March 28, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
Another outstanding DCHS Lady Tiger soccer athlete is moving on to the collegiate level after she graduates from high school.
Rainey Tiner, a senior, signed a letter of intent Friday afternoon to play for Southwest Tennessee Community College at Memphis.
Tiner’s parents, Doyne and Margie Glass helped her celebrate along with DCHS Soccer Coach Dylan Kleparek (Coach K), her fellow teammates, DeKalb Middle School Coaches Justin Nokes and Cameron Lester along with Travel Ball Coach Davis Draper of the All-In Futbol Club TN of Cookeville.
“My decision on where I would go to college came down to Southwest and another school, but I chose Southwest after I went to ID camp there. I just fit really well with the team and I got along with the coach. He showed me around Memphis. I just felt more comfortable with them,” said Tiner.
In addition to furthering her soccer career, Tiner plans to study criminal justice at Southwest and then go on to the police academy to become a law enforcement officer.
Since she was a young child, Tiner has had a passion for soccer and has worked to hone her skills over the years.
“I have played soccer since I was in Middle School. Coach K was my coach even before I got to high school. I played in the recreation league for him, and Coach Davis Draper has been my travel ball coach. I like the team (DCHS Lady Tigers). We all grew up together. I played in the rec league with them and travel ball with some of them,” said Tiner.
“A highlight of my high school soccer career was when I scored a winning goal in a game against Livingston Academy, a school we hadn’t beaten in a lot of years,” added Tiner.
As for her high school studies, “I like geometry and I like the coding class I have right now where we make(computer) games,” said Tiner.
“Rainey is a fantastic athlete. A soccer player who has put in the time and work,” said Coach K. “She has played since she was little. Rainey played rec league ball for me as a young girl and worked her way up, playing travel soccer. She has earned her way. Rainey is the kind of player you can put anywhere on the field, and she can play. She played defense for us this past season but she has played a lot of other places on the field too. I could take her out of defense and put her up front and she can score goals. To have that kind of player with versatility and leadership is special. She is the kind of leader that is vocal on the field and can direct traffic and keep people going where they need to go. Rainey is another great senior going on to play at the next level,” said Coach K.
Southwest Tennessee Community College is a public community college in Memphis. The college resulted from the 2000 merger between two institutions, the former Shelby State Community College and the former State Technical Institute at Memphis (“STIM”). Southwest is a comprehensive, multicultural, public, open-access college and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Southwest is also a member of the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association.