Commercial Appeal Sports Awards on tap Friday at the Orpheum
By John Varlas
The Memphis area high school sports season will come to a glitzy conclusion Friday night with the first Commercial Appeal Sports Awards program.
The ESPY-style awards show — which succeeds the long-running Best of the Preps awards this year — will take place at the Orpheum Theater downtown. The highlight will be a question-and-answer session featuring legendary quarterback Archie Manning along with Commercial Appeal columnist Geoff Calkins.
The Sports Awards will honor the top male and female performers in golf, cross country, soccer, tennis, basketball, lacrosse, track and field, bowling and swimming. The top offensive and defensive football player, wrestler and baseball and softball players also will be named.
Several premier awards also will handed out. The top male and female overall athlete in both public and private schools will be honored along with the top scholar-athletes.
Team of the year and courage awards will be presented along with the I am Sport Award, presented by Nike.
Finalists for multiple awards are Abby Heck of St. Agnes (golf, Division II scholar-athlete); Molly Martin of ECS (soccer, D-II athlete); Sarah Thompson of St. George's (swimming, D-II athlete); Taylor Manley of Arlington (softball, D-I scholar-athlete); Myah Taylor of Olive Branch (basketball, D-I athlete); Kiara Rhodes of Whitehaven (track, D-I athlete), Rashad Haynes of Central (track, D-I athlete) and Calvin Austin of Harding (track, D-II athlete).
A victory by Taylor would be her third in a row, matching the Best of the Preps record held by Nina Davis (Central) and Jasmine James (Bartlett).
Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show beginning at 8 p.m. There will be a red carpet for the athletes as they enter the theater. Gossett Motor Cars, Papa Johns Pizza, WMC Action News 5 and the Memphis Sports Council are sponsors for the awards.
Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased at sportsawards.commercialappeal.com.
Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.