Wylie East senior wide receiver Amarean Porter will look to build on a strong junior season in which he had 60 catches for 1,037 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Photo by Maddie Smith / C&S Media
By David Wolman
A large senior class that graduated from Wylie East this spring left an indelible mark during its time competing for the Raiders. The good news: many underclassmen from last year are ready to step into leadership roles and become key statistical contributors for their respective teams.
The Wylie News is proud to take a closer look at those returners who are expected to make a big impact for the Raiders during the upcoming school year.
Amarean Porter, Sr., Football
Porter is back to lead a Wylie East wide receiving corps that has the potential to be the top unit in all of District 9-6A. The incoming senior finished sixth in receiving yards for all Class 6A wide receivers in the Dallas area with 60 catches for 1,037 yards (17.28 average) and 12 touchdowns last season. Porter has fielded a total of 13 Division I offers, including Arkansas, Arkansas State, Colorado State, Incarnate Word, Kent State, Miami, Michigan State, North Texas, San Diego State, Texas State, Tulsa, UNLV and UTEP.
Jayleigh Dressler, Sr., Softball
Dressler, a catcher, backstopped a deep pitching rotation that helped to lead the Lady Raiders to their first-ever district championship this year. The incoming senior also provided a huge source of power for a Wylie East offense that finished with a .343 batting average. Dressler hit .407 with seven home runs, 35 RBIs and a team-high 22 extra-base hits. She was named to the All-District 9-6A first team following the conclusion of last season.
Joel Gonzalez, Sr., Boys Soccer
Wylie East enjoyed a huge turnaround in district play this season, improving from 4-8-4 during the 2024 season to 8-7-1 this year, and a big reason behind that improvement was the play of Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a midfielder/striker, was named to the All-District 9-6A first team. Gonzalez will look to help lead the Raiders to their first playoff appearance since the 2022 season.
Jordan Turner, Sr., Volleyball
Turner enters this season having to adjust to a new group of hitters after Wylie East lost four of their top five kills leaders to graduation, but the incoming senior setter is working hard to adjust. Turner, a University of Memphis commit, was limited to 71 sets last year because of injury, but still managed to rack up 514 assists during her junior season, for which she earned a selection on the All-District 9-6A first team.
Madison Akers, Sr., Cross Country/Girls Soccer/Track and Field
The Wylie East incoming senior will look to help to lead the Lady Raiders to a third consecutive district title in cross country. Last season, she was crowned the 9-6A individual champion, finishing in a time of 19 minutes, 48 seconds.
Akers was also a standout on the soccer field. Named to the District 9-6A second team, Akers, a defender, recorded two assists during district play. The Lady Raiders played in the regional final for the third year in a row.
During the spring track season, Akers broke the school record in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:43.79 and was a regional qualifier in the 800 and 3,200.
Morgan Jennings, Jr., Girls Basketball
Despite playing in just 22 of Wylie East’s 36 games this past season because of injury, Jennings, a forward, made a huge difference when she was in the game. Named to the All-District 9-6A first team, Jennings finished third on the team in scoring (9.5 points per game) to go along with 77 total rebounds, 18 blocks and 30 steals. The Lady Raiders won their first playoff game in four years and finished with 18 victories.
Nash Chapman, Sr., Football
Wylie East comes into this season in search of its third consecutive playoff win and a third straight season of at least 10 wins. The Raiders will turn to Chapman to lead the charge on the defensive line. Wylie East had the district’s defensive player of the year last season – alumnus Jayden Janshego – and Chapman is expected to be one of the front runners for the award this season. As a junior, Chapman recorded 58 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries.
Parker Brunson, Jr., Baseball
Named the District 9-6A co-newcomer of the year last season, Brunson, a shortstop, was an offensive force for Wylie East. Hitting in the No. 2 spot in Wylie East’s batting order, he recorded a .353 batting average over those games, drove in 15 runs and drew six walks. The Raiders finished last season with a 17-12 record and made the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
Sophie Preston, Jr., Girls Soccer
Preston is expected to again be a major contributor for Wylie East, which seeks a fourth consecutive appearance in the regional final. As a junior, Preston, a midfielder/forward, scored 12 goals and added 13 assists, for which she was recognized on the All-District 9-6A first team.
Tyree Washington, Sr., Track and Field
One year after winning the district title in the triple jump in his first season competing for the Wylie East varsity track and field team, Washington repeated as district champion this year – only this time, he made it all the way to the state meet in Austin. Washington qualified for state for the first time after he finished in second place in the Region II-6A meet with a distance of 47 feet, 11.5 inches. At the Class 6A state meet at the University of Texas at Austin, Washington finished in eighth place with a leap of 47 feet, 2.35 inches.
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