I will wrap up this movie marathon by watching the underrated tearjerker, 1982’s Savannah Smiles. When I want to watch a show that will make me cry, this is at the top of the list. Jeff West’s Jackson is the unheralded glue on a team loaded with top-ranked Kansas talent. While I hope she never runs away from home or gets falsely kidnapped, Jackson’s game only makes me smile. She can set and play solid backrow defense. Like this film’s underrated supporting actor, Pat Morita, Jackson is just waiting for her chance to be in a starring role. Morita, two years later, would go on to star in 1984’s The Karate Kid as Mr. Miyagi. Jackson has the skills to play a significant role at the college level. She is ranked No. 98 overall in the Kansas Class of 2027.

I could have picked multiple Jefferson West athletes for this list. I usually catch the Tigers at least once a season, usually in Holton. Maybe this season I will make an extra effort to scout a match in Meridan. Jackson is ranked No. 74 overall by Prep Dig Kansas. I chose Jackson to feature, because I would like to scout a match so I can watch her skill set closer than I have before. The Tigers have multiple players ranked in the Top 50, and I saw three of them a lot this summer at camps and on the club scene, including their top setter. In the past, I have tended to focus on that other group and not honed in one her game enough.