Top 15 rising sophomores in Gibson County for the 2026-27 school year

By Michael Odom | July 21, 2026 |

South Gibson’s Jaci Walters (14) dribbles the ball up the field against Dyersburg during the District 13-AA girls soccer championship at Dyersburg on Oct. 16, 2025.

Over the past two weeks, we have looked at the top returning seniors and top returning juniors for the four schools in Gibson County.

This week, we look at the top 15 returning sophomores. This is a much harder category to decide upon because freshmen don’t always get playing time with the varsity team.

But here are the top 15 sophomores in Gibson County:

1. Jaci Walters (South Gibson girls soccer) – Walters stepped into a start role for the Lady Hornets as the team graduated some key offensive threats. She helped lead South Gibson back to the Class AA state tournament as she scored 17 goals to go with two assists.

2. Avery Olsen (Peabody girls soccer) – Olsen came in and was named the District 14-A offensive player of year in leading the Lady Tide to the Region 7-A semifinals. She scored 22 goals to go with four assists.

3. Brooklyn Armstrong (Bradford girls basketball) – Armstrong played her full season with the Lady Red Devils after joining the varsity team as an eighth-grader after the middle school season ended. She helped Bradford to the Region 7-1A quarterfinals as she averaged 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

4. Ace DiCihara (South Gibson boys soccer) – DiChiara was a scoring threat from the start of his rookie season. He played a key role in helping the Hornets reach the Class AA state semifinals for the first time in program history. He finished the season with 18 goals and nine assists.

5. Acie Allen (South Gibson girls basketball) – Allen made her mark for the Lady Hornets as a freshman, showing her ball handling ability and a shooter’s touch. She will have big shoes to step int as she takes over the main ballhandler, a spot held by Karson Dunn last season.

6. Justin Ramirez (Milan boys soccer) – After the Bulldogs lost 10 seniors to graduation the previous spring, they needed players willing to step into new roles. Ramirez was one of those players in the midfield. He helped Milan to a third-place finish in District 14-2A and was named the offensive MVP of the district. He finished with 19 goals to go with 10 assists.

7. Terrell Cole (Humboldt boys basketball) – Cole played a key role in the Vikings fighting their was to the Class 1A state championship game after winning the District 13-1A and Region 7-1A championships. He averaged 5.5 points and 2.0 rebounds, while shooting 32.7 percent from 3-point range.

8. Max Hammonds (Peabody boys basketball) – Hammonds came off the bench last year to provide a spark for the Golden Tide as they reached the Class 2A state quarterfinals. He averaged 3.7 points and 3.2 rebounds, while he shot 41 percent from 3-point range.

9. Leiland Neely (Milan boys soccer) – Neely came in and gave the Bulldogs some balance in attack, and he was key in the team finishing third in District 14-A. He scored 14 goals to go with three assists.

10. Colt Delagarde (South Gibson baseball) – Delagarde stepped behind the plate and had some strong games there throughout the second half of the season. He was a wall at catcher for multiple South Gibson pitchers. He has been working over the summer and is expected to play an even bigger role this coming spring.

11. Cannon Caraway (South Gibson football) – Caraway has been tabbed as the starting quarterback for the Hornets at this point in the preseason. He has put in the work over the summer to take over a program that reached program history by making the Class 4A state semifinals.

12. Parker Sparks (Milan baseball, basketball) – Sparks started getting more minutes on the basketball court and baseball diamond as his freshman seasons progressed. Sparks can handle the ball on the basketball court, and he replaced Will Johnson at shortstop when Johnson was on the mound. He also pitched 8.1 innings in relief with one save. He struck out eight batters.

13. Ann Marie Birmingham (Bradford softball) – Birmingham played a key role behind the plate as the Lady Red Devils made their first-ever appearance in the Class 1A state tournament. She batted .366 with four doubles, 14 RBI and 28 runs.

14. Eden Crutchfield (South Gibson girls tennis) – Crutchfield stepped right into a top-five singles spot and helped the Lady Hornets find success. She was the No. 3 singles player and helped the team win the District 15-A championship, and she teamed with Kyndall Wigger as a doubles team to win the District 15-A championship and finish as the Region 8-A runner-up.

15. Willow Criswell (Milan girls soccer, girls tennis) – Criswell showed her poise on the soccer pitch and on the tennis court as a rookie. In tennis, she played as the Lady Bulldogs’ No. 1 singles player, and in the postseason, she teamed with her sister Addison Criswell to reach the District 14-A quarterfinals. In girls soccer, she scored seven goals and added three assists as the Lady Bulldogs won seven matches – the most in program history.

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.