Karissa Tatum named Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year in Walker County.

Karissa Tatum (Sr.), LaFayette

Karissa Tatum scored 10 goals and collected four assists this past season, which was six goals and 11 assists less than she scored when she earned Walker County Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year honors as a freshman.

But just the fact that she was able to play at all was big for Tatum and the LaFayette Lady Ramblers.

A knee injury, suffered prior to the start of her junior season on the pitch, robbed her of an entire year playing the sport.

However, after recovering and rehabbing in time to play volleyball in the fall, Tatum finally made her return to the soccer field and turned in yet another great season, her final one with the Orange-and-Black.

And today, she walks away from the sport with another Walker County Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year award to bookend her career.

“It feels good (to win the award), but I was just glad I got to play again in my senior year,” she said. “It made me happy to just be out there one more time with the girls.”

“We missed her so much last year, but she came back and she really played the same as she did when she played for me her freshman and sophomore years,” head coach Whitney Brown explained. “She also had to be a leader for us this year, despite not having played last year. Plus, we needed her to score goals and she was able to do both of those jobs very well.”

Tatum said she had a few nerves to work out once the season began.

“I had to get back into volleyball (earlier in the year) and I had to get used to playing soccer again, too,” she said. “I was nervous to start out, but it was probably about the second game when I realized I was going to be okay. I just wanted to have fun with everyone.”

And in didn’t take Tatum too long to get back in the swing of things. She booted home four goals in a win over Chattooga in the third game of the season and had a hat trick in a win at county and region rival Ridgeland.

Tatum made the decision earlier this year to pursue

volleyball in college and has signed on to play at (NCAA) Division I Savannah State. Still, she says she will miss the sport she grew up playing.

“I know Savannah State doesn’t have a soccer team and I’m not sure if they have intramurals,” she added, “but I’ll miss soccer a whole lot. I’ll never forget going (to the state playoffs) my freshman year and all the games my senior year. It was so much fun and everyone on the team was so great.”

Brown added that Tatum would be remembered as one of the best girls’ soccer player to ever come through LaFayette High School.

“We have some younger players coming up behind her now that are going to be some of the top girls we’ve had at LaFayette, but (Karissa’s) ability to score ranks right up there with some of the best players we’ve ever had come through here,” the coach said. “You can pass her the ball and she can score. She could get the whole offense going because she just seemed to have that knack for putting the ball in the back of the net.

“She was calm, cool and collected out on the field and I definitely think she was worthy of being named the Player of the Year.”