Texas QB breaks state passing record with 715 yards, 7 TDs in shootout win
Going into Thursday night's game against Boerne Champion (Texas) High, Marble Falls (Texas) High quarterback Mike Richardson had passed for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first three games -- an impressive start to the season for any signal-caller ... until you realize Richardson nearly matched his passing total in one game.
In a regular Texas shootout, Richardson broke the Texas state record for passing yards in a single game -- set just last season by Wichita Falls (Texas) High QB Dylan Sheffield who passed for 683 yards -- with a 715-yard, seven-touchdown performance in a 62-55 win over Boerne Champion.
The 715 yards has yet to be confirmed by both coaches -- Marble Falls head coach Todd Dodge told the Statesman that he had Richardson for 722 yards -- so the number may change in the coming days. But for the moment, Richardson's 715 yards is the second most in high school football history behind David Koral's 764 yards for Pacific Palisades (Calif.) High in 2000.
"I didn't really think about the yards and completions," Richardson told the Express-News. "I just played the game."
Instead of enjoying the record, Richardson and Marble Falls had to play until the whistle -- and still only ended up winning by a touchdown. According to the San Antonio Express-News and the Austin American-Statesman, both teams combined for 1,310 passing yards, which is currently an unofficial state record.
To give you an idea of how prolific Marble Falls was on offense, the Express-News noted the team had six touchdown drives that took less than six plays, and that reciever Garrett Gray ended the game with an eye-popping stat line: 13 receptions for 294 yards and five TDs.
Boerne Champion quarterback Kyle Poeske may have been overshadowed by Richardson, but he produced a memorable performance in defeat, passing for 595 yards, which currently has him tied for fourth all time in the state record books.
Marble Falls head coach Todd Dodge knows a thing or two about having offensive success. Before taking over at Marble Falls this year, Dodge coached at North Texas University and Pittsburgh, and won four state titles at perennial Texas football powerhouse Southlake Carroll (Texas) High.
"We had a couple of 600-yard games at Southlake [Carroll]," Dodge told the Express-News. "But nothing like that."
We're only four weeks into the season and already players are shattering state records at a breakneck pace. Marble Falls and Boerne Champion's offensive explosion comes on the heels of Thomas Tyner's incredible 634-yard, 10-touchdown performance that shattered Oregon's rushing record last Friday. At this rate, we could see a state record broken every week.
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