During the first 70 years of high school football, passing statistics were missing in action, and for good reason. Run-based offensive attacks, restrictive passing rules and the size of the ball itself made the passing game a non-factor in the early days of the game. As a result, MaxPreps's list of the top passing leader for each season doesn't start until 1947.
It took nearly 30 years before the forward pass was even allowed as a football tactic and that all changed in 1906. Around 1920, the ball became more streamlined and easier to pass and around 1930 the rules concerning the forward pass were changed to allow a pass from the line of scrimmage instead of five yards behind the line.
Meanwhile, schools ran offenses like the Single Wing, popularized by Pop Warner and the Carlisle Indians starring Jim Thorpe. More of a running offense, the quarterback did not even receive the center snap, which instead went to the halfback. The Single Wing remained popular until the 1940s when the T-Formation, run by the Chicago Bears, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, became more popular. The T allowed for a faster-paced game and made way for the modern passing game.
High school football didn't really catch up until the late 1940s. While stories about high school games that included box scores appeared as early as the turn of the century, the box scores usually focused on touchdowns scored, punting average (punting was huge tactical strategy at the time) and substitutions. Passing yardage was non existent. It wasn't until after World War II that passing stats regularly found their way into high school football stories.
That's why we start our list in 1947, when Dick Horn of Santa Monica threw for 2,117 yards in leading his team to the CIF Southern Section championship over San Diego. Horn went on to play at Stanford and in the NFL with Baltimore — as a punter.
Since 1947, seven quarterbacks have led the nation more than once Doyle Traylor of Temple (Texas) in 1951 and 1952, Joe Ferguson of Woodlawn-Shreveport in 1968 and 1969, Ron Cuccia of Wilson (Los Angeles) in 1976 and 1977, John White of Metairie Park Country Day in 1983 and 1984, Ben Mauk of Kenton (Ohio) in 2001 and 2002, Maty Mauk of Kenton in 2010 and 2011 and Alex Huston of Glendale (Springfield, Mo.) in 2015 and 2016.
The two Mauk brothers and Huston, along with 2013 leader Grant Sherman, all had Mike Mauk as their coach. Kevin Kelley of Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.) had four national leaders while Dennis Dunn of Evangel Chrsitian Academy (Shreveport, La.) and Gene Cox of Leon (Tallahassee, Fla.) each coached three.
Resources for the list included the National High School Football Record Book by Doug Huff (2001), the Cal-Hi Sports Almanac by Mark Tennis and Nelson Tennis, Joe Lee Smith's Texas High School Football History, the MaxPreps leader boards and research via Newspapers.com.
Braden Bratcher, Pulaski Academy
File photo by Bryan Metz
2019 — Braden Bratcher,
Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.), 5,196
yards
2018 — Anthony Munoz,
Western (Anaheim, Calif.), 5,010
2017 — Layne Hatcher, Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.), 5,779
2016 — Alex Huston,
Glendale (Springfield, Mo.), 6,131
2015 — Alex Huston, Glendale (Springfield, Mo.), 5,608
2014 — Myles Brennan,
St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), 5,797
2013 — Grant Sherman,
Kenton (Ohio), 5,920
2012 — Will Grier,
Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.), 5,785
2011 — Maty Mauk, Kenton (Ohio), 5,413
2010 — Maty Mauk, Kenton (Ohio), 5,670
2009 — Dylan Favre, St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), 5,511
2008 — Spencer Keith, Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.), 5,310
2007 — Corey Robinson,
Lone Oak (Paducah, Ky.), 5,872
2006 — Stefan Loucks, Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.), 5,080
2005 — Greg McElroy,
Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 4,682
2004 — Chase Daniel, Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 4,672
2003 — Brett Henson,
Hatch Valley (Hatch, N.M.), 4,914
2002 — Ben Mauk, Kenton (Ohio), 6,540
2001 — Ben Mauk, Kenton (Ohio), 5,770
2000 — Chris Leak,
Independence (Charlotte, N.C.), 4,529
1999 — David Koral,
Palisades (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), 4,907
1998 — JR House,
Nitro (W. Va.), 5,526
1997 — Brock Berlin,
Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.), 4,657
1996 — Phillip Deas, Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.), 4,656
1995 — Chris Czernek,
Newbury Park (Calif.), 4,360
1994 — Kenton Evans,
Westwood (Memphis, Tenn.), 3,878
1993 — Keith Smith, Newbury Park (Calif.), 4,244
1992 — Josh Booty, Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.), 4,385
1991 — Pat Graham,
DeSales (Walla Walla, Wash.), 4,410
1990 — Donnie Davis,
Cummings (Burlington, N.C.), 4,478
1989 — Santiago Alvarez,
Franklin (Los Angeles), 4,019
1988 — Rick Mirer,
Goshen (Ind.), 3,973
1987 — Lupe Rodriguez,
Mission (Texas), 4,179
1986 — Kirk Saul,
Valley (Turkey, Texas), 3,559
1985 — Sol Graves,
Ouachita Christian (Monroe, La.), 3,770
1984 — John White,
Metairie Park Country Day (Metairie, La.), 3,463
1983 — John White, Metairie Park Country Day (Metairie, La.), 3,073
1982 — Mike Smith,
Los Altos (Hacienda Heights, Calif.), 3,437
1981 — Jim Plum,
Helix (La Mesa, Calif.), 3,328
1980 — Todd Dodge, Jefferson (Port Arthur), now
Port Arthur Memorial (Texas), 3,135
1979 — Ron Robinson,
Woodlake (Calif.), 2,608
1978 — Steve Clarkson,
Wilson (Los Angeles), 2,515
1977 — Ron Cuccia, Wilson (Los Angeles), 3,168
1976 — Ron Cuccia, Wilson (Los Angeles), 3,246
1975 — Jimmy Jordan,
Leon (Tallahassee, Fla.), 4,098
1974 — Wally Woodham, Leon (Tallahassee, Fla.), 3,511
1973 — Rick Costello, Neff (La Mirada, Calif.), now closed, 2,498
1972 — Wayne Folsom, Leon (Tallahassee), 3,005
1971 — Bob Baker,
Upper Merion Area (King of Prussia, Pa.), 3,028
1970 — Dana Potter,
Granada Hills Charter (Calif.), 3,227
1969 — Pat Haden,
Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.), 3,008
1968 — Joe Ferguson,
Woodlawn-Shreveport (La.), 3,452
1967 — Joe Ferguson, Woodlawn-Shreveport (La.), 2,588
1966 — Tony Netto,
Lemoore (Calif.), 2,533
1965 — Steve Sterr,
Lomira (Wis.), 2,245
1964 — Steve Sogge,
Gardena (Calif.), 2,631
1963 — Buster O'Brien,
Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), 2,023
1962 — Randy McCollum,
Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas), 2,531
1961 — Rick Norton, Flaget (Louisville, Ky.), now closed, 1,758
1960 — Danny Barfield,
Pasadena (Calif.), 1,705
1959 — Jerry Rhome,
Sunset (Dallas), 1,647
1958 — Stan Williams,
Red Bluff (Calif.), 1,925
1957 — Sonny Gibbs,
Graham (Texas), 2,266
1956 — Kenny Cooper,
Wilson (Dallas), 1,856
1955 — Cliff Wingo, Red Bluff (Calif.), 1,716
1954 — John Hangartner,
Hoover (Glendale, Calif.), 2,187
1953 — Joe Contestabile,
Hawthorne (Calif.), 2,165
1952 — Doyle Traylor,
Temple (Texas), 1,937
1951 — Doyle Traylor, Temple (Texas), 2,188
1950 — Malcolm Bowers,
Highland Park (Dallas), 1,804
1949 — Landon Exley,
Santa Monica (Calif.), 1,687
1948 — Ted Jones,
Childress (Texas), 1,370
1947 — Dick Horn, Santa Monica (Calif.), 2,117
