Anna Spears

This year’s Premier Preps girls soccer team had a mix of several different factors in its makeup.

Each girl made The Meridian Star’s annual all area team due to their individual contributions to their respective schools’ squads. When looking at the high school soccer teams of east Mississippi and which players make them up, it’s easy to see why a number of them saw success in the 2016-17 school year.

In one case, there was a championship flavor to the Premier Preps squad. In the fall, Lamar School won its second-consecutive state championship in the MAIS Class AAAA, and senior An’Dria Kenney, one of the two forwards to make the team, had a major part in that, scoring 14 goals on the season to go along with dishing out six assists.

The West Lauderdale High School girls soccer team won its second-consecutive MHSAA Class 4A state championship, this time going undefeated in the process at 23-0. The Lady Knights allowed just four goals on the season, and Premier Preps keeper Clair Campbell and defender Erica Gaddie, both seniors, helped contribute to that effort. Eighth-grade forward Ember Temple had an excellent year for the Lady Knights by tallying 28 goals and 15 assists, and Caroline Green played an excellent midfield, dishing out 15 assists and scoring seven goals.

In two cases of the Premier Preps soccer team, there was a bit of family legacy on the line. Southeast Lauderdale senior Leyton Thomas made the squad as a midfielder, and Thomas is the daughter of Tigers and Lady Tigers head coach Mike Thomas. At a young age, Northeast Lauderdale’s Kat Torrance was coached by her father, former Meridian High School and Meridian Community College standout Trey Torrance, who was known as an excellent player during his time. Like Thomas, the younger Torrance made the Premier Preps team as a midfielder.

Several of the Premier Preps members will be continuing their soccer careers beyond high school. Meridian High School defender Cassidy Hines — whom the team selected as its Most Valuable Player — will be at Belhaven University this coming school year. Thomas has signed with MCC, as has Campbell. Gaddie, meanwhile, will play soccer at Jones County Junior College upon graduation.

A defender isn’t typically relied upon to score a lot of goals, but Clarkdale’s Rayvnne Wilson was a multi-talented player for the Lady Bulldogs this past winter. In addition to playing defense, she also managed 12 goals and six assists for Clarkdale.

Two Neshoba Central players made the squad after contributing heavily to their squads this season, in more ways than one. Junior Mara Shelton was selected as a midfielder after helping to lead her squad as a team captain, and for tallying 12 goals and six assists on the season. Senior Anna Spears was selected as a defender after contributing to seven shutouts and playing a total of 1,274 minutes, which led her team.

Every single member who made the Premier Preps squad made at least their All-Region or All-District selections. In Kenney’s case, she was an All-State selection.

While the selection of the Premier Preps girls soccer team may be over, the upcoming Premier Preps banquet on May 22 will further honor these athletes while also selecting a player and coach of the year. Be on the lookout for more information on that banquet leading up to that night.

2016-17 Premier Preps Girls Soccer Team

EMBER TEMPLE

Forward

Eighth Grade

West Lauderdale

Why she’s here: Temple helped lead West Lauderdale to an undefeated season and its second-consecutive Class 4A state championship. She finished with 28 goals and 15 assists and made second-team All-Region.

AN’DRIA KENNEY

Forward

Senior

Lamar School

Why she’s here: Kenney helped lead Lamar School to its second-consecutive MAIS Class AAAA, Division 2 state championship, tallying 29 goals and more than 20 assists. She was also an All-State selection and made the MAIS All-Star game, and she was named offensive MVP.

LEYTON THOMAS

Midfielder

Senior

Southeast Lauderdale

Why’s she’s here: Thomas was named the Region 3 Most Valuable Midfielder for her season this past winter. She finished first-team All-Region the last for years and tallied five goals and 15 assists at the position this year. The last two years, she’s led Region 3 in assists with 17 and 15 assists, respectively. Thomas has signed with Meridian Community College to continue her soccer career.

CAROLINE GREEN

Midfielder

Sophomore

West Lauderdale

Why she’s here: Green was a key component of West Lauderdale’s back-to-back Class 4A titles. In addition to scoring seven goals and tallying 15 assists this season, Green was named the Region 5-4A Most Outstanding Player in addition to making first-team All-Region.

KAT TORRANCE

Midfielder

Freshman

Northeast Lauderdale

Why she’s here: Torrence was named the 2017 Region 5-4A Most Outstanding Midfielder this past season after scoring eight goals and dishing out seven assists for the Lady Trojans. She also made first-team All-Region.

MARA SHELTON

Midfielder

Junior

Neshoba Central

Why she’s here: ShelTon was the team captain for the Lady Rockets, scoring 12 goals and dishing out nine assists at the position. She had a .612 on-goal percentage and was also named to the All-Region team.

ERICA GADDIE

Defender

Senior

West Lauderdale

Why she’s here: As a defender, Gaddie contributed to 19 shutouts and was named the team’s defensive player of the year. She was also first-team All-Region 5-4A. Gaddie has signed with Jones County Junior College to continue her soccer career.

RAVYNNE WILSON

Defender

Sophomore

Clarkdale

Why she’s here: In 15 games this season, Wilson managed 12 goals and six assists for the Lady Bulldogs at the center defender position, landing a spot on the All-Region team.

ANNA SPEARS

Defender

Senior

Neshoba Central

Why she’s here: As a senior for the Lady Rockets, Spears contributed to seven shutouts, and her 1,274 minutes led the team. She was also named to the All-Region team and finished with three goals — all on headers — and one assist.

CASSIDY HINES

Defender

Senior

Meridian

Why she’s here: As team captain for the Lady Wildcats, Hines was named to the All-Region 5-6A team and earned Meridian’s most valuable player award. She finished the season with four goals and one assist and has signed with Belhaven University to continue her soccer career.

CLAIR CAMPBELL

Keeper

Senior

West Lauderdale

Why she’s here: Campbell allowed just three goals the entire season for the Lady Knights as she helped lead them to back-to-back Class 4A titles. She was named Region 5-4A’s Most Outstanding Goalkeeper after tallying 46 saves. Campbell has signed with Meridian Community College to continue her soccer career.