And just like that, the 2020 Texas high school football season ended in 2021. We saw unbelievable comebacks, remarkable stat lines and some of the nation’s best talent. But, with twenty road trips down, it is time to get serious and rank last season’s top performances.
Criteria:
Not all games were created equal. So, these rankings will reflect the importance of stellar play in the playoffs.
Also, I was lucky enough to cover some incredible athletes who consistently bring their A-game. However, I am implementing a one spot limit, selecting an athlete’s best performance that I covered in person.
Lastly, there were many deserving candidates but not everyone can make the list.
2020 Top Performers:
Honorable Mentions:
Week 2: Jarred Kerr – Lexington
During the week leading up to Lexington’s matchup against Thrall, Jarred Kerr’s recruiting stock was piping hot. In fact, Kerr had received an offer from the Longhorns just a couple of days prior to this game. However, Kerr did not let the recruiting buzz get to his head as he rushed for four touchdowns and had a multitude of tackles on defense as well.
Week 7: Quaydarius Davis – Dallas Skyline
Davis, a former Longhorns commit, showed off his knack for making big plays in his game against the Keller Indians. Although he did not have many receptions, he finished the night with three touchdown grabs and a nail-biting victory. Currently, Davis is committed to playing for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Week 8: Ryder Hernandez – Cedar Park
Although 2020 did not go as anyone imagined, Ryder Hernandez’s 2020 football season was one that he probably dreamt of having. In 2020, Hernandez shattered Cedar Park’s passing records and led the Timberwolves to a state title appearance. Against Anderson, Ryder threw for four touchdowns in an abbreviated blowout performance.
Week 13: D.Q James – Lancaster
Lancaster wanted to face a non-district challenger late in the regular season so they scheduled a good Grapevine Mustangs team. However, James, a Hawaii commit, made the Mustangs look like a not-so-good team. Ultimately, James finished the game with 300 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Week 18: Roderick Daniels – Duncanville
Roderick’s offensive versatility has always made him a fun player to watch. Against DeSoto, Daniels used some playoff magic to tally 267 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. Additionally, Duncanville flexed their muscles and was able to beat their rival.
10. Oscar Gordon – Austin LBJ (Week 12)
Prior to the season, Austin LBJ was a legitimate dark horse in the 4A classification. The Jaguars secondary was stellar, led by four-star recruits Andrew Mukuba and Latrell McCutchin. However, Gordon proved that he could help the Jaguars on offense as he passed for five touchdowns in their playoff win against Alice. Gordon, a junior, was a major factor in LBJ’s playoff run that lasted until the state semifinals.
9. Ace Whitehead – Lampasas (Week 3)
At this point, Lampasas will always be synonymous with Ace Whitehead. Early in the season, Lampasas squared off against Wimberley in a battle of two of the top teams in the 4A classification. Unfortunately for Wimberley, Whitehead and the Badgers were much too powerful for the Texans to handle. Whitehead, a Texas baseball signee, finished the game with a total of five touchdowns: 3 rushing and 2 passing. According to MaxPreps, Whitehead finished the year with 1,993 passing yards, 978 rushing yards and 44 total touchdowns.
8. Cade Klubnik – Westlake (Week 20)
Looking to cement Westlake’s place as back-to-back title winners in the history books, Chaparrals quarterback Cade Klubnik was making his first title game start. As a sophomore, Klubnik was part of Westlake’s three-headed monster at quarterback. However, Westlake head coach Todd Dodge eventually handed (then) senior quarterback, Kirkland Michaux, the keys to the Chaps offense. Despite not receiving the lion’s share of the playing time in 2019, the experience paid off for Klubnik in 2020 as he showed the nation why he is a four-star recruit.
In this year’s title game against Southlake Carroll, Klubnik, a Longhorns target, was the definition of efficient. Completing 90% of his passes in the game, Klubnik made all of the right decisions and was rewarded with a championship and the Offensive MVP award. Additionally, Klubnik tallied 220 passing yards, 97 rushing yards and a total of three touchdowns.
7. DeMarco Roberts – Aledo (Week 16)
Honestly, DeMarco’s entire playoff run was pretty impressive. However, the Aledo game I covered against North Forney had to top the list. Versus the Falcons, Roberts rushed for 224 yards and four touchdowns and eliminated a sneaky good North Forney team.
In December, Roberts signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Lamar. In January, Roberts helped to lead the Bearcats to their record-breaking 10th state title. Quite simply, he had a heck of a winter.
6. Ollie Gordon – Euless Trinity (Week 16)
Well, well, well, week 16 of the road trip was a fruitful one. In the state’s final game of the weekend, Euless Trinity was set to face another state powerhouse in Midland Lee. The Rebels, led by senior quarterback, Mikey Serrano, had a 35-14 lead at one point in the second quarter. However, Ollie Gordon and the Trojans would not let up. Led by Gordon’s four total touchdowns, the Trojans clawed their way to a thrilling victory. The icing on the cake? Gordon threw the game’s winning touchdown on a trick play that kept the Trojans alive in the playoffs.
Gordon, a three-star class of 2022 running back, has seen his recruitment explode following his magnificent playoff performances. Currently, Gordon holds 17 collegiate offers from schools such as: Michigan, Nebraska and TCU.
5. Ralph Rucker – Lovejoy (Week 18)
This selection is a nod to Lovejoy quarterback Ralph Rucker. Why? Although Lovejoy ended up losing this playoff game, Rucker still had a dominant performance. How did he do? Well, Rucker combined for a total of six touchdowns. However, Aledo, of course, found their way to fight and claw their way back thanks to stellar special teams play and the duo of DeMarco Roberts and JoJo Earle. Despite the nail-biting loss, Rucker threw for 422 yards and rushed for another 114 yards.
Now, Ralph Rucker is getting some respect on the recruiting trail and recently committed to Oklahoma as a preferred walk-on.
4. Brady Boyd – Southlake Carroll (Week 18)
It was about time that a wide receiver makes the list. Boyd, a Minnesota enrollee, has been one of Texas high school football’s most unguardable players. In addition, Boyd’s rapport with Quinn Ewers makes him extra-lethal.
Although the game’s storylines would be on both Quinn Ewers and Ollie Gordon, Boyd’s route-running quietly solidified himself as one of the season’s top performers. Against Trinity’s defense, Boyd had: 17 receptions, 261 receiving yards and four touchdowns. In addition, Boyd’s playoff performance came against (arguably) Carroll’s biggest rival.
3. Charles Wright – Austin High (Week 6)
Entering a game with tremendous playoff implications, Charles Wright was looking to lead the Maroons past an underrated Austin Bowie team. However, things did not look good for the Maroons as they trailed by 21 points early in the fourth quarter. In fact, I was waiting to see if Austin’s head coach, Mike Rosenthal, would pull the plug on his starters. But, he sent Wright and the offense back onto the field and struck magic. Wright, a Longhorns signee, quite literally willed the Maroons back into the contest and was hungry for more. Actually, the Maroons were hungry for a lot more, as Rosenthal had the Maroons go for a game-winning two point conversion when down 55-56. The final result? You guessed it, the Maroons won 57-56.
How did Austin High get to that point? Charles Wright accounted for a total of seven (yes, seven) touchdowns. And, more importantly, the Maroons eventually ended up sneaking into the playoffs.
2. Quinn Ewers – Southlake Carroll (Week 18)
We already mentioned Brady Boyd‘s performance in this game, but let’s also talk about his quarterback. Against Trinity, Quinn Ewers threw for 450 yards and six touchdowns in Carroll’s playoff win. The only major mistake Ewers had was throwing an interception on a pressured throw, but the Dragons already had a 45-21 second half lead at that point. Additionally, Ewers completed 37 out of 41 of his passing attempts, approximately equivalent to a 90% completion rate. Also, Quinn’s game against Trinity was just his second game back for the Dragons after sustaining an injury earlier in the regular season.
Currently, Ewers is committed to joining head coach Ryan Day at Ohio State.
1. Jonathon Brooks – Hallettsville (Week 11)
Ladies and gentlemen, we have made it to the number one spot. And quite honestly, Jonathon Brooks is a cheat code. I was excited to travel to Bastrop in order to see the (now) Longhorns signee in action, especially after seeing the video game-like numbers that he had been producing. Of course, his performance certainly did not leave me disappointed. Against Little River Academy, Brooks scored a total of seven touchdowns and combined for over 300 total yards on just his rushes and receptions alone.
After Hallettsville’s playoff win over Little River Academy, Brooks kept on rolling. In fact, Brooks led the Brahmas to a state title appearance and nearly was able to win it all. But, you want to get crazy? Let’s get crazy. In 2020, Brooks rushed for 3,530 yards and scored a total of 70 touchdowns. As a reward, 247Sports finally upgraded him to a four-star grade.
Miles Logged:
2,524 miles (2020 season total).
