Under-the-Radar Illinois QBs Shine in Week 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 1 of the Illinois high school football season produced several big-time quarterback performances across the state. While some of the state's established names entered the season with plenty of attention, a handful of less-heralded quarterbacks made strong early statements of their own.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are seven quarterbacks who put up impressive numbers <strong>while helping their teams start the season 1-0.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Luke Clouser — Civic Memorial</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clouser helped Civic Memorial open the season with a 36-26 victory over Newton and put together one of the best passing performances in the state. The senior completed 21 of 35 passes for <strong>347 yards and three touchdowns without an interception</strong>. He wasted little time making an impact, connecting with Grady Farrell for a 76-yard touchdown on Civic Memorial's first offensive play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clouser's combination of production and taking care of the football made his Week 1 performance one worth noting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Isaac Repscher — Taylorville</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Repscher was extremely efficient as Taylorville rolled to a <strong>47-7 victory over Olney</strong>. The senior completed 13 of 19 passes for <strong>331 yards and four touchdowns without throwing an interception</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's nearly 17.5 yards per attempt, and Repscher showed the ability to generate explosive plays while making the most of limited opportunities. He is a quarterback worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1153936' first='Armani' last='Ford'] — Plainfield South</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Only a sophomore, Ford delivered in a much different type of game. Plainfield South needed nearly every yard of his production to escape Pekin with a <strong>27-26 victory</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ford completed 23 of 37 passes for <strong>327 yards and two touchdowns</strong>, helping the Cougars pile up 442 yards of total offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore label makes this performance particularly intriguing. Putting up more than 300 yards in a one-point varsity win is a strong way for Ford to put his name on the radar early in the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1225914' first='Jett' last='Evans'] — Central A&amp;M</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the youngest quarterbacks on the statewide leaderboard was also one of the most productive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Central A&amp;M freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225914' first='Jett' last='Evans']</strong> completed 20 of 32 passes for <strong>301 yards and three touchdowns</strong> as the Raiders opened the season with a 33-6 victory over Deer Creek-Mackinaw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A freshman throwing for 300 yards in his varsity debut immediately deserves attention. Evans will be an interesting young quarterback to track not only this fall but over the next several seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2205085' first='Gavin' last='Gardiner'] — St. Patrick</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gardiner was sharp in St. Patrick's <strong>54-27 win over Rolling Meadows</strong>, completing 15 of 22 passes for <strong>276 yards and three touchdowns</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He averaged 12.5 yards per attempt and connected with AJ Henning for 127 yards and two scores as part of an explosive Shamrocks offensive performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gardiner didn't need a massive number of attempts to produce. His efficiency and ability to create explosive plays helped St. Patrick take control of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2176838' first='Aiden' last='Williams'] — Maroa-Forsyth</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams may have had the most efficient stat line of the group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Maroa-Forsyth senior completed <strong>14 of 17 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns</strong> as the Trojans dominated New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly <strong>59-0</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams is especially interesting after missing his junior season because of a back injury before winning the starting quarterback job this fall. His first start provided an impressive opening chapter to his senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Bryson Little — Quincy</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Little helped Quincy come away with one of the more competitive victories of Week 1, beating O'Fallon <strong>31-28</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior threw for <strong>273 yards and two touchdowns</strong>, including a 35-yard touchdown connection with Braxton Williams in the second half. Quincy finished with 427 yards of offense and eventually won on a field goal as time expired.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Little already generated some preseason attention locally as a quarterback prospect, but his Week 1 performance showed why. Producing in a tight game against O'Fallon gives him a strong start to his junior campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->