A look at the MaxPreps football leaderboards shows plenty of small town talent among the national statistical leaders. Some of those players are also on the list of Small Town National Player of the Year contenders.
The list includes some of the leading passers, rushers and receivers in the nation, but we lead off with a sophomore quarterback who leads the team ranked No. 1 in the Small Town Top 25.
The Small Town Top 25 and Small Town All-America Team includes schools with fewer than 1,000 students from towns with a population of less than 10,000 people.
Jett Surratt helped Carthage open the Class 4A Division 2 state playoffs in Texas on Thursday night with a 42-0 win over Liberty-Eylau. (Photo: Wayne Grubbs)
Losing the Small Town National Player of the Year in quarterback Connor Cuff, it was a reasonable assumption that Carthage might take a step back this year to rebuild. That hasn't been the case. The sophomore quarterback, son of coach Scott Surratt, has the Bulldogs at 11-0 and at the top of the MaxPreps Small Town National Football Rankings. Carthage has won 27 games in a row and Surratt has thrown for 2,629 yards through nine games. That shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering that, according to a story in Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine, Jett has been "in the film room with his dad since he was in the fourth grade." This year, he appears set to lead Carthage to a third straight state championship, which would give his father a state record 10 state championships.
Malachi Wilt, Tonopah Valley (Tonopah, Ariz.)
The sophomore already has nearly 6,000 yards passing in his career after throwing for 1,993 yards as a freshman and 3,729 yards this year. Tonopah Valley has had two of its best seasons in the past two decades with Wilt at the helm, posting a record of 19-4. The Phoenix advanced to the Class 2A state quarterfinals but lost 57-28 on Thursday to Pima.
Carter Nelson, Ainsworth (Neb.)
Nelson is one of the top multi-position small town players in the nation and is ranked as the No. 2 tight end in the nation and the No. 1 player in Nebraska by 247Sports. Although Ainsworth's season came to an end last week with a playoff loss to Howells-Dodge, Nelson finished his senior year 53 of 95 passing for 610 yards and eight touchdowns, 1,148 yards rushing on 120 carries with 19 touchdowns, 32 receptions for 658 yards and 14 touchdowns, 80 tackles, 3 interceptions, and a 44.6 yard punting average. He is headed to Nebraska.
Hunter Babb, Caruthers (Calif.)
Babb is among the top rushers in the nation (his stats for a playoff game against Santa Maria have not been included on the MaxPreps leaderboard). Although he plays quarterback for the Blue Raiders, the team rarely passes the ball, attempting only 31 passes in 11 games. Caruthers lost in the first round of the Central Section playoffs but Babb finished the season with 3,245 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Daniel Thomas, Bell County (Pineville, Ky.)
The Bobcats meet small town powerhouse Belfry this week in the second round of the Kentucky Class 3A state playoffs. Thomas, who is closing in on 3,000 yards after rushing for 333 yards last week in the playoff opener, leads the state. His 2,947 yards already rank ninth all-time in the state and he needs 415 yards to top the state record of 3,361 set by Frank Jones of Bath County in 1969. His 284 points are No. 10 on the all-time state list and his 44 touchdowns rank 11th.
Jaydon Smith, Ingleside (Texas)Smith could crush national receiving touchdown records this year depending on how far Ingleside goes in the playoffs. The 9-1 Mustangs opened the postseason last night with a 50-20 win over Grulla. Smith already has 31 touchdown receptions on the season. The state and national record is 39 by Tren'Davian Dickson of Navasota in 2014. Smith has 61 catches for 1,531 yards and has a high of five touchdown catches in a win over Carrizo Springs.
Brady Sutton / Isaiah Smith, Western Brown (Mt. Orab, Ohio)Take your pick between the two stat giants from Ohio. Sutton is second in the nation with 3,857 yards passing. Smith does Sutton one better by leading the nation with 123 catches for 2,088 yards. Unfortunately for Sutton and Smith, those numbers are staying put after the Broncos lost in their playoff opener to Tippecanoe.
Cody Stoever, Wimberley (Texas)The leading passer and rusher for the 10-0 Texans, Stoever has thrown for 1,880 yards and 30 touchdowns and has also rushed for 795 yards and 18 touchdowns. As a sophomore on the varsity last year he passed for 2,441 yards and ran for 1,170 yards.
Camren Cavalier, Canadian (Texas)
The Wildcats are averaging 62.1 points per game with Cavalier at the helm. He has thrown for 2,607 yards and 42 touchdown passes while giving up just three interceptions. Cavalier was the district player of the year as a junior.
