John Varlas
@johnvarlas
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HS sports/901 FC/Liberty Bowl for the Daily Memphian. E-mail ideas and/or tips to [email protected]. Memphis' most interactive media person.
Somewhere grinding hard.
Joined June 2010
Basketball season begins today with Hall of Champions action. And we need your help in spotlighting our best players and teams. Coaches and stat-keepers can send in their scores, highlights and top performers either via email to jvarlas@dailymemphian.com, text or Tweet (tag me).
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Ballgame! Matthew Murrell for 3 at the buzzer at Whitehaven beats Southwind, 51-50.
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Look who stopped by Southwind today to deliver an amazing message to the kids.
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Some awful news to report tonight. MUS two-sport standout Dion Stutts, who committed to play football at Arkansas, has died. Just a wonderful, personable, genuine kid. Please pray for his family and everyone at MUS.
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Fun fact: Shohei Ohtani is the first Angels player to win Rookie of the Year that didn't share a last name with a fish. The previous two winners were Tim Salmon and Mike Trout.
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What you guys can't see is there is about five or six guys standing behind me and encouraging me. Coach has created such a supportive atmosphere; for the first time in my life I know what it's like to be part of a team. Blessings on top of blessings and much more to come.
Do me a favor and show my brother @johnvarlas some love!! When he started in July, he struggled to stand with a 10 pound weight on each side of the bar (box squats). He’s 61 POUNDS LIGHTER NOW and yesterday he did this! (225 for 5 reps 💪🏽🏭🦾) #MWJW
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Sad news. Former Northpoint football star Christian Saulsberry was shot and killed in Memphis last night. He had just turned 25 and had wrapped up a good first season with Edmonton in the CFL. Please pray for his family, especially his mom who I’m sure a lot of you know.
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Governor Lee has granted the exemption. Fall sports in Tennessee can start on time. Well done.
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If you were sitting in the Liberty Bowl with 5,000 others at the end of those 1-10 seasons, you’ll appreciate this most. Memphis football has built a program. A culture. The players (and coaches) have come and gone but the winning has continued. What you dreamed of is now here.
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In honor of HS basketball starting, here's my list of things you hear most often in Memphis' gyms. 5. "They're cheatin'".4. "Got to shoot that.".3. "Good defense, boy!".2. "What is he doing?".1. "EEEEEEYOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUP".
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Very sad to hear about this afternoon's shooting death of Whitehaven football player Demetrius Robinson. He would have been a senior on this year's team. Thoughts and prayers to his family, coach Saulsberry and staff and his teammates past and present. They're hurting right now.
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Exciting news for the @dailymemphian preps page. The TSWA has recognized me as the prep writer of the year for 2020 along with seconds in overall writer of the year and top feature writer. One gold and two silvers. Huge thanks to everyone who shared their stories and supports us!.
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Hot take coming through: Anthony Miller has surpassed DeAngelo Williams as the greatest Tiger ever.
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Just stop five seconds and think about optics. MUS is playing football and Ridgeway (two long golf shots away) isn’t. The girls at White Station can’t play soccer or even non-contact volleyball but St. Mary’s right down the street can. How do explain that to these kids?.
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How about for White Station star Dillon Mitchell? 14 catches and 229 yards for Oregon today. Memphis’ finest.
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Between Eric Gray, Omari Thomas, Jabari Small and my guys from Whitehaven--I'm going to have to get some Orange next year.
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Penny Hardaway was at Bartlett last night. He looked pretty tired, which is understandable considering all the the issues they had getting out of Tulsa. Nevertheless, he shook every hand and talked to every fan who approached. Can’t think of too many other coaches like that.
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Lol—sorry for the grumpy faces. I was down on myself on the left and exhausted on the right!.
John Varlas is 25 pounds down In HIS FIRST 4 WEEKS at Shabazz Fitness!! @johnvarlas YOU BETTER GIVE THIS MAN A HAND!!!!!!!!!! Keep it up my brother!
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Sad news to report this evening. Longtime ECS football coach Jim Heinz has passed away. Won four state titles with the Eagles and was a valuable staff member on this year’s title team. Thoughts and prayers to his family and many friends. RIP coach.
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Tennessee lands a fifth Memphis standout today with the news that standout running back Jabari Small has committed to the Vols. Congrats! He joins Omari Thomas, Bryson Eason, Martavius French and Tamarion McDonald. UT doing a great job here locally.
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Nice moment at the end of the game tonight. Lots of mutual respect.
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The Lawson brothers have won 10 state championships. One for KJ, two for Dedric, three for Johnathan and four for Chandler. And Keelon has won one as a player and two as a coach. Remarkable!.
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Big thanks to everyone at Briarcrest for honoring me today as part of their athletic awards ceremonies. There are some awesome people over there and some great friends who I’ll always appreciate!
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Four Memphis teams came to state this week and four are going back with titles. Should have bet that guy that said Oakland would win.
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Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of former Arlington football and track standout Devin Chandler, who was shot and killed over the weekend.
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Congrats to former CBHS star and Memphis Tiger great Anthony Miller! He was just taken by the Chicago Bears in the second round, 51st pick overall. Well done Anthony.
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From fat zero to almost super hero. Have a great Sunday everyone!
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First football title in Houston history. They win 24-9. Amazing. Region 8.
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If you can’t find the good in an 11-2 season at the University of Memphis, then I don’t know what to tell you.
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Not only does he not get any credit, he’s hated by a significant portion of the fan base.
A head coach who doesn’t get enough credit: Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield. With the win last night, Memphis now has:. — Its first ever back-to-back 10-win seasons.— Its first win over a CFP top-25 team since 2019.— 20+ points in 39 straight games, the nation’s longest active streak
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Mr. Basketball alert! Johnathan Lawson with a rare quadruple-double tonight as Wooddale defeats Melrose, 92-55. The nationally-ranked junior finishes with 23 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 blocks.
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Dallan Hayden has scored 14 touchdowns in the last four games.
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Dr. Hunter. You can’t tell from the picture but the suit has lights on it.
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That’s me!.
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I don’t like to talk about myself but I’m too proud of this. When I started training with @Teamshabazz9 on July 5, I couldn’t do one squat with just the bar (25 pounds). Today I squatted 165 pounds five times. #mwjw.
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Stats for Dallan Hayden tonight. 33 carries, 258 yards and four TDs. That gives him 690 and nine in 10 quarters this year. And he hit very little in the first quarter this evening. So yeah, he’s in the Mr. Football mix.
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Best video of T.J. Thomas’ game-winner for FACS against Lausanne last night. Shoutout to the mystery man or woman who sent this.
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Yes sir!.
Your @johnvarlas update. 54 years young and 125 pounds down since second week of July. Keep rolling brother!!
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Congrats to Dallan Hayden of CBHS! Mr. Football in D2-AAA. Well-deserved!.
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.@_JonahJordan reports that former Harding star Calvin Austin was placed on scholarship after the game today. So awesome. Could not happen to a better guy and shoutout to Mike Norvell for making the move.
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Congrats to Lausanne! They win their first ever state title in football, 12-9 over Webb. Happy for those young men.
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Shoutout to Dillon Mitchell from White Station! MVP of the Redbox Bowl today. 5 catches for 63 yards and one TD as Oregon beats Michigan State, 7-6. Memphis talent showing out all over all today.
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The biggest game in Memphis high school history will be Friday at Whitehaven as the Tigers play Cordova for the right to go to state.
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Chattanooga is probably the most underrated city in America. The downtown area is so nice.
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Shoutout to Gregg Marshall and Wichita State for fully understanding @iamalo02 's situation and honoring his wish to be released. They didn't have to do that.
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Awesome gesture as Martavius French presents his gloves to Arkansas superfan Canaan Sandy following the Tigers' win tonight in North Little Rock. My respect for French just grows and grows.
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Congrats to Tyler Badie of Briarcrest! He signs with Mizzou today.
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Chandler Lawson going up against James Wiseman and company.
A new tradition. Oregon will tip off 2019-20 against the Memphis Tigers in the Phil Knight Invitational. #GoDucks
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Good morning! Two years ago, I couldn’t get in and out of my car without getting winded. This morning, my regular training was canceled so I went to Shelby Farms and ran around the lake. Twice. Thank you @Teamshabazz9.
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Sad to hear about the passing of former CBHS athlete Kyle Frasure. Prayers for his family and friends.
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Josh Heupel (Tennessee) and Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State) in the house tonight at Sheffield to check in on Mr. Football winner Radarious Jackson. How cool is that? Texas also visited Friday.
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Big news here at halftime. Rico Schwartz has been declared eligible for this basketball season.
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Today marks three years for me at the @dailymemphian I’ll will always be thankful to them for recognizing that a local paper needs good high school sports coverage and for entrusting me with the job. Let’s make year four the best yet!.
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Check out last year’s 6A Mr. Football winner Lincoln Pare doing work against Kansas State today. Already looking like a major steal for coach Blake Anderson’s Arkansas State program.
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Congrats to Dallan Hayden of CBHS! He ends his career with a second straight D2-AAA Mr. Football award. First Memphian since Eric Gray to win two straight. Well-deserved.
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So Memphis lost three games this year and two of them were against the national champions. Not bad!.
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This is cute and all but it's not a Memphis crowd.
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ECS makes a little Memphis football history today. They now have five state championships overall, tying MUS for the most among Memphis schools.
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I wish everyone was out here listening to these kids from all these schools sharing their stories. I’m almost in tears.
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Guess who's been invited to the Team USA U18 training camp?
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Honored to receive the TSSAA’s A.F. Bridges contributor of the year award for District 9 this morning. Even more honored to share the spotlight with some great friends who were also honored and to see so many other friends who were also there. It was a decent morning lol!.
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Attention college coaches in all sports at all levels. We’ve got great athletes here in Shelby County. They’re like apples on a tree. Come pick you one or two.
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Here’s the winning TD. Brothers escape. Great call on 3rd and 17.
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That’s me!.
He’s John Varlas. Tomorrow is his birthday!! As of today, he…has…lost…NINTY……SEVEN….POUNDS!!!!! SINCE…. JULY‼️‼️‼️ No surgery, no cheat meals, no skipped workouts, ALL CONSISTENT HARD WORK!!! @johnvarlas #MWJW
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ICYMI: Former White Station star Chris Chiozza of Florida will play for Washington in the NBA Summer League. Good luck to Chris!.
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Congrats to Tate Kolwyck! He becomes the third quarterback in state history to go over 10,000 yards tonight.
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The city of Memphis has now won 51 state basketball championships.
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Sad news about the demise of 901 FC. It's a shame that they couldn't get one penny of the $350 million grant that might have helped them secure a permanent stadium. I've said it before; the players and especially coach Glass are top-notch and I'll really miss seeing them.
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I mean, Memphis is really one-stop shopping for HS talent. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, track, golf, anything!.
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Melrose—you all should be proud of Tank Bevell. White Station—be proud of Reggie Brown. Kirby—be proud of Tyler Shaw and damn proud of Kaleb Almo. Talking to these young guys today gives me hope that tomorrow’s leaders are out there.
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Three-time Mr. Football winner Eric Gray announces today that he is de-committing from Michigan.
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Delighted to report this news here. SCS schools can begin their fall sports conditioning immediately. More reason for optimism! Shoutout to everyone for coming together on this.
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When Dillon Brooks returns in Game 4 it will be like the Mid-South Coliseum that time Tommy Rich came from under the ring and helped Austin Idol beat the doors of Jerry Lawler.
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Want to give a shoutout to my sister who graduated from the U of M with a masters degree today. Single mom raising two girls, one of whom is autistic, for over 10 years now. Some of you probably know her and how awesome she is.
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One last thing. All state title runs are special. But over the last three weeks, Houston has been undefeated Germantown at Germantown, undefeated Brentwood at Brentwood and now the three-time defending champs. That’s really impressive.
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Saw a report that Sacramento is interested in Jaren Jackson in exchange for the fourth pick. And people in hell are interested in ice water.
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Penny Hardaway on what Memphis Tigers hoops needs: “They need people coming to the games; I know they came when I was there.”.
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Congrats to Lincoln Pare from Houston! He wins Mr. Football in Class 6A this year. Well-deserved. Also shoutout to Whitehaven linebacker Bryson Eason who finished runner-up.
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Tigers fans and Arkansas fans seem to have common ground on one issue. ESPN did the viewers a big disservice yesterday.
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Do you believe in Collierville yet? They improve to 7-0 with a 22-0 win over Germantown. In the past two games they’ve beaten Germantown and Whitehaven and allowed six points.
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Shoutout to Briarcrest as they defeat mighty IMG Academy this evening, 32-22. Perfect example of why high school basketball does not need a shot clock. You think anyone at Briarcrest cares that they only scored 32 points?.
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Sorry, not a fan of Jerry Lawler doing the guest picking. Makes Memphis look like a bunch of hicks on the national stage.
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Shoutout to former Whitehaven standout Keveon Mullins, who had 101 yards on just two catches for South Carolina against LSU on Saturday. Everywhere you looked yesterday, a Memphis kid was doing something positive on the football field.
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One of the toughest and most outgoing players I've ever covered is Anna Della Rosa from Houston soccer. Her dad e-mailed me the other day with some terrible news. Anna has been diagnosed with leukemia and has already begun treatments at St. Jude (cont.).
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Big thanks to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association for honoring me as the D1 featured writer of the year for 2021. Humbling recognition. And second-place prep writer after winning last year. Coming for you @StephenHargis.
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I've gotten teary-eyed at two high school sporting events and today was one of them. Watching Covington win that state title after all coach Warmath and his family have been through was just amazing. #warmathstrong.
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I think Memphis did the right thing by not throwing its non-revenue sports under the bus to chase a hypothetical gravy train. However, it would be really good if Ed Scott addressed the fan base and told them what the administration saw. Real talk, not PR talk.
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Unless the transfer rules are changed, you’ll never see a quarterback stay at the same school for four years and start every game like Seth Henigan has.
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Former Ridgeway star Kundarrius Taylor has committed to the University of Memphis. Huge news for the Tigers. KT was headed to Oklahoma out of high school. Has the potential to be the best WR in the AAC.
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Everyone has a right to their opinion. But it frustrates me to hear people say “oh, Memphis really needs a point guard.” They have one. His name is Alex Lomax and I’ll die on that hill. He’s winner and if Memphis wins in 2022, it will because he played a huge role. Watch and see.
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Ballgame! Eric Gray goes in and Lausanne wins 26-23 in OT. Best game I’ve seen in a while.
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Five Memphis teams headed to state next week: East and Whitehaven in AAA; Mitchell and Wooddale in AA and Manassas in A. Great representation this season!.
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Let me tell you something about this young lady. She has a beautiful spirit and is relentlessly positive. Every time she comes through the door she lights the place up and we are all rooting for her success. And she will succeed.
Today my baby (Neice) ran for the first time in 7 years! She is down 50+ pounds after committing to a meal plan and regular training with me (Uncle Raheem to her). We are about to save her life! #GodIsWorking #MWJW
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Ballgame: Overton wins it, 69-57. First title in school history.
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Last football game in Shelby County this year. They said it couldn’t be done. Big shoutout to all the players, coaches, parents and administrators who made it possible.
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And to the guy that emailed me to ask why do I Tweet about MUS so much I'll just say, when they stop winning things I'll stop Tweeting.
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