Zach Evans, Bryce Young share MaxPreps Junior Player of the Year honors

North Shore (Houston) and Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) set Twitter on fire with the debate on who was the best team in the country and the same can be said about choosing the Junior Player of the Year.

Bryce Young and Zachary Evans made it hard to pick either after monster seasons where each led their team to a title in the largest classification in their respective states, so they were each named MaxPreps Junior National Player of the Year.

Young led Mater Dei to a 13-1 record on the field (13-2 overall after a forfeit due to an ineligible player), throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 39 touchdowns while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. The 2020 USC commit had big shoes to fill after transferring to Mater Dei and replacing J.T. Daniels, the 2017 MaxPreps National Football Player of the Year. Young proved all the doubters wrong with a monster junior campaign that culminated with the Monarchs' second consecutive CIF Open Division state title.

Evans led North Shore to a 16-0 record and capped off his big-time junior season by winning the UIL Texas 6A Division I state championship and the Mustangs earning the No. 1 rank in the final MaxPreps Top 25. The top-rated running back from the Class of 2020 rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns averaging better than 10 yards a carry against the best competition from the Lone Star State.

Young and Evans join the likes of J.T. Daniels, Trevor Lawrence, Sam Ehlinger, Jake Browning, and Deshaun Watson as some of the notable players to be named the MaxPreps Junior Player of the Year.

2010 — Johnathan Gray, RB, Aledo (Texas)

2011 — Robert Nkemdiche, DE, Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)

2012 — DeShaun Watson, QB, Gainesville (Ga.)

2013 — Jake Browning, QB, Folsom (Calif.)

2014 — Tren'Davian Dickson, WR, Navasota (Texas)

2015 — Sam Ehlinger, QB, Westlake (Austin, Texas)

2016 — Trevor Lawrence, QB, Cartersville (Ga.)

2017 — JT Daniels, QB, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)