I know a lady who knows everybody.

That’s probably not literally true but it sure seems that way. I wouldn’t put it past her. We’ve met a couple of times in person over the years but I interact with her primarily through my Twitter account, which has grown quite nicely in the decade or so that I’ve spent reporting on prep sports in our area. And that’s how, over time, I’ve learned exactly how well-connected this fine lady is.

Houston’s Grayson Hitt hoping to hear his name called early in next month’s MLB draft

If I’m Tweeting about an athlete who has picked up a scholarship offer, I might hear back from her with something along the lines of “my son played Pee-Wee ball with him.” If a basketball player makes all-state it could be, “his mom and I went to school together.” If a new football coach is named somewhere, it will be “you know, he and I grew up in the same neighborhood.”

It’s gotten to the point where I’m almost disappointed when I don’t hear from her. But it’s all in good fun. And it illustrates a larger point about the high school sports community in the Shelby-Metro area: She’s not alone.

Intrinsic drive vaults St. Agnes’ Olivia Berntson to the head of the class

More so than any level, high school sports are about community. And it’s why The Daily Memphian does preps better than anyone, we recognize that ties that bind us together.

Sure, we come together and celebrate as a city when the Grizzlies do well. But we didn’t watch Ja Morant grow up. Jaren Jackson Jr. didn’t play in the youth leagues with your friend’s older brother. We don’t argue that Dillon Brooks might have been better at football than basketball had he stuck with it (“he sure was something else when he was in middle school!”).

And while we form connections with the players on the Tigers, they come and go. Every four years or so, it’s a brand-new team. Some of those will be local kids we’ve watched and rooted for, but most won’t be. And when they move on, chances are they’ll move back to where they came from.

But high school sports are different. There’s a connectedness to it that overrides the normal barriers we have in understanding each other as a community. A basketball player at Booker T. Washington will be friends with one at Fayette Academy because they played on the same summer team. A coach at Harding and a coach at Craigmont will become acquainted because they’ve gone to clinics together, or coached in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School all-star game together. A parent at Whitehaven and one at Briarcrest will strike up a friendship while waiting to pick up their kids after a session with the trainer.

That’s how it works, time and again. The interest develops organically. And it doesn’t stop with simply “knowing” either. The basketball players will share each other’s highlights on social media and post messages of support. The football coaches will schedule a game between their respective teams. The parents will read an articles about athletes from a different school with renewed interest.

Harding baseball coach Stevens resigns after 21 years; headed to Arlington

And that’s where The Daily Memphian preps department comes in.

We know the importance of community. We understand that Memphis is different from other cities in the state. And we understand why the tennis coach at St. Benedict, for example, might have keen rooting interest in the Memphis Business Academy soccer team.

If you get all that, The Daily Memphian is for you. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If you are not, we hope you will join our team and support great local journalism.

The Daily Memphian is for you. If you’ve ever climbed the steps at Halle Stadium, either to get in shape, as punishment for being late to practice or just to get a better view, The Daily Memphian is for you. If you’ve ever missed tip-off because you forgot where the entrance door was at East’s gym, it’s for you.

Calkins: Help us ‘crazy’ Memphians save local journalism

If you understand why Northpoint in Mississippi competes for state titles in Tennessee, it’s for you. If you went to Treadwell or Bishop Byrne or Sky-View or Memphis Prep, South Side, Westside or Northside, it’s for you.

If you’ve ever sprinted from a Saturday morning ACT session, then sprinted at the Houston track meet, then sprinted home to get dressed from prom, it’s for you.

If you’ve ever eaten seasoned fries at an ECS football game or a smoked sausage at Whitehaven, it’s for you.

If you remember the Master Blaster, Chuck, Cat-Eye, Snap or Snoop, it’s for you.

If you root for CBHS or MUS, Southwind or Ridgeway, Arlington or Bartlett, Melrose or Hamilton, it’s for you.

If you’ve ever sat in the rain at John P. Freeman or in the sun at Collierville or stuffed your ears with cotton before going to Cordova for a basketball game, it’s for you.

If you know why there’s an “H” at the center of Crump Stadium’s field, it’s for you.

If you plan your May calendar around going to Spring Fling, it’s for you.

If you’ve ever been thrown out at the plate, or had a great goal disallowed for offsides, or sank a 20-foot putt or PR’d in the biggest meet of the year (or if you’ve watched someone you care about do any of the above), it’s for you.

Journalism helps you know your community

For those four quarters on an October night or those seven innings on an April afternoon, there’s nothing more important for the athletes, coaches and parents that comprise the high school community. The Daily Memphian recognizes that.

And if those four quarters or seven innings are important to you as well, please consider subscribing. The games will return and so will the stories. Hopefully before too long, we’ll be back to arguing and analyzing, discussing and projecting. Back to supporting each other, rooting for one another and celebrating one another, whether we’re Gryphons or Turkeys, Roadrunners or Rams, Douglass Red Devils or Germantown Red Devils.

Because like my friend from Twitter, we’ve got each other’s backs.