West Lauderdale golfer Stephen Jackson, front row, second from left, signs Friday morning in the school’s library to continue his career at Meridian Community College. Pictured with him are, from left, front row, mother Lori Jackson; back row, Knights golf coach Bryan Miley and father Benjamin Jackson.

Stephen Jackson picked up golf after watching his dad play at Lakeview Golf Course when he was a child.

That love eventually led to him joining the West Lauderdale golf team, and several years ago, he was approached by Meridian Community College coach Ronnie Key.

“Both of my buddies, Logan Meadows and Dalton Baskins, are at MCC, and we were playing in a tournament up at Northwood (Country Club) during my freshman year,” Jackson recalled. “I was able to form a relationship with him; plus, I’ve known I wanted to go to MCC for two years now.”

Friday morning, he made that wish a reality by signing a letter of intent to continue his education and golf career at the school. Not only will he be playing for a coach with whom he’s developed a good rapport, but he’ll also be close by to continue getting lessons from the man that started his interest in golf.

“If I had gotten a Division I offer, I probably would have gone, but I do like that I’m staying home, and I can still work with my dad,” Jackson said. 

Jackson’s father, Benjamin Jackson, would take his son along on golf outings when the younger Jackson was 10, and he remembers those outings and how they ultimately led to him falling in love with the sport.

“I would ride along and practice with him, and I kind of got into it,” Jackson said. “I mostly worked with my dad, and he can be a tough coach, but he’s always pushed me to be my best. I’ve always strived to be perfect, even though I know I can’t be.”

Now that his college career is ahead of him, Jackson said he’s ready to see how much farther he can go as a golfer.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “I’m ready to see what they have to offer, and I’m ready to better my game and do the best I can for MCC.”

Jackson is also the son of Lori Jackson.

CASTLEBERRY TO COACH BOYS SOCCER

Several weeks ago, West Lauderdale boys soccer coach Bryan Miley stepped down from the position, and Northeast Lauderdale boys soccer coach Matt Castleberry spoke with West Lauderdale principal Shane Rodgers about the opening.

Monday morning, Castleberry was named as the Knights’ new head soccer coach.

A 2006 graduate of West Lauderdale, Castleberry has also coached the sport with the Meridian Youth Soccer Organization, giving him not only a familiarity with the school, but also with the soccer players, many of whom grew up playing in the MYSO.

“I’ve probably coached 90 percent of these guys at one point or another,” Castleberry said. 

The chance to come back and coach at his alma mater was too much to pass up, Castleberry said, especially since he was ready for a new challenge as a coach.

“I thought it was time for something different,” Castleberry explained. “Any time you’re somewhere for a long time, you can grow stagnant, but what we established (at Northeast Lauderdale), I feel like it’s on the right track, so it was a good time for me to step aside.

“It brings back memories, walking down the hall. It definitely hasn’t changed a lot. It’s a great feeling.”

West Lauderdale and Northeast Lauderdale play in the same division in MHSAA Class 4A, so Castleberry already has a scouting report on most of his returning players not only from coaching against them, but from also watching them grow up in MYSO.

“Obviously, they’ve gotten bigger and learned different things, but I know their tendencies,” he said. “There’s familiarity on both sides.”

After Rodgers introduced Castleberry to the school’s boys soccer players, one of his first messages was the necessity of playing for a club or travel team during the offseason, as well as participating in cross country during the fall if they weren’t planning to play football.

“It’s very important,” Castleberry said. “Unfortunately for high school, we don’t get a ton of time with them. There’s a six-month break, and you have to try to build off of what we learned six months ago. If you get them in October and they aren’t fit, you have to get them fit before you can train them.”