Will Grier, N.C. QB, sets national marks with 10 TDs in preposterous 104-80 victory
Will Grier may only be a junior, but he's already establishing himself as one of the best high school passers to ever play the game. That status was cemented on Friday when he tied the national record for most touchdown passes in a game by throwing 10 in his Davidson (N.C.) Day School's stunning 104-80 victory against Harrells (N.C.) Christian Academy. Equally incredibly, he set a national record for most passing yards in a game at the same time.
Pause for a moment to consider all those points, both for Grier and the game as a whole. Ten touchdowns and 60 points through the air for Grier. One-hundred-eighty-four total points between two teams. In football. Wow.
"I don't know what to say," Davidson Day football coach Chad Grier told the Charlotte Observer. "It was crazy. I don't think I'll ever live to see something like that happen again. It was just nuts."
The total yardage for Grier, the son of the coach, is as impressive as one might expect when considering that he threw for 10 scores. The junior finished with 834 yards through the air, a national record for most passing yards in a single game. In fact, Grier's 35-for-42 performance completely smashed the prior record of 764 yards by 70 yards. To think, some quarterbacks would be happy throwing for 70 yards in a game.
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The 10 touchdowns also did wonders for Grier's single-season totals on that count as well. According to the Observer, he has now passed for 64 scores in 2012, two TDs short of the state record, with the 64 good for a tie for sixth all time nationally. Remember former Florida and Charlotte (N.C.) Independence High superstar Chris Leak? He's one of the other players to pass for 64 touchdowns in a season. He had already thrown for six touchdowns in a single game earlier in 2012, too.
With Davidson Day still playing, the younger Grier is almost sure to top Leak and move up the national list.
"I just focused on taking care of the ball and moving down field," Will Grier told MaxPreps' Dave Krider. "My line did an amazing job all night. We had 16 or 17 possessions. As the season progressed they have gotten better and better."
As one might expect for a game that totaled 185 points, Grier wasn't the only player to put up preposterous statistics. Harrells Christian running back Russell Washington carried the ball 46 times, racking up 429 yards and eight touchdowns himself. Think about that: 46 carries! The eight rushing touchdowns also tied for the fourth most in a single game in national history.
Despite those eight touchdowns and ridiculous 429 yards, Washington reportedly is still searching for his first official Division I scholarship offer. That's not the case for Grier, who holds scholarship offers from the likes of Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wake Forest, among other schools. Anyone else think that list might grow after Friday's performance?
As for the lack of defense, Chad Grier had a humorous anecdote about his own squad's struggles to slow down Harrell's Christian, an arduous task which was only topped by Harrell's own inability to stop Davidson Day.
"When we got to 104, I [jokingly] told [defensive coordinator and family friend Dave Serepca] if that wasn't enough he was fired," Grier told MaxPreps.
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