High school football: Corner Canyon's Devin Brown racks up yardage in two states other Friday fun facts

National passing yardage leader Devin Brown of Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) is believed to be just the third quarterback ever to achieve a rare feat — throwing for over 3,000 career yards in two different states.

A high school quarterback playing for two different teams is not a unique situation. However those situations often involve players competing for different teams in the same state. Brown started his high school career at Queen Creek (Ariz.), where he threw for 1,761 yards as a junior and 1,319 yards as a sophomore for a total of 3,080 yards. As a senior this year at Corner Canyon, Brown's 3,557 yards tops the nation.

The first quarterback believed to have achieved the feat is A.J. Long, who threw for a combined 6,552 while playing at Pius X (Bangor, Pa.) as a freshman and sophomore. He spent the final two years of his high school career at Friendship Christian (Lebanon, Tenn.), throwing for a combined 3,644 yards.

Taulia Tagovailoa is the all-time leader for most yards passing in two different states. The younger brother of Miami Dolphin quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Taulia threw for 6,703 yards at Kapolei (Hawaii), which ranks ninth all-time in career passing in the state according to Hawaii Prep World.

When Tua committed to play at Alabama, his family moved to the state from Hawaii with Taulia enrolling at Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.). He threw for 7,608 yards in his final two seasons, which ranks 17th on the state's all-time passing list, according to the Alabama High School Athletic Association record book.

And now four more Friday fun facts.
State championships with two teams

Playing at two different schools in a high school career has become increasingly common, but playing for two different teams in the same year is extremely rare. Jake Garcia is the latest well-publicized example, as he played one game at Valdosta last year and then transferred to Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), where he won a state championship.

Then there is the case of former Parade National Player of the Year Joe McKnight, who won state championships at two different schools in the same year! Sort of.

The 2007 graduate of John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.) was a victim of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and his family lost its home during the natural disaster. In the aftermath, McKnight moved to Shreveport and played two games for Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.). He then moved back to the New Orleans area and finished the season at John Curtis Christian.

During the 2005 playoffs, John Curtis Christian defeated St. Charles Catholic for the Class 2A state championship while Evangel Christian Academy topped Opelousas Catholic for the 1A championship. Thus McKnight played a role in the success of two state championship teams in the same year.

Mater Dei eyes sixth national title

Should Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) run the table and capture a national championship, the Monarchs would move out of a four-way tie for fourth place for total national championships and into a two-way tie for third.

First a word on national championships. As many as 30 individuals and organizations have selected national champions over the years with multiple groups giving out the award each year over the past three decades.

That being said, Mater Dei has won titles in 1994, 1996, 2017, 2018 and 2020. USA Today crowned Mater Dei champion in 1994 and 1996 while nine different groups crowned the Monarchs in 2017, eight groups in 2018 and three in 2020.

Mater Dei is tied with Miami (Fla.), Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), and Oak Park-River Forest (Oak Park, Ill.). Valdosta (Ga.) is third with six national titles while Washington (Massillon, Ohio) has nine and De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) holds the lead with 12 national crowns.

Prominent name missing from New Mexico record book

Damian Gallegos of West Las Vegas (Las Vegas, N.M.), who leads the nation in scoring with 32 touchdowns and 198 points, recently got his name in the state record book with eight touchdowns in a single game. The total ties for the second-highest total in state history.

While Gallegos' name will be going into the record book, the New Mexico state record book is a bit curious for one name that is left out. While Sal Gonzalez of Gadsden (Anthony, N.M.) is listed with 608 career points, several of his other marks are not part of the record.

Gonzalez was a three-time, all-state player from 1953-55, becoming the first New Mexico player to achieve the feat. He was also a high school All-American by Scholastic Coach and the Wigwam Wisemen and he went on to star at the University of Arizona and New Mexico State. He led Gadsden to three straight state championships and a then-state record of 34 wins in a row.

His 608 career points easily broke the all-time record in New Mexico and were hailed as a possible national record (Ken Hall of Sugar Land, Texas, had actually set the national record two years before with 899 points). He also set the state record for points in a season with 175, breaking the old mark held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald (151 points).

His career rushing yardage total of 7,098 career yards would have still been a state record as of 2014 when it was broken by David McGee of Laguna-Acoma — nearly 60 years after Gonzalez set the mark. However, Gonzalez's rushing total is not in the record book.

Gonzalez has also been listed in newspaper articles with a career total of 9,207 yards career rushing, but that may include kick return yardage. Gonzalez's career records were clearly recorded in the El Paso Times in February 1956 by Chuck Whitlock, who closely monitored Gonzalez's career. Gonzalez has also been credited with 485 yards rushing in a game, but that, too, appears to be apocryphal with kick return yardage (he had a 95-yard kick return in the game) likely included.

Filling his father's kicking shoes

AJ Vinatieri of Zionsville (Ind.) has been one of the top special teams players in the state of Indiana this year. A placekicker, Vinatieri also punts and is among the state leaders with a 41.2 yards per kick average.

That might seem a bit at odds for Vinatieri, whose famous father is the all-time leading scorer in NFL history with an NFL record 599 career field goals. Except for one thing, Adam Vinatieri was not recognized for his placekicking while in high school at Rapid City Central (S.D.).

In 1990, Vinatieri made the 11AA all-state team — as a punter. He averaged 39.8 yards per kick and also hit 5-of-8 field goals on the season. He was also the team's quarterback, defensive back and outside linebacker.