THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Houston High School Athletics

There's always something interesting going on with high school athletes in Memphis or with Shelby County grads that have moved on. So, in case you missed it... The first Associated Press state-wide basketball polls of the season were released on Monday and there were some — shall we say — curious outcomes for some Memphis teams. The most egregious example involved W.E.B. DuBois. Despite an 18-3 record, victories over several larger schools from different states and the state's highest-scoring offense, the Lions failed to crack the Class A top 10. Jason Johnson's team was deserving of a top-five spot at worst based on a terrific resume that also included a championship in the season-opening Martin Luther King Classic. Another team with a nice resume is White Station's girls; coach Tommy Warren's squad is the only team to defeat Olive Branch (on the Quistors' home floor, no less) and won the prestigious Braggin' Rights tournament in Cincinnati over the holiday break. Yet despite being ranked No. 15 nationally by MaxPreps, the Spartans ended up fourth in the AAA poll behind defending state champ Riverdale (understandably) and Bradley Central and Wilson Central (both of whom are undefeated but with with weaker schedules). And then there's East. The Mustangs were the comfortable No. 1 in AAA boys yet four voters thought Oak Ridge the better choice. East's resume needs no recounting here but we'll do it anyway; the Mustangs are the defending state champs and have practically everyone back. They've played a very strong national schedule, losing to powers Montverde and Chattanooga Hamilton Heights, a non-TSSAA school. And they even avenged one of those losses, knocking off three-time national champion Montverde last week. If that doesn't call for a unanimous No. 1, what does? Three local high school standouts were named to the MaxPreps underclass all-America football teams. Eric Gray, a running back from state champion Lausanne, and Trevis Hopper from Central were named to the all-sophomore team. Gray was named Mr. Football in Division 2 after running for 2,215 yards and accounting for 42 touchdowns for the undefeated Lynx in 2016 while Hopper took 5A Mr. Football lineman honors at defensive tackle and earned all-state mention for the Warriors. Linebacker Bryson Eason of undefeated 6A state champion Whitehaven was named to the all-freshman team after posting 41 tackles and a sack in his rookie season. Gary Wunderlich was officially the most efficient kicker in the NCAA this past season. The former high school all-American from MUS connected on 22 of 23 field goals for Ole Miss in 2016, good for a nation-leading 95.7 percent. The Lou Groza award semifinalist ranked fifth in field goals per game (1.83), 26th in scoring per game (8.9) and missed only from 55 yards. Of course, Owls fans always knew he had it in him. Kaylah Keys can't seem to play basketball without ending up as someone's leading scorer. The Commercial Appeal's Division 2 athlete of the year in 2013 graduated from Harding as the top scorer — male or female — in that school's basketball history. And now she's done the same thing at High Point. Keys, a senior guard for the Big South Conference Panthers, became the school's all-time Division 1 scoring leader when she scored 13 against Western Carolina on Dec. 13. With 1,700 points and counting, she's the conference's active leading scorer and ranks 15th among active players nationally. Keys is already the school's leader in made free throws and needs just six 3-pointers to take over the top spot there. Overall, she's No. 6 all-time at High Point, which spent many years competing at the NAIA and NCAA Division 2 levels. The Grizzlies aren't playing on MLK Day Monday (they'll host Chicago on Sunday instead) so spend your day off with some quality high school hoops at Lausanne. Briarcrest and Germantown get things started with a girls game at noon followed by Houston girls against Northpoint at 1:30 in a battle of Dandy Dozen teams. Lausanne's girls take on Collierville at 3. Briarcrest and Southwind play at 4:30 in a game featuring two Dandy Dozen boys teams before CBHS and Houston play at 6. The day will conclude with Lausanne and Arlington playing at 7:30. Mitchell's girls — ranked ninth in the state Class A poll — rallied from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Power Center Academy 59-57 on Tuesday. Ten players fouled out in what local girls hoops guru Patosha Jeffrey said was the longest game she'd ever witnessed. Ten does seem excessive.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Houston High School Athletics

STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL POLLS

JOHN VARLAS

The Commercial Appeal | 1/12/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Houston High School Athletic Department