St. Louis 2026 QBs Having Breakout Seasons

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 regular season is winding down and we take a look at the class of 2026 quarterbacks in the St. Louis area who have had breakout senior seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brady Micek</strong>, Lafayette<br>6'0" 183 - The talented senior signal-caller has been on my radar since he was a freshman and I saw him throw at 7v7 and other events. He showed he had the talent to do the job and put up the number he is this year as he has led his team to an unbeaten season so far of 8-0. The problem was that He had a three year starter in front of him who was also very successful. After waiting his turn, Brady has made the most of his opportunity by going 102 of 155 for 1,755 yards and 22 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1250686' first='Gabe' last='Rodriguez'], De Smet<br>6'4" 205 - Another quarterback who had the goods to be a successful starter for multiple years in high school but patiently waited his turn was the smart and productive Roderiguez, who played behind a future D1 QB who is currently at Kansas State. The tall pro-style quarterback also showed his ability in 7v7, camps and at every opportunity he had. As a senior starter he has produced numbers of159 of 232 for 2,066 and 18 touchdowns with 8 picks and is drawing attention from colleges himself. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1608574' first='Cooper' last='Owens'], Kirkwood <br>6'2" 180 - Owens transferred into Kirkwood this year after a successful run as the QB starter at Ft. Zumwalt South in St. Charles County. So it's no surprise he is having the senior season he is, especially surrounded by a talented receiving corps. Cooper has continued to get better and his teams record also has with his getting more comfortable in his new offense. His accuracy and decision making along with his skills has led him to put up numbers of 136 of 202 1,995 yards with 22 touchdowns and 1 interception.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Riley Smith</strong>, St. Mary's <br>6'0" 170 - Here we have another transfer, but the skilled Smith comes from across the river in Illinois where he was a talented starter at Alton high school. Riley showed he was a productive player leading the offense there and has upped his game since coming to the Dragons. The athletic QB is also a threat to take off and make plays with his legs, but he has shown great accuracy and a live arm in connecting 81 of his throws in 127 attempts for 1,657 yards and 12 touchdowns against only 1 interception. He has the St. Mary's offense rolling heading into the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sullivan Thornton</strong>, Wentzville Liberty<br>6'0" 180 - It's great to see players like Micek, Rodriguez and Thornton wait their turns and then produce on a high level like they has as seniors. Sullivan has been a talent I have seen play since he was a freshman in 7v7 and camp action and he has continued to get better and step up when called up this season in helping to give his Eagles one of their best years in recent memory. He is another highly accurate passer who has completed 79 of 130 attempts for 1,371 yards with 18 touchdowns and thrown only 3 interceptions through 8 games so far. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->