Class Of 2024: Top Junior Quarterbacks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ten members of the Class of 2024 at the quarterback position will enter their senior seasons having thrown for over 2,000 yards last year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of those 10, four had over 30 touchdowns and all of them had at least 23.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Needless to say, the position is going to be a fun one to spotlight and watch closely this coming fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the top junior signal-callers in the state of Iowa:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='248046' first='Drew' last='Kluender'] - Woodbury Central</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All [player_tooltip player_id='248046' first='Drew' last='Kluender'] of Woodbury Central did last year was rack up 3,419 yards passing with 37 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He completed a shade under 60 percent of his 335 pass attempts, sporting a quarterback rating of 145.4. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What Kluender does better than most is read and react. He is quick to scan the field, targeting his receiver and making a precise and accurate throw to get him the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='320562' first='Graham' last='Beckman'] - Iowa City Liberty </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rapid rise of the Lightning program has taken the next step behind quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='320562' first='Graham' last='Beckman']. Last year, Beckman led Iowa City Liberty to the state playoffs, completing over 63 percent of his passes. He racked up nearly 2,600 yards in the air with 31 touchdowns against just four interceptions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beckman also provided a nice dual-threat ability, running for 320 yards and four more scores on the ground. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156453' first='Preston' last='Ries'] - Monticello</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With nearly 4,000 yards of total offense, it is easy to see why [player_tooltip player_id='156453' first='Preston' last='Ries'] made this list. The Monticello superstar completed over 69 percent of his passes, putting together a 24-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He had 2,543 yards in the air and another 1,421 on the ground, hitting paydirt 17 times. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ries averaged 16 yards per pass completion and 8.6 yards per rush, providing big-play excitement week after week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joey Rhomberg - Mount Vernon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a big-time arm, Joey Rhomberg elevated the Mount Vernon attack last year. He threw for 2,543 yards with 25 touchdowns, completing 64 percent of his passes. Rhomberg putt together a 125.3 quarterback rating, adding another 210 yards and four TDs on the ground. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156643' first='Shane' last='Helmick'] - Moravia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 49 offensive touchdowns, [player_tooltip player_id='156643' first='Shane' last='Helmick'] of Moravia had himself quite the junior campaign. He hit on 126 of 222 passes for 2,400 yards, throwing 39 passing touchdowns against just four interceptions. He also ran for another 451 yards and 10 scores, averaging eight yards per rush. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tate Platte - Des Moines Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Des Moines Christian offense ran through Tate Platte, as the junior threw for just under 2,300 yards and ran for another 409. He had 31 passing scores, averaging 13.6 yards per completion with three more rushing TDs. Platte completed 61 percent of his passes throughout the year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='320787' first='Colin' last='Gordon'] - Grundy Center</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In his first season at the helm of the Spartan attack, [player_tooltip player_id='320787' first='Colin' last='Gordon'] showed why the future is bright for Grundy Center. Gordon threw for over 2,000 yards and ran for 542 more. He had 25 passing touchdowns and 11 more on the ground, completing 70 percent of his 192 pass attempts with just eight interceptions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='376911' first='Connor' last='Moberly'] - Southeast Polk</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With an incredible cast of athletes around him, [player_tooltip player_id='376911' first='Connor' last='Moberly'] had little trouble adjusting to the varsity game. The Ram junior hit on 145 of 205 passes for almost 2,000 yards with 14 TDs and just four interceptions. He also kept opposing defenses honest by rushing for 105 yards and four more scores. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='247922' first='Drew' last='Larson'] - Iowa City High</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over 2,100 yards and 24 touchdowns were just the big numbers that stood out during [player_tooltip player_id='247922' first='Drew' last='Larson']'s season at Iowa City High. Larson completed a strong 68 percent of his throws, tossing just four interceptions with 1,841 yards in the air. He also ran for another 303 yards, averaging 5.5 per carry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->