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50 questions for the Memphis high school football season 50 days from opening night John Varlas, Memphis Commercial AppealPublished 6:00 a.m. CT June 28, 2018 | Updated 10:21 a.m. CT June 28, 2018 (Photo: Caitie McMekin / News Sentinel) A quick look at the calendar shows that today is Thursday, June 28. And a much closer look at the calendar will show you that we are exactly 50 days from the start of another high school football season. So with that in mind, here are 50 questions that will be answered once the games get going on Aug. 17. 1. What can Lausanne do for an encore with a state-best 27-game winning streak and two consecutive state titles? 2. What can Lausanne senior Eric Gray do for an encore after winning two Mr. Football awards — no one has won three — and running for 242.4 yards per game last year while setting a Shelby County record for touchdowns (45)? 3. Can Gray set the state career record for rushing touchdowns? He has 84, which is 32 from surpassing the 115 scored by Marco Dailey of Mt. Pleasant from 2004-2007. 4. Will CBHS' Bill Norton, a 6-6, 270-pound Georgia defensive line commitment, repeat as Division II-AAA Mr. Football? 5. With six players getting multiple SEC offers, is this the most talented Whitehaven defense ever? 6. Can Bryson Eason and/or Martavius French make it 13 straight years that Whitehaven has had an all-state linebacker? 7. Will Whitehaven be the team to end Lausanne's streak? The Tigers lost to the Lynx 14-7 last year at home and will travel to Lausanne on Sept. 7. Buy Photo October 27, 2017 - Germantown wide receiver Cameron Baker (3) misses an opportunity to score a touchdown as he's being defended by Whitehaven's Paul Turner (21) in the fourth quarter at Whitehaven High School on Friday. Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal 8. What will Central look like under new coach Major Wright? 9. Will University of Memphis commitment Trevis Hopper of Central be able to make his senior season special on the defensive line? 10. What will class of 2020 wide receiver and LSU commitment Darin Turner look like in Wright's system at Central? 11. Can Germantown coach Chris Smith replace some of his key losses and build on last year's terrific 11-1 season? 12. Will there be a tougher, more balanced region anywhere in the state than the four-corner battle royal between Whitehaven, Central, Germantown and White Station in Region 8-6A? Marcus Wimberly has some key players to replace in his first season at Cordova. (Photo: Nikki Boertman) 13. Does any new coach have bigger holes to fill than Cordova's Marcus Wimberly, who must replace two Tennessee signees (OL Jerome Carvin and RB Jeremy Banks), an Indiana signee (WR Jacolby Hewitt) and an all-star QB (Christian Arrambide)? 14. Can Ridgeway get back on track after going 5-6 for its first losing season since 2009? 15. And what about MUS? The Owls — who host Ridgeway in the season-opener — went 6-6 in 2017. It was the first time since 2006 that the Owls failed to finish above .500. 16. Is Owls' senior Maurice Hampton — a wide receiver and cornerback who has committed to LSU — the best two-way player in Tennessee or just in Memphis? 17. Can new coach Andre Lott revive a proud St. George's program that stumbled to a 4-7 finish last year and lost five of its last six games? 18. Will former Trezevant aide Larry Franklin be able to keep Raleigh-Egypt rolling after a school-best 12-1 season? 19. And speaking of assistants moving into the hot seat, what will Houston look like now that longtime aide James Thomas has taken over the top spot? 20. And how will former Houston head man Will Hudgens fare as offensive coordinator for his old coach John Cooley at St. Benedict? 21. Will St. Benedict quarterback Jesse Komoroski continue to progress under Hudgens' tutelage after throwing for 2,007 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior? 22. Will Komoroski lead the city in passing? Or will it be Briarcrest's Jackson Walker (the top returnee from 2017 with 2,526 yards and 29 touchdowns)? Or Germantown's Ethan Payne? Or Ridgeway's Quincy Casey? Or St. George's' Spencer Smith? 23. And just how strong will the senior quarterback class prove to be? Whitehaven's Keveon Mullins (shown here playing for East last season) is Shelby County's leading returning pass-catcher. (Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal) 24. Who will lead the city in receiving? Whitehaven's Keveon Mullins is the top returnee after hauling in 52 catches for 1,011 yards and eight scores at East in 2017. 25. After four straight years of coaching changes, how will Olive Branch look after a pride-restoring 12-2 season under Tyler Turner that ended with a loss in the North Half title game? 26. Will Horn Lake's Nakobe Dean live up to his billing as the second-best linebacker in the country according to 247Sports' composite rankings? 27. And where will the 6-0, 215-pound senior sign? Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Mississippi State appear to be the leaders. 28. Dean is clearly the top player in DeSoto County but who else should we be keeping an eye on? 29. Will Horn Lake athlete Raydarious Jones make the move from great playmaker to elite? 30. Will Horn Lake's Tyler Grim start drawing attention from bigger schools after a junior season that saw him run for 1,689 yards and 20 touchdowns? 31. Will future Ole Miss Rebel Jalen Jordan of Lake Cormorant continue his development into a top-flight cornerback? 32. Is Baylor getting a major sleeper in Lewisburg safety Hakeem Vance? 33. How many major offers will Freedom Prep's freshman quarterback Tevin Carterhave before the end of the season? It's up to eight, according to 247sports, including Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and LSU. 34. Will coach Lorenzo Barnes and Hillcrest continue their upward trend? 35. How long will it be before a bigger school — or even a college — snaps up Fairley coach Gene Robinson? 36. Will anyone be able to stop quarterback Jaden Johnson, running back Marshun Douglas and the high-octane Kirby offense? 37. Is Briarcrest's Omari Thomas the best offensive lineman in the Class of 2020? Or is it Ray Curry of White Station? Or Marcus Henderson of MUS? Or Freedom Prep's Chris Morris? 38. After losing in the Class 3A state title game last year, does Covington have what it takes to win it all? 39. In terms of pure offensive excitement, will any game this season surpass Cordova's crazy 72-63 victory over Arlington back on Oct. 20? October 20, 2017 - Arlington Tigers head football coach Adam Sykes, left, and Cordova Wolves head football coach Anthony Jones converse after Cordova defeats Arlington 72-63 at Arlington High School on Friday. Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal 40. And speaking of Arlington, who will fill the massive hole left by the graduation of four-year starting quarterback Tate Kolwyck? 41. How much improvement will ECS show in Jonas Rodriguez's second season? 42. Is Whitehaven's Ariyon Paige the best sophomore in the city? 43. Will the coaches at Briarcrest and Germantown, respectively, let Noah Grant and Marshall Ware try a 50-yard field goal? 44. Is Fairley running back Terry Wilkins (1,483 yards, 17 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2017) the best-kept secret in town? 45. Or is it Douglass running back Eric Davis (1,144, nine touchdowns as a sophomore)? Julian Jackson and MASE were winless in 2017. Will the Engineers break through this season? (Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal) 46. Can Julian Jackson and MASE pick up their first victory in school history after an 0-10 debut campaign? 47. Can former Melrose, Tennessee and Pittsburgh Steelers standout Cedrick Wilson end Hamilton's area-long 11-game skid? 48. Could this be Fayette Academy's best season ever? Vic Shivers' Vikings will aim for a spot in the Division II-A state title game as they return 21 starters from a 7-5 squad. 49. And when it's all said and done, how many Shelby County teams will be playing for state titles in Cookeville during the first weekend in December? 50. And how many will win? Stay tuned. Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.

Good for Mr Jones. I'm a firm believer every kid should spend two years in Military. Structure and discipline never hurt anyone. But I also said kids shouldn't be able to graduate from HS without a summer in hay field or tobacco patch.