Memphis area high school football Class 5A and 6A football preview

The Commercial Appeal kicks off its high school football preview series with a look at Class 6A and Class 5A. There will also be previews of Class 4A and 3A, Class 1A and 2A, DeSoto County and Division II. 

Top players

Bryson Eason, Whitehaven, Sr.: The four-star linebacker is back after missing eight games due to injury last season. He was Region 8-6A defensive player of the year as a sophomore. 

Martavius French, Whitehaven, Sr.: The reigning Region 8-6A defensive player of the year is a four-star linebacker who is committed to Arkansas. 

Darin Turner, Central, Sr.: The 6-foot-3, 205 pound receiver is the No. 7 prospect in the state and the No. 161 prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. 

Corbet Mims, Kirby, Sr.: The Arkansas State commitment is a three-star defensive end. 

Tamarion McDonald, Whitehaven, Sr.: Three-star LB/DB is committed to Mississippi State. He made 90 tackles, forced three fumbles and recorded two sacks last season. 

Jared Dawson, Collierville, Sr.: The first-team All-Region 7-6A selection is a three-star defensive lineman who is committed to Louisville. 

Lincoln Pare, Houston, Sr.: The first-team all-state selection rushed for 2,131 yards and 31 touchdowns last season and was named Region 7-6A offensive player of the year. 

Cameron Sneed, Whitehaven, Sr.: Sneed rushed for 1,400 yards with 14 touchdowns last season. 

Romal Webb, Southwind, Sr.: The Class 3A all-state selection rushed for 2,103 yards and 26 touchdowns at Raleigh-Egypt last season before transferring to Southwind. 

Ray Curry Jr., White Station, Sr.: The three-star offensive lineman is committed to Missouri. 

Top games

Cordova at Central, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.

Central escaped with a 21-20 road win over Cordova in the first round of last year's playoffs. Darin Turner caught the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes remaining. This year, the teams open the season. 

Southwind at Kirby, Sept. 20, 7 p.m.

Kirby beat Southwind 36-34 in the second round of last year's Class 5A playoffs. The Cougars blew out Southwind 39-14 during the regular season, but the Jaguars nearly pulled off the playoff upset.

Central at Whitehaven, Nov. 1, 7 p.m.

This regular-season finale could be a potential playoff preview. And it features three of the state's top 12 prospects in Eason, Turner and French.

Storylines to watch

Plenty of recruits

Turner, Eason, French and Mims aren't just the marquee players in their respective regions, they're some of the marquee college football recruits in the entire state. McDonald, Sneed, Dawson and Curry also hold multiple FBS offers. 

Will anyone challenge Kirby in 8-5A?

Kirby finished 11-2 record last year and a 7-0 region record. The Cougars fell to Olive Branch early last season and to Henry County in the Class 5A quarterfinals. Other than that, most of the games were blowout victories. Can the Cougars keep it up this season? They lost quarterback Jaden Johnson, who is now at Southern Miss. Will Austin Peay commitment Draylen Ellis be able to fill his shoes? Also returning is Mims, one of the top defensive ends in the area. 

New coaches

Germantown hasn't lost a regular season game in over two years, but coach Chris Smith is now at Haywood. Tommy Ferrill, who was offensive coordinator at Horn Lake, is now the Red Devils' coach. Joe Rocconi took over at his alma mater, Collierville, after coaching at White Station for the past six seasons. White Station replaced him by promoting assistant coach Reid Yarbrough. Bartlett's new coach Lance Tucker made three state title appearances as a high school coach in Alabama. 

Region predictions

Region 8-5A

1. Kirby 

2. Southwind

3. Ridgeway

4. Munford

5. Brighton

6. Overton

Region 7-6A

1. Cordova

2. Houston

3. Collierville

4. Bartlett

5. Arlington

Region 8-6A

1. Whitehaven

2. Central

3. Germantown

4. White Station