Top Performing QBs in Week 1

An entertaining first week of high school football in the Hoosier state is now in the books, leaving us with plenty to discuss. Before Week 2 gets here, we are going to spend the next few days looking at some of the top performers in the state from last week, beginning with the quarterbacks. Defensive backfields were put under constant pressure last week and these five quarterbacks made life difficult for DBs. These five put up big numbers and laid down a marker for the season. All five will be quarterbacks to watch out for all season long. [player_tooltip player_id="39047" first="Brady" last="Allen"], 6’5, 200 pounds, 200 pounds, Gibson Southern, Senior In the kickoff to his senior campaign, [player_tooltip player_id="39047" first="Brady" last="Allen"] turned in a masterful performance in Gibson Southern’s victory over Columbus North. Allen completed 25 of his 40 passes, amassing 384 yards through the air. He was sensational at putting up points while limiting mistakes, having thrown five touchdowns and not a single interception. Allen has an outstanding 133.8 quarterback rating. There was a lot to like about [player_tooltip player_id="39047" first="Brady" last="Allen"]’s game before the season, but it appears as though he has more of an upward trajectory than what we originally thought. [player_tooltip player_id="98092" first="Carson" last="Clark"], 6’2, 185 pounds, Bishop Luers, Senior Bishop Luers made one of the biggest statements in the state last Friday, when they defeated the Carroll Chargers on the road. A huge part of their success was their quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="98092" first="Carson" last="Clark"]. Clark threw an early interception, but he did a remarkable job of bouncing back and stepping up when his team needed him the most. Clark went 25/38 for 346 yards. He threw four huge touchdown passes as the Knights came from behind to start the season 1-0. Clark posted a 119.0 quarterback rating and he showed exactly why he is a big time prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="98010" first="Clark" last="Barrett"], 6’5, 215 pounds, Lafayette Central Catholic, Senior Lafayette Central Catholic came up just short against a tough Tri-West Hendricks team, but [player_tooltip player_id="98010" first="Clark" last="Barrett"] still had an impressive showing. Barrett went 18/28 to go along with 318 passing yards. Barrett threw four touchdowns and avoided throwing any interceptions. His quarterback rating was phenomenal, at 142.6. Look for Barrett to come through with another huge performance, as his team will attempt to bounce back from last Friday’s difficult defeat. [player_tooltip player_id="39060" first="Anthony" last="Garzolini"], 6’6, 210 pounds, South Vermillion, Senior South Vermillion fell just short against Covington in Week 1, but the offense still managed to score 56 points. Much of that can be attributed to the stellar play of their starting quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id="39060" first="Anthony" last="Garzolini"]. Garzolini threw three touchdowns and one interception in the season opener. He completed 20 of 31 passes and he racked up 317 yards. In spite of the defeat, Garzolini achieved a 117.3 quarterback rating. I would anticipate [player_tooltip player_id="39060" first="Anthony" last="Garzolini"] playing with a chip on his shoulder in Week 2. [player_tooltip player_id="98096" first="Gehrig" last="Slunaker"], 6’2, 190 pounds, Mount Vernon, Senior Mount Vernon opened up their 2021 season with a huge win at home against Heritage Hills. As expected, their star quarterback turned in another fine performance in route to their victory. [player_tooltip player_id="98096" first="Gehrig" last="Slunaker"] did throw one interception, but he made up for it with three touchdown passes. On top of that, Slunaker went an impressive 16/29 for 307 yards. He also posted a superb 112.3 quarterback rating.