At the season's halfway point, MaxPreps takes a look at those currently in contention for National Junior of the Year honors:
Tyrone Swoopes.
Photo by Kyle Dantzler
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Swoopes will
be one of the top recruits in the state of Texas next season, and his
performance on the field in 2011 certainly supports that. In leading
Whitewright to a 4-1 record, Swoopes has thrown for 637 yards and eight
touchdowns while rushing for a whopping 1,173 yards and 16 scores.
Lining up in the secondary on defense, Swoopes has also accounted for
27 tackles and three interceptions, adding another element to his game
that could give him a leg up in the National Junior of the Year
competition.
Travis Wright, QB, Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)Wright has navigated one of the country's most challenging schedules seemingly with ease for No. 3 Trinity. The 6-foot-1 signal caller has thrown for 1,374 yards and 17 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He's completed an astonishing 70 percent of his pass attempts and has also rushed for a score.
James Quick, WR, Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)Amazingly, Wright may not even be the top junior on his own team. That distinction could belong to Quick, an electric wide receiver who has torched defenses all season long. Quick has already caught 42 passes for 775 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's also thrown for another touchdown and has a special teams score to his credit. Quick is averaging nearly 19 yards per reception.
Corn Elder.
Photo by Chris Evans
Ensworth has been one of the top teams in the state of Tennessee this season thanks in large part to the play of Elder. Also a basketball star, Elder has been sensational on the football field this season. He has rushed for 1,047 yards and seven touchdowns on just 108 carries. He's also adept at catching the ball out of the backfield, registering 270 receiving yards and three scores. Elder has intercepted three passes on defense and also boats a special teams touchdown for 6-1 Ensworth.
Robert Nkemdiche, DE, Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)With opposing offenses well aware
of Nkemdiche, opponents have schemed away from him, resulting in a drop
off in Nkemdiche's sack total, which topped out at 18 last season.
Still, he's a force that needs to be accounted for on each play and has
been a valuable piece to Grayson's offense as well. Most importantly, Grayson
remains undefeated and is the No. 14-ranked team in the
Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings Presented by the National Guard.
Max Browne, QB, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Tyren Jones.
Photo by Dennis Carter
Coming off a sophomore campaign in which Browne threw for 4,182 yards, expectations for his junior season were sky-high. Thus far, he has not disappointed. In five games, Browne has completed 124 of 166 passes for 1,518 yards and 16 touchdowns versus only four interceptions. While he may fall short of last year's lofty numbers, Browne is proving to be a dominant player even without the help of former teammate
Kasen Williams, the 2011 MaxPreps
National Athlete of the Year now at Washington.
Tyren Jones, RB, Walton (Marietta, Ga.)This season, Georgia seems even more loaded than usual when it comes to both top teams and top players. One surprise junior in the Peach State has been Jones, a 5-8 running back. Jones has been sensational rushing the ball for undefeated Walton. He's the leading rusher in Georgia's AAAAA with 1,067 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 6.7 yards per carry.
