Tulare County Football: Top quarterbacks to watch in 2023
In the past decade, Tulare County has produced some of the top quarterbacks in the Central Section.
Former Dinuba stars Marcus McMaryion and Josh Magana put together stellar prep careers for the northern Tulare County school before going on to play at the next level. McMaryion and Magana combined to throw for nearly 14,000 yards and 161 touchdowns while wearing an Emperor jersey.
McMaryion played at Oregon State and Fresno State and won back-to-back bowl games with the Bulldogs. After high school, Magana starred for two seasons at Reedley College and is now on an NCAA Division I roster at Texas A&M Commerce.
Nathan Lamb, a former starter at both Tulare Union and College of the Sequoias, is a member of the Western Illinois football team — an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.
More: Find out everything you need to know for the 2023 Tulare County football season
Lamb passed for 11,337 yards and 123 touchdowns in a Tulare Union uniform. At COS, he finished with 4,659 yards passing and 63 total touchdowns (40 passing, 23 rushing).
Tulare County's strong quarterback tradition will likely continue this season.
Here are nine returning Tulare County signal-callers to watch during the 2023 campaign:
Rocky Arguijo, Porterville
The 2022 East Yosemite League co-offensive most valuable player, Arguijo, threw for 1,908 yards and 14 touchdowns last season to lead the Panthers to a 9-2 record. Porterville's nine wins in 2022 were the most in the program since the 2013 campaign when the Panthers went 9-3. Arguijo completed nearly 67% of his passes during his breakout junior year and was intercepted only five times on 218 attempts in the Panthers' spread offense.
Bryson Bias, Strathmore
Bias is entering year two as Strathmore's starting quarterback. The Spartans don't pass often behind their run-heavy attack but when they do, Bias is more than capable of moving the chains with his arm. During his first year as a starter in 2022, Bias hit 41 of 75 passes for 576 yards and seven touchdowns. He completed nearly 55% of his passes and also rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Bias helped lead the Spartans to an 8-3 record last year.
Jordan Crisp, Tulare Union
Crisp started as a freshman last season and provided an immediate spark for the Tulare Union offense. In four games, he registered 734 yards passing and eight touchdowns against no interceptions. The Tribe went 3-1 during that stretch and Crisp helped Tulare Union qualify for the Central Section playoffs. Crisp had one of his best performances in last season's Bell Game against Tulare Union, completing 10 of 11 passes for a career-high 238 yards and three touchdowns.
Vincent Duran, Woodlake
Duran started Woodlake's first five games last season before having his promising breakout junior season cut short due to an injury. He passed for 859 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 while leading the Tigers to three victories. A 57% career passer, he fired a career-high 395 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Sierra Pacific last September. He is expected to lead Woodlake's pro-style offense this season.
Danny Gonzalez, Mission Oak
Gonzalez is the top returning quarterback in Tulare County. He led all Tulare County passers with 2,857 yards and 28 touchdowns during his breakout 2022 junior campaign. A Redwood transfer, Gonzalez guided Mission Oak to the Central Section Division III quarterfinals last season in a six-win campaign. He also ran for 193 yards and scored another three touchdowns on the ground. He had six games of 300-plus-yard performances in 2022 and threw a career-high six touchdowns in his varsity debut last August.
Brent Kroeze, Central Valley Christian
Kroeze has battled for CVC's starting quarterback position since his sophomore season but is slated to be the top option full-time as a senior. A versatile, dual-threat quarterback, Kroeze saw some action last season, passing for 121 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 19 yards and catching one pass for 11 yards. He is also a standout baseball player who has been on the varsity squad since his freshman year.
Lance Lopez, Orosi
Lopez's primary job is to hand the ball off to 2,000-yard rusher Andrew Camarillo but he is more than capable of making an impact, too, when called upon. Last season, he threw for 655 yards and six touchdowns as the Cardinals advanced to the Central Section Division VI postseason. Lopez is a three-year varsity starter and enters his senior year with 1,101 career yards passing and 11 passing touchdowns.
Jacob Molina, Exeter
According to Exeter head coach Keirsten Lamb, Molina quarterbacked the Monarchs to its first outright league championship in 50 years last season. Exeter won the 2022 Tri-County Conference Sequoia division title with a perfect 4-0 record. Molina played a key role in that success, throwing for 1,021 yards and seven touchdowns as the Monarchs racked up seven victories.
Raymon Velazquez, Golden West
Velazquez, a senior, is one of the few returning quarterbacks in Visalia who have live-game reps behind center. During his junior season, he passed for 582 yards and two touchdowns as Golden West won four games. The Trailblazers' spread offense will be directed this year by former Porterville and Mission Oak head coach Michael Machado — who will serve this season as the team's offensive coordinator.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County Football: Top QBs to watch in 2023
