High school football players chasing records in 2014

When it comes to breaking California high school football passing records, Folsom (Calif.) quarterback Jake Browning will have one name to focus on in 2014: His own.

Browning, a University of Washington commit, has already put together two of the best passing seasons in California history. He completed 391 of 605 passes for 5,248 yards and 63 touchdowns as a sophomore and topped that with 440 completions in 579 attempts for 5,737 yards and 75 touchdowns as a junior.

Browning's 831 career completions are already a California state record, according to the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book, while his 440 completions last year tied for the national record (also set by Kenton's Grant Sherman last year). His 75 touchdown passes in a season are a California record as are his 605 attempts and his 10 touchdown passes in a game.

There are 12 other players who will be chasing major football records this coming season. But Browning is in a class all his own.



Despite the lengthy resume, there are still a few California records left for Browning to break. He needs 95 attempts to break the state record of 1,278, held by Michael Herrick of Valencia. He needs eight more touchdowns to break the state record of 145, held by Jimmy Clausen of Oaks Christian. He also needs just 38 more yards to break the career passing yardage mark of 11,202 yards, also held by Herrick.

Most national career records are likely out of Browning's reach since he did not throw any varsity passes as a freshman. However, he will likely finish second all-time behind Maty Mauk of Kenton (Ohio) in completions. Mauk had 1,353 in four varsity seasons. Browning will also likely finish in the top five for career passing attempts (Mauk holds the record with 2,110). He will also likely finish third all-time in passing yardage behind Mauk (18,932 yards) and his brother Ben Mauk (17,364).

The most intriguing record attempt will be for most touchdown passes in a season. When Corey Robinson of Lone Oak (Ky.) threw 91 touchdown passes in 2007, that mark appeared to be unbreakable. However, Browning threw 75 last year (fourth-best all-time) and could make a run at Robinson's mark. If he were to break the record, Browning would also become the nation's all-time touchdown passing leader. He needs 82 touchdown passes to break Mauk's career record of 219.


Dupree Hart, Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.)
After catching 115 passes for 1,655 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior, Hart is on target to break some prestigious South Carolina receiving marks held by A.J. Green of Summerville. Hart has 306 career catches, which is already a state record, breaking Green's mark of 279 last year. He needs 139 catches in 2014 to tie the national record of 445, set by Justin Sawmiller of Kenton last year.

Hart enters the season with 3,485 career yards, which is close to 2,000 yards short of Green's career mark of 5,365 yards. With 48 career touchdown receptions, Hart needs 14 to tie Green's state record of 62, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations Record Book.
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Tucker Israel, Lake Nona (Orlando, Fla.)
Israel set the state record for career passing yardage at the end of his junior year with 10,588 yards. However, when John Wolford of Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville, Fla.) threw for 539 yards in a 74-73 playoff loss to Clay (Green Cove Springs, Fla.), Israel fell back into second place as Wolford set the record with 10,603 career yards.

Israel thus needs just 16 yards to once again become the state's all-time leading passer. With 106 career touchdown passes, Israel needs 21 to break Wolford's mark of 126.



Wolford is also believed to be the state record holder for career completions and attempts with 705 and 1,080, respectively. Israel can blow away those marks, as he has 691 career completions and 1,054 career attempts.
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Jared Reagan and Hunter Lile, Booker (Texas)



Reagan is poised to put the Texas state receptions record out of reach for some time. With 281 career completions, Reagan is just five catches away from tying the mark of 286, set in 2012 by Jake Oliver of Dallas Jesuit. Last year, Reagan caught 133 passes, the second-highest total in state history behind Jason Bird of Lake Travis, who had 151 in 2007.

Reagan is 2,000 yards away from the all-time receiving yardage leader. Jordan Shipley had 5,424 career receiving yards, according to Texas High School Football History, while Reagan has 3,363 career yards.

Lile, meanwhile, is within 3,500 yards of the all-time yardage mark of 14,223 yards, set last year by Refugio's Travis Quintanilla. Lile enters this season with 10,732 yards. Lile has already thrown for over 3,500 yards in a season twice in his career.

With career numbers of 811 completions, 1,345 attempts and 123 touchdowns, Lile has a shot at setting state records in all three categories. Drew Tate of Baytown Lee holds the state record for career completions and attempts at 950 and 1,577, respectively. The touchdown mark will be a little tougher, as Quintanilla holds the record with 186.
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Nick Brossette, University Lab (Baton Rouge, La.)
Already a veteran of four varsity seasons, Brossette has 133 career rushing touchdowns and 6,973 yards rushing. His touchdown totals are already a state record and he is 1,630 yards away from Kenny Hilliard's state rushing mark of 8,603 yards.



Disregarding Brossette's eighth-grade season, he would have 111 career rushing touchdowns and 5,949 career yards.
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Austin Kafentzis, Jordan (Sandy, Utah)

Kafentzis could finish his career with the unique distinction of holding all of the state's passing and rushing records. With 9,217 career passing yards, Kafentzis is 1,734 yards away from the record of 10,951, according to the Utah High Schools Activities Association state record book.

With 5,100 career rushing yards, Kafentzis is only 563 yards away from setting the state record in that category. He has already set the career touchdown rushing record with 78, along with single-season 100-yard rushing games (12) and career 100-yard rushing games (28). He is 63 rushing attempts from the state record of 782.

For passing attempts, Kafentzis has 603 and the record is 751. With 1,059 career attempts, he's less than 100 attempts from the record of 1,154. Kafentzis has 75 career touchdown passes and the record is 101.

The big record Kafentzis could set, however, is the national record for career total yardage. Maty Mauk holds the record with 22,681 yards. Kafentzis has 14,317 career yards and would need 8,364 yards to break the record. It would be a stretch, considering that Kafentzis has gained about 5,000 yards each of the last two seasons. With that type of effort, Kafentzis would likely finish second, moving ahead of Ben Mauk's career total of 19,628 yards.
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Adam Dycus, Mayflower (Ark.)
Ty Storey, Charleston (Ark.)



It will be an interesting race in Arkansas where two passers, Dycus and Storey, each have a shot at breaking the career passing yardage mark of 13,703 yards, held by Pulaski Academy's Stefan Loucks.

Storey enters his senior season with 8,701 career yards and has thrown for over 4,200 yards each of the past two seasons. Dycus, meanwhile, has 8,448 career yards and has thrown for over 4,000 yards the past two years. They would each need to throw for over 5,000 yards to break the record.
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Kellen Overstreet, Penney (Hamilton, Mo.)

Overstreet nearly set a national record for touchdowns in a season, but his 63 scores fell eight short of the record of 71. His 98 career touchdowns, however, put him within 31 of the record of 129 touchdowns set by Brad Hocker of Archie. He also has 594 career points, putting him less than 300 points away from Hocker's record of 884 career points.
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Calvin Strong, Omaha North (Neb.)



As a junior, Strong set the Nebraska state record for rushing yards in a season with 3,008, as he became the first player in state history to rush for over 3,000 yards. He has 4,900 career rushing yards and could break the state mark of 6,099 yards by Fillmore Central's Michael Brower.

Strong also has 65 career rushing touchdowns and would need 29 to tie the mark of 94 by John Kroeker of Henderson.
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Alex Grace, Swan Valley (Saginaw, Mich.)
As a junior, Grace set the state record with 2,962 rushing yards in a season. He'll have to better that effort to break the state's career rushing total of 8,431 yards set by Kevin Grady of East Grand Rapids.
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Nolan Borgersen, Westwood (Washington Township, N.J.)





Borgersen set a state mark last year with 1,894 yards receiving. For his career, he has 152 catches for 2,824 yards and 32 touchdowns. According to Chuck Langerman of South Jersey Football Magazine, the New Jersey career records in those categories are 180 receptions by Drew Burdsall of Pennsville, 47 touchdowns by Terrance Holmes of Glassboro and 3,088 yards by Isaac Irby of Holy Cross (Delran).