POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Emmaleigh Davis only had one season in the maroon and gold but made sure to leave a legacy.

The only First Team All-American in Pearl River women's soccer history will be recognized alongside representatives from the other 14 community colleges during the 2025 Mississippi Community Colleges Sports Hall of Fame ceremony on April 22. The celebration will be held at Hinds Community College's Clyde Muse Center.

"It's an incredible honor. After I was put into Pearl River's Hall of Fame, I didn't realize there was another step," Davis said. "Knowing that I am Pearl River's first women's soccer inductee is special. My kids will get to experience this, so that's exciting. Pearl River allowed me to take a step back and learn to love soccer again. It was the best year of my college life and ranks up there with the best years of my life. I'm forever grateful for my time there and wish I could have had more years."

Davis was inducted into the Pearl River Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

A YEAR FOR THE RECORDS BOOKS
Davis was an elite high school soccer player at Resurrection Catholic, leaving as the program's career goals record holder with an incredible 136. Her talent and eye-popping numbers allowed her to chase the Division I dream after graduation, signing to continue her athletic career with Memphis. Davis was heavily featured for the Tigers in the 2010 season, scoring three goals and assisting on another across 21 contests. The Tigers even went on to win the Conference USA Championship, but Davis was missing home and decided a change was needed.

"I liked my time there soccer-wise, but I didn't expect the impact it was going to have on me being so far away from home," she said. "I missed my family and friends and knew I needed to go back home."

She decided to transfer and began exploring her options. After initially verbally committing to William Carey, Hall of Fame Pearl River women's soccer coach Jack Byrd convinced Davis to at least come to take a look at PRCC's campus — one look and Davis was hooked.

"I fell in love when we pulled onto campus. I hadn't even gotten out of the car yet and knew that's where I wanted to be," Davis said. "I met with coach Jack, and he told me about the plans for the program and what we could accomplish together. He pushed me to hang out with the girls and see what it was like at Pearl River. That was all I needed to decide that Pearl River was exactly where I needed to be."

Davis enrolled at The River ahead of the 2011 season and went on to have the most historic season in the program's history, scoring 30 goals and assisting on 21 more — both of which are still single-season program records. Her 30 goals ranked fifth nationally, and her 21 assists were the second-most in the country. With Davis' elite creation ability, Pearl River advanced all the way to the MACJC Championship game, sitting with a record of 19-0. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up short in the title game, falling 1-0 to end the season 19-1.

"We just had a unit of a team that worked really well together," Davis said. "The disappointment of losing the final is always heavy on my heart — especially after going undefeated in conference play before it. We had a blast every single time we went out there, and I could never have achieved what I did without my teammates."

The awards started to flow for Davis as soon as the season ended, snatching MACJC All-State and All-Region 23 honors. A couple of weeks later, the National Junior College Athletic Association released its All-America teams. When the list was out, Davis became the first First Team All-American in Pearl River women's soccer history — a feat that remains to this day.

"It was really cool when I found out," she said. "They posted it on the national website, and everyone was freaking out about it. I don't think I really appreciated it as much as I should have because I was still mad about losing the championship game. It still surprises me that I'm still the only First Team selection. There have been some incredibly talented players at Pearl River."

When her time as a Wildcat wrapped up, Davis moved on to William Carey for the next two years of her career. She had an injury-riddled junior season but was still named the program's Rookie of the Year. When 2013 rolled around, Davis exploded for the Crusaders, scoring 27 goals, which ranks second in a single season in William Carey's history. The Crusaders went on to win the SSAC Regular Season Championship and followed it by winning the SSAC Tournament Championship to advance to the National Tournament. When the season wrapped up, Davis was named First Team All-SSAC and took home the conference's Player of the Year award. Shortly after, she was named an NSCAA Second Team All-American. 

POST-PLAYING CAREER
Davis returned to Pearl River as an assistant coach under Jack Byrd in 2014, helping the Wildcats to a 9-5-2 record and a MACJC/Region 23 Championship. The Wildcats defeated previously undefeated Jones College in the semifinal and took down Gulf Coast in the championship game. She assisted for half a season in 2015 before leaving to finish her education.

Davis is now a firefighter with the City of Moss Point and Jackson County. She and her wife Emily have four children: Nolan (8), Ari (7), Henry (6), and Reese (1).

PAST INDUCTEES 
Davis joins a star-studded list of Pearl River inductees in the Mississippi Community Colleges Sports Hall of Fame. Other Wildcats included are Willie Heidelberg (2007), Dobie Holden (2007), Tommy Walters (2008), Jerrell Wilson (2008), Frank "Twig" Branch (2009), J.E. Loiacano (2010), Bobby Weaver (2011), Mack Cochran (2012), Steve Regan (2013), Doug Daniels (2014), J. Larry Ladner (2015), Jeffery Posey (2016), Jay Artigues (2017), Larry Whigham (2018), Elaine Powell (2020), Wendell Magee (2021), LaRue Saulters (2022), Jimmy Oliver (2023) and James Singleton (2024).

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