Since arriving at The Columbian-Progress in August 2016, I have been blessed to witness an exorbitant number of extraordinary athletes right here in Marion County. From multi-sport stars to one-sport wrecking crews and from the prep ranks to the pros, it’s been a joy to see how much talent our small county has produced over the past four years.
This is a list contrived from my personal opinion highlighting the Top 10 athletes I’ve seen play in the county since I started. The rankings are weighted more toward players who excelled in several sports because it’s difficult for an athlete to reach an elite level in more than one sport at a time, let alone four a la Wiley Cleland.
Slade Wilks: Wilks is the singular, most dominant player I’ve seen in Marion County without question. He’s a one-man wrecking crew for Columbia Academy baseball and was on pace to set the career home run record in Mississippi history before play was suspended because of the coronavirus. The Southern Miss signee had hit 50 long balls. While he only plays baseball now and this list is weighted some in favor of multi-sport athletes, Wilks was just as talented in football and basketball before giving both up to stay healthy for his future on the diamond.
Jarveon Howard: Howard absolutely carried East Marion on his back for four years and has continued to be a force in college at Syracuse. The running back could do it all on the gridiron with breakaway speed, power and elusiveness. He was also a great defensive back as well. Howard also started in baseball early in high school before focusing solely on football.
Shelby Terrell: With an upper 80s fastball, a curveball that buckled many knees and a devastating changeup, Terrell is the best pitcher to play in Marion County in the last four years. While his stuff was undoubtedly great, it was command and stamina that truly made him a star. He had the ability to throw a ton of strikes, keep his pitch count low and pitch deep into ball games unlike many prep pitchers. He was a big-game pitcher as well and never shied away from the big moment. He currently plays at Pearl River Community College.
Tytianna Porter: Porter is the perfect personification of a multi-sport star. From volleyball to basketball to softball and ultimately to track, there was no sport she didn’t dominate at East Marion. Porter was both the best basketball and volleyball player in Marion County since 2016, and she didn’t even end up going to college for either. She signed a scholarship to William Carey for track, which she won multiple state titles in as both a hurdler and a sprinter.
Devin Daniels: Daniels may be the least imposing athlete on this list at just 5-foot-8, but he played like a much bigger man in football, baseball and basketball at East Marion. A four-year starter at quarterback, Daniels developed into the Eagles’ sole source of offense and led them to a district title as a senior and the south state championship as a junior. He was also the starting point guard on East Marion’s first state championship team in basketball, and he’s been East Marion’s best baseball player since he was a freshman. It’s shocking he hasn’t signed to play in college yet in either football or baseball or both.
Wiley Cleland: Cleland was a big reason Columbia Academy enjoyed a remarkable year in athletics in 2016-2017. He led the Cougars to an 8-2 regular season as the starting quarterback in football and helped them host their first playoff game in nearly 20 years. He was the leading scorer on the basketball team that won the south state title. And he hit 13 homers as a senior as CA’s shortstop and tossed a one-run complete game in CA’s clinching Game 3 in the state championship series against Central Hinds Academy. He was also an accomplished archer for the Cougars. Simply put, he dominated in every sport he played. Cleland is currently the starting second baseman for Louisiana-Monroe.
Vashon Sims: Although his story hit a pretty big speedbump and his high school career isn’t over yet, Sims did enough as a freshman and a sophomore in both basketball and baseball to warrant a spot on this list. In fact, in my opinion, Sims is the best pound-for-pound athlete I’ve seen in Marion County when it comes to pure explosiveness and athleticism. He missed his junior year because of a back injury suffered in a car accident, but he should return next season as a senior. If he gets back to 100%, you’ll regret not taking a trip to East Marion to witness him play.
Kentrel Bullock: Speed kills. There were a lot of things that made Bullock special on the football field but none more so than 4.38 speed. If he found an open crease, there was no catching him, and he destroyed pursuit angles. There were several games he played for the Wildcats where he just took over as the best player on the field, and he’s likely to add to his highlight reel next season at Ole Miss.
Lauren Rowley: Rowley is yet another example of a multi-sport athlete. While her best sport was basketball, which she continues to play at William Carey, she was also a multi-year starter in softball at Columbia Academy. But the way she was able to control a game on the hardwood at the high school level was special. She could get anywhere she wanted and was a true three-level scorer.
Jamison Kelly: Although he focused only on football in high school, Kelly is hands down the most impressive defensive player Marion County has seen in recent years. His instincts as a ball-hawking free safety are second to none, evidenced by 11 interceptions his last two seasons despite missing the first six games of his senior year. His ability to read a quarterback’s eyes along with his closing speed kept opposing offenses from attacking the Wildcats deep. He was also a punishing tackler and had a number of monster hits coming downhill. Kelly should have a chance to play as a freshman at Louisiana Tech next season.
Honorable Mention: Columbia’s Fred Peters likely would have made this list had I seen him during his junior year, but he fought a foot injury as a senior and I didn’t get to witness him at 100%. He now plays safety at Mississippi State. CA’s Tate Duncan barely missed out on the list because his dominance didn’t truly begin until his junior year despite starting as a sophomore in basketball. He’s signed to play baseball at Hinds Community College. Adrian Miller had a record-breaking senior year at quarterback for the Trojans after playing at an all-state level as a junior at receiver. He moved back to receiver for two years at East Mississippi Community College. East Marion’s Wanya Cook was a bully both on the defensive line and as a running back but only starred in football and chose not to pursue football in college.
