San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh might have come up with the West Coast Offense in the 1980s, but California high school quarterbacks have been prolific touchdown passers since the late 1940s.
In MaxPreps list of the yearly
touchdown passing leaders since 1941, included on our National High School Record Book, California quarterbacks have led the nation 23 times, including a national record 91 touchdown passes by Jake Browning of Folsom in 2014.
Dick Horn of Santa Monica was the first California quarterback to lead the nation, throwing 25 touchdown passes in 1947. He was the first of seven quarterbacks from the West Coast to lead in the nation over the next 12 seasons.
MaxPreps' list starts in 1941 with Texas quarterback Gene Hill from Wichita Falls. He's believed to have set a Texas record with 25 touchdown passes that year. He's the first quarterback that MaxPreps has been able to confidently identify as a national leader. Records prior to 1941 are not well kept and the passing game was less evolved prior to that year.
MaxPreps has also not been able to identify a national leader in 1942 and the leader in 1943 and 1944 is believed to be prolific Lufkin quarterback Harmon Carswell, who led his team to back-to-back state championship games. Carswell's complete touchdown totals are unavailable but they are believed to be close to 20 touchdowns each season.
Other notables on the list include NFL quarterback Pat Haden of Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) in 1970 and former MaxPreps Coach of the Year Todd Dodge of Port Arthur Jefferson in 1980.
Other two-time leaders besides Carswell include John White of Metairie Park Country Day (La.) in 1983 and 1984, Kellen Moore of Prosser (Wash.) in 2005 and 2006, Maty Mauk of Kenton (Ohio) in 2010 and 2011 and Will Grier of Davidson Day (N.C.) in 2012 and 2013.
Sources for the list include the National Federation of High Schools record book, the MaxPreps National High School Football Record Book, Doug Huff's National High School Football Record Book (published 2001), the Cal-Hi Sports Almanac by Nelson Tennis and Mark Tennis, state association record books and the MaxPreps leaderboards.
Jake Browning of Folsom is among the yearly touchdown passing leaders since 1941, compiled in the MaxPreps National High School Football Record Book. (Photo: Todd Shurtleff)
