Weekend's wildest high school football games

John Wolford of Bishop Kenny may have set a national record for total offensive yardage in a game — it all depends on which person you ask.

According to the National Federation of High Schools Record Book, Wolford's total of 773 yards of total offense (539 passing, 234 rushing) would be a national record. However, the NFHS does not recognize the total set by Will Grier of Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) when he had 882 yards of total offense (837 passing, 45 rushing) in a 104-80 win last year over Harrells Christian Academy. The NFHS does not recognize Grier's total because his school, which is a private school, is not a member of the North Carolina state association.

Thus Wolford's total will go down as a national record for total offense in a game once it is submitted to the NFHS. The record was not the only one Wolford set in a wild 74-73 loss to Clay, however, as he also broke the state record for career yardage in a game that starts off the list of the weekend's wildest games.


Clay (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) 74
Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville, Fla.) 73
John Wolford closed his record-breaking high school career with a record-breaking performance in a one-point loss to Clay in the Class 5A playoffs. Wolford, who held the state record for career touchdown passes entering the game, concluded his career as the state's all-time leading passing yardage leader as well with 10,603 career yards after throwing for 539 yards against Clay.

Wolford passes Lake Nona's Tucker Israel, who had set the record the week before with 10,588 yards. Wolford also set a reported national record for total offense, according to the National Federation of High Schools Record Book, with 773 yards. Besides the 539 yards passing, he had 234 yards rushing on 17 carries. Wolford had seven touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns. Clay had three runners over 140 yards with Bilal Ally rushing for 187, Wes Weeks had 161 and Shannon Asbell added 143.

Madonna (Weirton, W. Va.) 77
Wahama (Mason, W. Va.) 50
Despite playing in the snow, Madonna and Wahama combined for 127 points in a Class A playoff game in West Virginia. Ross Comis ran for six touchdowns and threw for another while Eliott Nero ran for four touchdowns to lead Madonna to the win. Comis carried for 263 yards on 25 carries and Nero had 184 yards on 20 carries. Kane Roush had a big game for Wahama, rushing for three touchdowns and scoring three touchdowns on kickoff returns.

Orange (Hillsborough, N.C.) 59
Cleveland (Clayton, N.C.) 50
In the Class 3AA playoffs, Garrett Cloer led Orange to the win as he completed 12 of 22 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. For Cleveland, Isaac Martin ran 40 times for 268 yards and three touchdowns.

Jefferson (Ga.) 61
Heard County (Franklin, Ga.) 57
After a review of game film, Heard County's Duranta Dunson finished the season with a 463-yard rushing performance in the Class AA playoff loss to Jefferson. Dunson had originally been credited with a state record 511-yard effort, however the updated total falls 13 yards short of the record. Dunson had five touchdowns in the loss. Jefferson scored the winning points with 1:09 remaining on a 9-yard pass from T.J. Skelton to Evan Shirreffs.

Garner Magnet (N.C.) 63
Jack Britt (Fayetteville, N.C.) 56
Nyheim Miller-Hines rushed for 454 yards and seven touchdowns to lift Garner Magnet to a Class 4AA playoff win. For Jack Britt, Eric Carter ran for 390 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Harrison Strother threw for 342 yards. The two teams combined for 1,393 yards of total offense.

Edgewood Academy (Elmore, Ala.) 61
Clarke Prep (Grove Hill, Ala.) 52
Edgewood Academy's 45th straight win was an exciting one as the two teams combine for the most points in Alabama championship game history. Taylor Hawthorne completed 13 of 21 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, caught a touchdown pass and also returned an interception for a touchdown. For Clarke Prep, Jarrett Pope ran for 237 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries.

Mansfield Legacy (Texas) 70
McKinney North (Texas) 49
Backup running back Kenton Mayberry ran for 347 yards and six touchdowns to lead Mansfield Legacy to a Class 4A playoff win. The two teams combined for 1,184 yards of offense.

Easton (New Orleans) 55
Belle Chasse (La.) 49
Easton came from behind to force overtime and then won in the extra period in a Class 4A playoff game. Deshawn Capers-Smith completed 18 of 31 passes for 300 yards and also had 88 yards rushing while accounting for six touchdowns in the win.

Paint Branch (Burtonsville, Md.) 51
Perry Hall (Baltimore) 48
Sam Stewart kicked a 20-yard field goal with nine seconds left to give Paint Branch a Class 4A playoff win. Gaston Cooper rallied Paint Branch from deficits of 26-6 and 33-20 by throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for two scores. For Perry Hall, Jeff Iweh ran for a touchdown and also threw for 265 yards and two scores.