Davidson Day junior QB Will Grier threw for a national record 837 yards in Friday's 104-80 win over Harrell's Christian.
Yes, you read the right: 104-80.
In a high school football game.
Grier's 837 yards passed the old national mark of 764 was set by Pacific Palisades (CA) QB David Koral in 2000. Friday night, Grier completed 35-of-42 passes and threw for a new N.C. record 10 touchdowns. The 10 touchdowns ties six other players for the national record, originally set in 1990.
Early reports had Grier throwing for nearly 800 yards and 11 scores, but Davidson Day coaches carefully reviewed the film to confirm the passing totals.
Grier, who is 6-3 and 190 pounds, now has 5,294 passing yards for the season, breaking former Independence QB Chris Leak’s 10-year-old N.C. and Mecklenburg County mark of 5,193 (Unofficially Raleigh Wakefield’s Connor Mitch threw for 643 yards Friday in a 76-34 loss to Garner which would give him 5,344 passing yards for the season).
Grier has 64 touchdown passes this season, just two short of former Independence QB Joe Cox’s eight-year-old county and N.C. record. Grier’s 64 TD passes ties Leak for sixth-most in national history.
Grier has scholarship offers from East Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wake Forest. Duke coach David Cutcliffe was on campus Friday, and Chad Grier said his son is being heavily recruited by Alabama, Duke, N.C. State and Oregon.
There's been a lot of conjecture about Grier's age this season, something that his father, Chad, has heard about. Chad Grier, a former East Carolina QB, is the Davidson Day coach.
Chad Grier said his son turns 18 next April and that he repeated half a year in sixth grade when the family moved him from public to private school.
8 Aralık 2012 Cumartesi
Davidson Day's Will Grier sets national record with 837-yard passing night
Davidson Day's Will Grier wins national player of week award after 837 yard pass night
From Observer News Services
Wharton, N.J. (Nov. 12, 2012) - Quarterback Will Grier of Davidson Day (N.C.) High School was named the U.S. Army All-American Bowl High School Player of the Week, for the week ending November 11. Will Grier threw for a national record 837 yards and 10 touchdowns as Davidson Day defeated Harrells Christian 104-80. Grier shattered the previous national mark of 764 set in 2000 by Pacific Palisades (Calif.) quarterback David Koral.
Grier was joined by some other outstanding players who earned U.S. Army All-American Bowl High School Player of the Week nomination honors. One nominee was U.S. Army All-American running back Thomas Tyner of Aloha (Ore.) High School. Tyner’s 431 yard performance increased his total yards for the year to over 3,000. Tyner’s 5 touchdowns helped Aloha High School win its playoff game against Glencoe (Ore.) High School 38-35. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl High School Player of the Week was designed to recognize the nation’s top high school performance of the week.
A few final thoughts on Davidson Day QB Will Grier's record-breaking season
Davidson Day’s Will Grier finished his junior season with 5,609 yards passing. No N.C. quarterback has ever thrown for as many. No N.C. quarterback has ever thrown for 68 touchdown passes like Grier did, either.
Nationally, only three QBs have thrown for more yards in one year, and only three have thrown for more touchdowns. Grier’s records might not be entered into the national or N.C. High School Athletic Association state record books because he plays for a private school.
There’s also a push to discredit him for the competition he plays against. I’ve seen public school athletes run up incredible numbers against worse competition and their records are proudly listed in the record books. But I’d also love to see what Grier could do playing for, say, Butler, against, say, Mallard Creek – or vice versa. I’d love to see him play at a big private school, like Charlotte Latin where his father played, playing against the stiff competition the Hawks face.
But he’s at the school his family has chosen for him, and all I can tell you about him is that I think he’s the real thing. His multiple BCS college offers prove it, and I’ve had three high school coaches tell me – this year – that he’s among the best they’ve ever seen.
Friday night, after Grier’s 315-yard, four-touchdown performance in a state final win at Arden’s Christ School, Christ School coach Mark Monroe had this to say about Grier:
“I’ve been coaching for a long time, and he’s the best quarterback I’ve seen.”
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/11/17/3672498/palmieris-prediction-comes-true.html#storylink=cpy
Nation's top BB recruit here for Charlotte Challenge Fri-Sat
On Tap: The Charlotte Hoops ChallengeThe nation’s No. 1 recruit, Andrew Wiggins, will be at Waddell Language Academy, 7030 Nations Ford Rd, for the tournament today and Saturday. Wiggins, a 6-foot-7 forward, plays for Huntington Prep ans has schools like Florida State, Kansas, Ketucky, North Carolina, Ohio State and Syracuse among his finalists
There’s also some big games on the schedule like Berry’s girls, No. 4 in the Sweet 16, against No. 9 Providence Day, or Cuthbertson’s boys, a state runner-up last season, facing another in Davidson Day.
Here’s the scheduleFriday: Davidson Day vs. Cuthbertson, 11 a.m.; Heathwood girls vs. Charlotte Christian, 12:30 p.m.; N. Rowan vs. Peachtree Ridge, 2; Mt Tabor vs. South Meck, 3:30; Quality Eduation vs. Huntington Prep, 5; Berry girls vs. Providence Day, 6:30; Oldsmar vs. Kennedy Charter, 8Saturday: W. Craven vs. Davidson Day, 11 a.m.; Providence Day girls vs. W. Craven, 12:30 p.m.; Kennedy Charter vs. Huntington Prep, 2 p.m.; Oldsmar vs. Quality Education, 3:30; Peachtree Ridge vs. Berry, 5; S. Meck girls vs. Heathwood Hall, 6:30; N. Rowan vs. Cuthbertson, 8
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/11/21/3679682/high-school-basketball-update.html#storylink=cpy
Butler's place in history and the top 10 Meck Co teams ever
Now that I've had time to think about it, I wanted to address where I think 2012 Butler's place in Mecklenburg County history is.
And I think it's pretty far up there.
I guess the only thing that's really unfortunate is we never got to see this team at full strength. QB Riley Ferguson missed six of 15 games with a broken hand. Stud defensive lineman Grant Polofsky missed the stretch run with a torn ACL. Even in the championship game, as Butler built leads of as much as 42 points against overmatched Fayetteville Britt, the Bulldogs lost their best two-way player, Michigan recruit Channing Stribling, to what coach Brian Hales called a deep thigh bruise.
At full strength all year, these Bulldogs could've been extra scary. As it was, Butler was rarely pressed and pretty much cruised to a third state title in four years, polishing off a four-year run where Butler was 57-2.
Impressive.
So, where does this team -- blessed with a stud tailback (Josh Glisson), one of the nation's best quarterbacks (Riley Ferguson), one of the nation's best receivers (Uriah LeMay), one of the nation's best linebackers (Peter Kalambay) and several guys who would start for ANYONE in the state (Stribling, Polofsky, LB Sean Wiggins) -- where does it stand against the best in Mecklenburg County history?
I think it matches up favorably with all that have come before it.
Now, I think some of the great Charlotte Catholic teams and some of the all-time great private school teams at Country Day and Charlotte Latin don't make the top 10 list because they simply didn't have the size, speed or numbers to compete with the other super teams here. That's no knock against them. They were all great teams, but here we're talking about the Mount Olympus of Mecklenburg County football, and here's my list:
10. HARDING 1952-53: I put both teams together. The Rams, coached by the legendary Dave Harris, didn't lose a game for 35 straight games and won two state titles.
9. CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 2005: For me, this was the best Cougars team. Big offensive line. Stud running backs. Speed. It won by an average of 23 points and these Cougars held nine teams to seven points or less in rout to a state 3AA title.
8. MALLARD CREEK 2010: One of two teams on my list that didn't win a state championship. This team was nationally ranked and beating teams by nearly 50 points per game behind All-American QB Marquise Williams. Williams injured his ankle against Ardrey Kell in a second round playoff and was limited in a quarterfinal game against Vance. With Williams at full strength, Mallard Creek beat Vance 44-24 in the regular-season. With him sitting much of the rematch and limited, Mallard Creek lost the rematch 10-7 and ruined what could've been one of the greatest matchups in county history: nationally ranked Mallard Creek against nationally ranked Butler, which later won the 2010 state title.
7. SOUTH MECKLENBURG 1981: Led by superstar tailbacks Steve Griffin and Kelvin Crooms, a pair of Shrine Bowlers, the Sabres shut out two playoff opponents and allowed the other two to score just 17 points and rolled to a 14-win unbeaten season and a 27-14 win over Fayetteville Sanford in the NC 4A championship game.
6. WEST CHARLOTTE 1996: The second non-championship winning team on my list. This was the best West Charlotte team I've ever seen led by All-American QB Keith Matkins, who signed with South Carolina, and USA Today offensive national player of the year Steve Shipp, a wide receiver who signed with Florida. The '95 Lions won the NC 4A championship and this team was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in 1996. It held seven opponents to eight or fewer points with future Wilmington Hoggard state championship winning coach Scott Braswell and future Independence head coach Bill Geiler coaching the defense and the county's best ever coach, Tom Knotts, running the team and the offense. But the Lions D fell apart in a 42-41 home playoff loss to Greensboro Page behind a splendid tailback named Carlos Doggett. Had this team won it all, as expected, it would challenge, still, for the best ever around here.
5. BUTLER 2010: Won its games by nearly 35 points per game behind sophomore QB Riley Ferguson. It's scary to think how good this team may've been if senior Christian LeMay was back. LeMay didn't play but he was the nation's No. 2 ranked quarterback in 2010 and he eventually signed with Georgia. As it was, Butler still averaged 46 points per game, held seven teams to single digits and won the state final -- behind Auburn-bound stud linebacker Kris Frost -- 44-0 over Wake Forest-Rolesville.
4. INDEPENDENCE 2002: Chris Leak's senior year and he has at the height of his (high school) abilities. This team won by an average of nearly 40 points and outscored playoff teams 207-40. Knotts got a viral illness in the playoffs and wasn't himself. He missed a 20-7 playoff win over Scotland Senior but this team kept rolling. Of all the teams I rank here, this one might be low.
3. BUTLER 2012: I think this team slots in here. Hard to deny all the high major Division I recruits and just pure overall talent. Like so many of my teams on this list, you wonder good it really could've been with Ferguson and Polofsky healthy, but these Bulldogs were dominant for nearly the entire season and put a huge exclamation point on the season with one of the more lopsided championship games I've ever seen. There was never any doubt.
2. INDEPENDENCE 2004: This was the biggest Independence team, with Division I sized linemen, superior skill athletes and All-America QB Joe Cox quarterbacking the whole thing. The state's overall talent was down and Charlotte was a good bit down, but man, these guys were good. They won by an average of 46 points. The closest game was a 47-19 win over Richmond Senior in the semifinals.
1 INDEPENDENCE 2001: For my money, Leak -- a three-time national high school player of the year (two in his age group, one overall) -- is the best prep player ever from Mecklenburg County. This was his best team. These Patriots won by nearly 40 points per game and began the year with a 77-13 win over an Austin East (Tenn) team that came in with a national ranking and a state championship win streak. The 2001 season ended with a 49-25 win over Wilmington Laney in a state final where the Patriots faced a bit of a chllenge -- and rolled to Leak's second straight state title.
7 Aralık 2012 Cuma
Butler's place in history and the top 10 Meck Co teams ever
Now that I've had time to think about it, I wanted to address where I think 2012 Butler's place in Mecklenburg County history is.
And I think it's pretty far up there.
I guess the only thing that's really unfortunate is we never got to see this team at full strength. QB Riley Ferguson missed six of 15 games with a broken hand. Stud defensive lineman Grant Polofsky missed the stretch run with a torn ACL. Even in the championship game, as Butler built leads of as much as 42 points against overmatched Fayetteville Britt, the Bulldogs lost their best two-way player, Michigan recruit Channing Stribling, to what coach Brian Hales called a deep thigh bruise.
At full strength all year, these Bulldogs could've been extra scary. As it was, Butler was rarely pressed and pretty much cruised to a third state title in four years, polishing off a four-year run where Butler was 57-2.
Impressive.
So, where does this team -- blessed with a stud tailback (Josh Glisson), one of the nation's best quarterbacks (Riley Ferguson), one of the nation's best receivers (Uriah LeMay), one of the nation's best linebackers (Peter Kalambay) and several guys who would start for ANYONE in the state (Stribling, Polofsky, LB Sean Wiggins) -- where does it stand against the best in Mecklenburg County history?
I think it matches up favorably with all that have come before it.
Now, I think some of the great Charlotte Catholic teams and some of the all-time great private school teams at Country Day and Charlotte Latin don't make the top 10 list because they simply didn't have the size, speed or numbers to compete with the other super teams here. That's no knock against them. They were all great teams, but here we're talking about the Mount Olympus of Mecklenburg County football, and here's my list:
10. HARDING 1952-53: I put both teams together. The Rams, coached by the legendary Dave Harris, didn't lose a game for 35 straight games and won two state titles.
9. CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC 2005: For me, this was the best Cougars team. Big offensive line. Stud running backs. Speed. It won by an average of 23 points and these Cougars held nine teams to seven points or less in rout to a state 3AA title.
8. MALLARD CREEK 2010: One of two teams on my list that didn't win a state championship. This team was nationally ranked and beating teams by nearly 50 points per game behind All-American QB Marquise Williams. Williams injured his ankle against Ardrey Kell in a second round playoff and was limited in a quarterfinal game against Vance. With Williams at full strength, Mallard Creek beat Vance 44-24 in the regular-season. With him sitting much of the rematch and limited, Mallard Creek lost the rematch 10-7 and ruined what could've been one of the greatest matchups in county history: nationally ranked Mallard Creek against nationally ranked Butler, which later won the 2010 state title.
7. SOUTH MECKLENBURG 1981: Led by superstar tailbacks Steve Griffin and Kelvin Crooms, a pair of Shrine Bowlers, the Sabres shut out two playoff opponents and allowed the other two to score just 17 points and rolled to a 14-win unbeaten season and a 27-14 win over Fayetteville Sanford in the NC 4A championship game.
6. WEST CHARLOTTE 1996: The second non-championship winning team on my list. This was the best West Charlotte team I've ever seen led by All-American QB Keith Matkins, who signed with South Carolina, and USA Today offensive national player of the year Steve Shipp, a wide receiver who signed with Florida. The '95 Lions won the NC 4A championship and this team was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in 1996. It held seven opponents to eight or fewer points with future Wilmington Hoggard state championship winning coach Scott Braswell and future Independence head coach Bill Geiler coaching the defense and the county's best ever coach, Tom Knotts, running the team and the offense. But the Lions D fell apart in a 42-41 home playoff loss to Greensboro Page behind a splendid tailback named Carlos Doggett. Had this team won it all, as expected, it would challenge, still, for the best ever around here.
5. BUTLER 2010: Won its games by nearly 35 points per game behind sophomore QB Riley Ferguson. It's scary to think how good this team may've been if senior Christian LeMay was back. LeMay didn't play but he was the nation's No. 2 ranked quarterback in 2010 and he eventually signed with Georgia. As it was, Butler still averaged 46 points per game, held seven teams to single digits and won the state final -- behind Auburn-bound stud linebacker Kris Frost -- 44-0 over Wake Forest-Rolesville.
4. INDEPENDENCE 2002: Chris Leak's senior year and he has at the height of his (high school) abilities. This team won by an average of nearly 40 points and outscored playoff teams 207-40. Knotts got a viral illness in the playoffs and wasn't himself. He missed a 20-7 playoff win over Scotland Senior but this team kept rolling. Of all the teams I rank here, this one might be low.
3. BUTLER 2012: I think this team slots in here. Hard to deny all the high major Division I recruits and just pure overall talent. Like so many of my teams on this list, you wonder good it really could've been with Ferguson and Polofsky healthy, but these Bulldogs were dominant for nearly the entire season and put a huge exclamation point on the season with one of the more lopsided championship games I've ever seen. There was never any doubt.
2. INDEPENDENCE 2004: This was the biggest Independence team, with Division I sized linemen, superior skill athletes and All-America QB Joe Cox quarterbacking the whole thing. The state's overall talent was down and Charlotte was a good bit down, but man, these guys were good. They won by an average of 46 points. The closest game was a 47-19 win over Richmond Senior in the semifinals.
1 INDEPENDENCE 2001: For my money, Leak -- a three-time national high school player of the year (two in his age group, one overall) -- is the best prep player ever from Mecklenburg County. This was his best team. These Patriots won by nearly 40 points per game and began the year with a 77-13 win over an Austin East (Tenn) team that came in with a national ranking and a state championship win streak. The 2001 season ended with a 49-25 win over Wilmington Laney in a state final where the Patriots faced a bit of a chllenge -- and rolled to Leak's second straight state title.
No. 2 Olympic kicks off season in style, 102-48 over Butler
Olympic coach Ty Baumgardner said he didn’t have to give his team, ranked No. 2 in the Charlotte Observer Sweet 16 poll, any speeches about playing with enthusiasm or energy before Tuesday’s game at Butler.
The Trojans, No. 2 in the Sweet 16, were the last Charlotte-Mecklenburg team to kick off the season, and Baumgardner said they were tired of playing against themselves.
Olympic beat Butler 102-48. The Trojans led 31-10 after the first quarter and 62-22 at halftime. It was the first game back for several key Butler players who were part of the Bulldogs’ third N.C. 4AA football championship in four years Saturday.
“The score is misleading,” said Baumgardner, whose team has a huge game at No. 12 Myers Park Friday. “The football players played but it was after one day of practice. Butler will be much better when those guys get into basketball shape.”
Olympic had six players in double figures: Deriece Parks (10), Javon Patton (16), C.J. Jackson (14), Dante Simmons (14), B.J. Gladden (15) and Quincy Eaddy (11).
“We played OK,” Baumgardner said. “We did some things well and there were some things we didn’t do so well. We have a lot to work on.”
Link to photo slideshow from this game