Knoxville 2021 Preseason All-Metro Girls

The balance of Class AAA power in Tennessee might be shifting eastward thanks to the list of players below. Years of dominance by Houston in the far reaches of the southwestern part of the state gave way to a Nashville area’s Ravenwood, in the central part of the state, winning the past two Class AAA state titles. Now, Knoxville power Bearden is positioned for a state title run in 2021, and local rivals Farragut and Maryville figure to be state-level factors for the foreseeable future. There was a hint of shift on last year’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State Team. Four of the five underclass players who made the 12-player list reside in Knoxville. Here’s a glance at the players to watch this fall: <strong>FORWARDS:</strong> Rising junior [player_tooltip player_id="26207" first="Brinley" last="Murphy"] is a coveted prospect who is soon expected to make a verbal commitment with SEC programs in the leading positions. As a sophomore, Murphy netted 21 goals with 14 assists. She was named the District 2-AAA Forward of the Year and a TSWA All-State pick and shared 5Star Preps Player of the Year honors with Maryville’s Kayla Barr. ... Barr also is a top prospect who will have her choice of NCAA Division I programs. She was the District 4-AAA and All-Region 2 Player of the Year in 2020. She was named to the TSWA all-state team following a 29-goal, seven-assist season. <strong>MIDFIELDERS: </strong>Another rising junior, Becca Roth, is starting to garner attention after a 15-goal, 11-assist sophomore season. ... Emmie Harville provided three game-winning goals among her eight goals last season. ... [player_tooltip player_id="26214" first="Claire" last="Palya"] has earned all-district and all-region honors the past three seasons. She is coming off a 15-goal, seven-assist season. ... Midfielder [player_tooltip player_id="26274" first="Megan" last="Carroll"] is the other half of Maryville’s potent offense. She scored 10 goals with five assists last year as Maryville reached the AAA state tournament. ... Lia Schroeder earned Division II-A Midfielder of the Year honors following an 18-goal, 12-assist season in 2020. <strong>DEFENDERS:</strong> Defender [player_tooltip player_id="26188" first="Alayna" last="Corbitt"] is back after earning District 2-AAA Defender of the Year honors. She anchored a defense that posted 13 shutouts en route to a 21-2 season for Bearden. ... Abigail Davis was the District 4-AAA Defender of the Year last season. ... Olivia Norris anchored a defense that recorded 12 shutouts. She was selected as the District 1-AA Defensive Player of the Year last season. <strong>GOALKEEPER:</strong> Caroline Ekern posted eight shutouts and helped Farragut to district and region runner-up finishes last season. She was one of two goalkeepers named to the TSWA all-state team. [table id=58 /]