strikeouts and walked 14 batters.

Donovan Veasley

Donovan Veasley signed to play football with Holmes Community College. Donovan excelled at JA throughout his career. He had a successful sophomore season where he started as a linebacker for the Raiders and led the team with 126 tackles. Entering his junior year, he sustained a severe knee injury that ended his season. Following months of physical therapy, Donovan returned for his senior year and helped lead the Raiders to the State Championship game in November 2020. He led the team with 110 tackles and eight fumble recoveries. Donovan was selected for several post-season awards: First-team All-Conference linebacker; MAIS All-Star Football Team; and Defensive MVP in the All-Star game.

Lardarius Webb

Lardarius Webb, son of Superbowl champion and Baltimore Ravens star Lardarius Webb Sr., signed to play football with Jones College. Ladarius transferred to Jackson Academy from Opelika, Alabama, during the summer before his senior year of high school to become one of the top players in Mississippi. During his season at JA, Lardarius had 58 total tackles, 41 of which were solo. He also had five tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, one interception, one blocked field goal, and one reception of 40 yards for a touchdown.