Monday, May 9, was another very special day on the campus of Jackson Academy for the Class of 2022. Four senior athletes and two Gatorade Players of The Year were honored at a ceremony in the Performing Arts Center. This marked 18 total signings for this school year, breaking last year’s record at 11 signings. Jackson Academy now totals seven Gatorade Players of The Year, four of those being Lady Raider Volleyball players.
Grayson Lee has been a member of the Raider Baseball team since the eighth grade. This year he is tied for the team lead in wins with a 4-2 record and an ERA of 3.84 ERA, and he leads the team with 38.1 innings of work. He signed to continue his academic and athletic career in baseball with Coahoma Community College.
Garrett Smith has been a member of the Raider Baseball team since the eighth grade. This year he is batting .333 with seven doubles, 18 RBIs, and 23 runs scored. He leads the team with ten hit-by pitches. He signed to continue his academic and athletic career in baseball with Coahoma Community College.
JT Thigpen has been a member of the Raider Baseball team since the eighth grade. JT is in the top three of nine offensive categories for the Raiders this season, including a .427 batting average, seven home runs, and 35 RBIs. He has a lifetime JA batting average of .399. He signed to continue his academic and athletic career in baseball with Southwest Mississippi Community College.
Cha’Myrean Ellis has been a member of the Lady Raider Basketball team since the tenth grade. She finished her JA basketball career with 861 points and 448 rebounds and as a member of the 2021 State Championship team. She signed to continue her academic and athletic career in basketball at Mississippi Delta Community College.
Our two most recent Gatorade Players of The Year were also recognized last Monday. With these two latest announcements, Jackson Academy now has seven total Gatorade Players of The Year, including four in the last three years.
First up, Emery Thigpen. Emery made school history by earning JA’s first Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year in boys soccer. Emery rounded out his senior season with 14 goals and 18 assists, and a State Championship. After an impressive resume of academic achievement, community involvement, and volunteer work at Jackson Academy, Emery attended Ole Miss. He just finished his freshman year there.
Lakin Laurendine, a future Auburn Tiger, also made a piece of school history by claiming the Gatorade Player of the Year title. Lady Raider Volleyball has now claimed the Gatorade Player of the Year honor for the third consecutive year, with Parker Bracken having won the previous two Gatorade Player of the Year honors. This season, Lakin led the state of Mississippi in kills with 509, which puts her fourth in school history in that category. She also had 378 digs and 111 aces in helping lead JA to a 38-8 record, their third straight State Championship, and seventh overall.
