With September coming to an end, one dragon in particular at Collierville High School has been a colossal standout in our athletics department. Son of a former Memphis Tigers wide receiver, Damien Dodson, Collierville varsity wide receiver, Joakim Dodson, has reserved his place here on our field.

With only being a junior, Dodson has 15 offers from colleges all around and is the lead 6A in all of Tennessee for receivers. ABC’s Local Memphis News affirms that “one of Collierville’s most dynamic offensive weapons is wide receiver Joakim Dodson.” Growing up, Dodson was surrounded by athletes. While Joakim and Damien Dodson were both wide receivers, Joakim reasons that “his style of play differs from his dads.” Dodson looks up to his father, for he was a divine player; however, Dodson’s goal is to not be his dad, but to be better.

Dodson was born in Tennessee where he first played football at Memphis University School for 3 years before coming to Collierville at the end of his freshman year. He began playing for Collierville his sophomore year which in total he tells us that he had “31 yards, 31 receptions, and 4 touchdowns.” So far this year, only playing 4 games, Dodson has already surpassed his stats from last year with “428 yards, 26 receptions, and 4 touchdowns.”

While dedicating his hours out of school to football, he is also enrolled in advanced classes where he maintains a 4.0 GPA. With this, next time you attend a Collierville High football game, make sure to keep an eye out for number 4 as Dodson and all his fellow teammates bring home another dragon win!