Top 15 rising high school sophomores in Weakley County for the 2025-26 school year

By Michael Odom | August 1, 2025 |

Westview quarterback Graham Simpson (6) drops back to pass against Alcoa during the Class 3A high school football state championship game in Chattanooga.

As the 2025-26 school year continues to near, we have broken down the top 15 rising seniors and juniors going into this season. This week, we look at the top 15 returning sophomores in Weakley County for the upcoming school year.

1. Graham Simpson (Westview football, boys basketball, baseball) – Simpson played quality minutes in three sports as a freshman – starting in two of them. In football, he is a highly recruited quarterback with multiple NCAA Division I offers. He helped lead the Chargers to the Class 3A state championship game with 14 wins and was a Class 3A Mr. Football finalist as he completed 239-of-315 passes for 4,135 yards and 57 touchdowns with only one interception. He also rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns. On the baseball field, Simpson helped lead the Chargers to their first-ever appearance in the Class 2A state tournament as he batted .427 with 44 hits – including one home run, two triples and seven doubles – along with 37 RBI and 33 stolen bases.

2. Drake Hickman (Westview football) – As a defensive lineman, Hickman helped the Chargers to a 14-win season and a spot in the Class 3A title game as he recorded 81 total tackles with 14 solo, 20 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

3. Westin Porter (Greenfield football) – Porter helped the Yellowjackets to a five-win season as he had a breakout freshman season. Porter has proven he can break through tackles and get up field against any team in Class 1A.

4. Bailey Collie (Dresden track & field and cross country) – Collie is one of the top long-distance runners in Weakley County. In cross country, Collie advanced to the Class A-AA state meet after finishing 10th with a time of 22:30.54. In track & field, Collie ran a leg of the 4×800-meter relay that finished third in the Class A state meet with a time of 10:06.87. She also finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:27.87.

5. Aiden Carrington (Dresden football) – Carrington had a breakout freshman season as the Lions picked up five wins and gained lots of experience. Defensively, he had 55 tackles with five tackles for loss, two interceptions – one returns for a touchdown – and one blocked kick. Offensively, he had 12 catches for 108 yards and one touchdown, and he had 14 carries for 99 yards rushing the ball. He also returned six kickoffs for 193 yards, including one for a touchdown.

6. Emma Parham (Dresden softball) – Parham helped lead the Lady Lions to the Class 1A state tournament last season as she batted .410 with six doubles and one home run, and she batted .562 in district play.

7. Vaughn Bounds (Dresden track & field, cross country) – Bounds had a strong rookie year in long-distance running. In cross country, Bounds finished 27th in the Region 7 A-AA race with a time of 18:29.82. In track & field, Bounds brought home a third-place and fourth-place finish from the Class A state meet. Bounds was third in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:34.18. He also finished fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.49.

8. Alistair Braddock (Westview boys tennis) – Braddock, the 2025 All-Weakley County boys tennis player of the year, played as the Chargers’ No. 1 singles player all season, and in the postseason, he joined with teammate Dylan Parker to reach the Region 7-A semifinals.

9. Hylan Leach (Gleason girls basketball) – Leach helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to the Region 7-1A quarterfinals last season as she averaged 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.7 assists.

10. Kaydance Papich (Westview girls soccer) – Papich played a key role on the Lady Chargers’ backline as she helped them become the first West Tennessee public school to reach the Class A state championship match finishing the season with 92 steals.

11. Jacie West (Dresden softball) – West helped the Lady Lions reach the Class 1A state tournament last season as she went 11-7 with 121.2 innings pitched. She had an ERA of 2.67 with 71 strikeouts. She went 6-1 in district play with an ERA of 0.53 and three strikeouts.

12. Lily Pash (Dresden cross country, track & field) – Pash also had a strong long-distance running year for the Lady Lions. In cross country, Pash finished 11th in the Region 7 A-AA meet and was one spot out of advancing to the Class A-AA state meet as she ran the region meet with a time of 22:40.11. In track & field, Pash ran a leg of the 4×800-meter relay that finished third in the Class A state meet with a time of 10:06.87.

13. Kohen McWherter (Westview baseball) – McWherter played a utility role as the Chargers advanced to the Class 2A state tournament for the first time in program history. He batted .355 with 27 total hits – including two home runs and four doubles – to go with 17 RBI.

14. Baker Biggs (Greenfield baseball) – Biggs was a starting infielder for the Yellowjackets as they won 19 games last season. He batted .356 with a .495 on-base percentage and 30 runs.

15. Carson Brownlow-Rendon (Dresden cross country, track & field) – Brownlow-Rendon had a strong freshman season running. In cross country, he finished 16th in the Region 7 A-AA race with a time of 17:52.95. In track & field, Brownlow-Rendon finished seventh in the 3200-meter run at the Class A West Sectional as he finished with a time of 10:45.05.

Michael Odom is the sports editor for the Mirror-Exchange, Weakley County Press, Brownsville States-Graphic and Fayette Falcon. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @GCSportsWriter. Reach him by email at michaelodom@milanmirrorexchange.com.