Denise Peters

Peters gave new meaning to the term ‘multi-sport athlete’ before graduating from Jacksonville High School in 1998. Volleyball was her fall sport. In the winter, she played basketball. Soccer and track occupied her in the spring. Her track seasons included both running events and field events. Not only did she play, she played at a high level.

          In basketball, Peters played on the varsity team for five years. At the annual Calhoun County basketball tournament, she was selected as an all-tournament player in the eighth grade, ninth grade and tenth grade. When Jacksonville defeated Oxford 41-33 for the 1997 county tournament championship, Peters was named the most valuable player in the tournament. The Golden Eagles won the county tournament title again in 1998, besting Anniston 42-27, and Peters was MVP for the second consecutive year.     

           In the 1997 Class 4A Northeast Regional tournament, Jacksonville downed Hayden 60-25 in the semifinal round then blasted Boaz 39-19 in the title game. Peters was Northeast Regional MVP. She was named second-team All-State by the Alabama Sports Writers Association as a junior in 1997 and honorable mention All-State as a senior.    

        The 5-foot-4 Peters was an undersized outside hitter in volleyball. In both her junior and senior seasons, she led the Golden Eagles to the semifinal round of the state tournament and was picked for the all-tournament team.

    Peters began participating in track as an eighth-grader in 1994. That year, she helped Jacksonville win the Class 4A state meet by finishing second in the triple jump. At the 4A state meet in her sophomore year, Peters finished third in the long jump. In 1998, at her final Calhoun County track meet, she sailed 17 feet, 5.5 inches to win the long jump. Today, that distance remains the Calhoun County record in the girls’ long jump. At the 1998 state 4A meet, Peters was second in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump.           

        Girls soccer came to Jacksonville High School late. Peters played for three years. As a junior, her devastating speed helped her score 13 goals and assist on 23 more despite playing a defensive and she earned All-State recognition. She was All-State again her senior season.

       None of her athletic accomplishments in high school surprised anyone who had known her in elementary school. Calling softball boring, she played baseball with and against the boys. She earned a place on the recreation department age-group all-star teams five of the six years she played baseball. As a 12-year-old, she started at second base for Jacksonville’s Bronco all-stars.    

   Peters was a Class 4A region winner in the Bryant-Jordan Scholar-Athlete program and graduated as salutatorian of her class.

     She attended the University of Alabama-Birmingham on a full academic scholarship and played collegiate soccer as a walk-on. Peters was second team all-conference as a sophomore and first team as a senior. She led the Blazers in goals both seasons.