10 Memphis area high school sports storylines to watch for 2018

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Believe it or not, it's 2018.

And with the new year comes a new set of storylines for high school sports in Memphis and Shelby County. Here's a look at some of the individuals and teams who are likely to make news in the next 12 months.

Alex Lomax and East will be favored to win their third straight AAA basketball title in March.

East basketball

It's already been an eventful season for the two-time defending Class AAA state champs. There's much more to come, starting with games against Olive Branch on Friday and Chicago Simeon on Saturday in the Penny Hardaway ARS/Rescue Rooter National Hoopfest presented by Conway Services Heating, Cooling and Plumbing.

From there, Hardaway's team will — barring a huge upset — defend its title in Murfreesboro and await another possible invitation to the Dick's National Championship. And then there's the looming question over the eligibility of Ryan Boyce and James Wiseman which, though settled for now, isn't settled permanently.

Lausanne's Eric Gray heads into his senior season 84 rushing touchdowns.

Eric Gray, Lausanne football

Gray has a shot to do something no one from Shelby County has done — win three Mr. Football Awards. If he does, the Lynx have a great shot at winning their third straight state championship, which also has never been accomplished by a local school. Additionally, Gray heads into his senior season with 84 rushing touchdowns, 31 away from breaking the all-time state record.

Rachel Heck was the low amateur at last year's U.S Women's Open.

Rachel Heck, St. Agnes golf

With two state championships already in the bag, Heck will be the favorite to retain her title in Division II-AA this fall. But the sophomore has bigger goals in mind, specifically another trip to the U.S. Open after finishing as low amateur while being the youngest player in the field in 2017.

Tyler Harris, Cordova basketball

Fellow standout point guards Alex Lomax, Mark Freeman and Taelyr Gatlin all signed during the early period, leaving the high-scoring Harris as the top unsigned local senior in the city. And he played like it in the pre-Christmas portion of the season, averaging 32 points and five assists.

Jenna Kemp returns for her senior year in 2018 as Houston looks to build off an amazing soccer season.

Houston girls soccer

How can you make more of a mark than the Mustangs did in 2017 when they finished 25-0 while being crowned national champions by USA Today? Well, just take a look at the roster. Of the 11 players who started in the 1-0 Class AAA championship game victory over Collierville, only two were seniors.

Hutchison lacrosse

The Sting continued to dominate in-state, winning its seventh consecutive state championship. But Dave Gearhardt's squad also scored some impressive victories against out-of-state competition and with standouts like future Virginia player Elizabeth Farnsworth, Jordan Groover and Janessa Mai returning, 2018 could be really special.

Arecko Gipson and MASE will be in the mix for a trip to the Class A state basketball tournament.

Memphis Class A boys basketball

Mitchell won three straight state titles between 2014-2016 in the smallest public school classification, but the Tigers have moved up to AA. That opens the door for emerging charter school programs like MAHS, MASE and W.E.B. DuBois to make a run to state for the first time, along with a Douglass team that is 10-1 after moving down from AA.

Kirstin Jones helped Whiteahven to its second straight state title in 2017. Can the Tigers three-peat?

Shelby County track and field

Led by the Whitehaven girls and Central boys — both of whom won their second straight Class AAA state titles — Memphis athletes were the standouts at last year's Spring Fling. Look for Yusef Sharif's Tigers and Rashad Haynes' Warriors to be right in the mix again, along with some standout returning individuals such as Central hurdler Courtney Thomas, Houston middle distance twins Collin and Keaton Jones, Harding decathlete Ty Kimberlin, Whitehaven sprinter Kirstin Jones, Cordova long jumper Lauryn James and the Briarcrest duo of Savanna Owens (sprints) and Meghan Underwood (800).

A state championship would be a fitting end to Rachel Whitley's outstanding softball career at Tipton-Rosemark.

Rachel Whitley, Tipton-Rosemark softball

Whitley won Commercial Appeal player of the year honors as a junior in 2017, batting .500 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs and posting a 17-6 record. The Rebels' season ended in disappointment though as they lost in the Division II-A sub-state round and failed to advance to Spring Fling. Whitley and company want to avoid that this time around.

Major Wright's move from Raleigh-Egypt to Central will make Region 8-6A more competitive than ever this fall.

Major Wright, Central football

White Station football was a non-factor before Wright took over and built the Spartans into a power. Same thing with Raleigh-Egypt. Now after leading the Pharaohs to a 12-1 record in 2017, Wright takes the reins at Central and for once won't have to build from the ground up. With Defensive linemen Eric Gregory and Trevis Hopper and receivers Shemar Nash and Darin Turner boasting multiple FBS offers as underclassmen, it will be interesting to see how the Warriors respond to their new coach.

Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.