MaxPreps National Football Player of the Year Watch

The 10 players in the MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch have made their mark on their respective state record books as well as on the national record lists. And they're not done yet.

Shuler Bentley, Jake Browning and Grant Sherman will all be among the ones to watch this weekend as they attempt to break state records and eclipse noteworthy milestones.

You also can't overlook Will Grier, who is playing the final game of his high school career. He faces Harrells Christian Academy in the NCISAA Division II state championship game. When these two teams met in the playoffs last year, Davidson Day won 104-80 and Grier threw for 837 yards.

See the high school football playoff brackets from each state


Will Grier, Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.)
Grier had his highest yardage total of the season in a 73-24 playoff win over Hickory Grove Christian. He completed 23 of 30 passes for 498 yards and eight touchdowns. He becomes just the sixth player in high school history to throw at least 70 touchdown passes in a season. He also passed Chris Leak of Independence (Charlotte) for first place in North Carolina history with 188 career touchdowns. He has completed 282 of 404 passes on the season for 4,390 yards and 70 touchdowns.

Shuler Bentley, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
After throwing for five touchdowns in a 42-14 playoff win over Wando, Bentley needs just two touchdown passes to break the South Carolina season record of 64, held by Justin Worley of Northwestern. Bentley's 169 career touchdown passes also ranks sixth in national history. For the season, Bentley has completed 253 of 363 passes for 4,409 yards and 63 touchdowns. With 12,622 career yards, Bentley needs 763 yards to surpass Worley (13,385) as the all-time yardage leader in South Carolina prep history.

Jake Browning, Folsom (Calif.)
Browning  could break a record and surpass a milestone this weekend against Franklin (Elk Grove). Browning needs 374 yards to surpass 10,000 yards for his career. He would become just the third quarterback in state history to accomplish the feat — and remember, he's only a junior. He also can break the state record of 65 touchdown passes in a season, according to Cal-Hi Sports, if he can throw four touchdown passes this week. For the season, Browning has completed 78 percent of his passes with 311 completions in 399 attempts for 4,378 yards and 62 touchdowns.

Deshaun Watson, Gainesville (Ga.)
Playing in the rain, Watson attempted only 10 passes in a 28-14 playoff win over M.L. King, completing four for 19 yards. However Watson kept the ball on the ground and rushed 19 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a 4-yard touchdown pass, his second of the season. For the year, Watson has completed 214 of 311 passes for 2,810 yards and 37 touchdowns. He has also rushed 99 times for 849 yards and 11 scores.

Trey Quinn, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Quinn had nine catches for 216 yards and three touchdowns last week to break the national record for receiving yardage in a career. Quinn has 6,396 career yards, breaking the old mark of 6,356 held by Dorial Green-Beckham of Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.). For the season, Quinn has 97 catches for 1,797 yards and 21 touchdowns. With 346 career receptions, Quinn ranks fourth all-time, but he is just 12 receptions from a tie for second place (358).

Grant Sherman, Kenton (Ohio)
Considering that his name contains the surnames of the two greatest generals for the North in the Civil War, it shouldn't be any surprise that Kenton field general Grant Sherman is leading the nation in passing yardage this year. With 34 yards in this week's playoff game with Bryan, Sherman needs just 34 yards to become the third quarterback in Ohio history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season. The other two, Maty and Ben Mauk, also played at Kenton and both accomplished the feat twice. Sherman also needs 59 yards to become the seventh quarterback to throw for 10,000 yards in Ohio history. For the season, Sherman has completed 356 of 541 passes for 4,966 yards and 58 touchdowns. For his career, he has thrown for 9,941 yards and 114 touchdowns.

Nick Chubb, Cedartown (Ga.)
Chubb's season came to an end with a 63-10 loss to Sandy Creek in the AAAA state playoffs. Sandy Creek limited Chubb to 71 yards on 19 carries with no touchdowns. He ends the season with 2,683 yards rushing on 275 carries with 41 touchdowns.

Elijah Hood, Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.)
Charlotte Catholic advanced in the Class 4A state playoffs with a 56-14 win over A.L. Brown. Hood carried just 14 times but gained 231 yards with four touchdowns. He has 2,811 yards on 263 carries with 41 touchdowns on the season.

Desmon White, DeSoto (Texas)
White led DeSoto to an easy 67-21 playoff win against Copperas Cove as he threw 30 times, completing 24, for 393 yards and three touchdowns. White has completed 198 of 289 passes on the season for 3,259 yards and 33 touchdowns. He only rushed four times for 13 yards in the win, but he has 106 carries for 1,188 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year.

Patrick Mahomes, Whitehouse (Texas)
For the second week in a row, Whitehouse won a high-scoring affair with Mahomes leading the way. He had his best rushing game of the season in a 50-44 win over Seguin as he carried 25 times for 213 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 13 of 31 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Mahomes has completed 241 of 409 passes for 3,796 yards and 43 touchdowns while rushing 133 times for 808 yards and 13 touchdowns.