Ranking the top 10 QBs in Polk County – and six more to watch for 2024

LAKELAND — Quarterbacks, last year, were The Ledger’s Big School and Small School high school football players of the year, awarded to Lakeland’s Zander Smith and Fort Meade’s Carson MontsDeOca.

Will quarterbacks win the awards again in 2024?

Smith returns at Lakeland, having recovered from offseason shoulder surgery and would have to be considered a favorite. MontsDeOca is now playing baseball at Florida, so the small schools award is definitely wide open.

With the exception of MontsDeOca, all the top quarterbacks last season were underclassmen, although the number of experienced returning signal-callers who will start isn’t as deep as you might have thought it would be at the end of last season.

Joel Morris, now a junior, transferred from Lake Gibson to Sumner, and Chad Williams, also a junior, transferred from Auburndale to Lakeland and will back up Smith.

More: Auburndale quarterback Amari Turner finds his way back home, ready to lead Bloodhounds

Here are the top quarterbacks for 2024:

Lakeland High School quarterback Zander Smith throws a pass during their first day of practice at Bryant Stadium in Lakeland Fl. Monday July 29 2024. Ernst Peters/The Ledger

No. 1 Zander Smith, Lakeland, Senior

Smith said in late July that he was ready to play in the spring game after recovering from shoulder surgery but was held out as a precaution. Smith was injured in the state championship game but remained in the game to lead the Dreadnaughts to victory. Last year, he threw for a Lakeland single-season record of 1,920 yards to break Shane Willis’ mark of 1,815 yards. He’ll have a new group of wide receivers to throw to this year.

No. 2 Brycen Levitiotis, Lake Wales, Senior

Levitiotis was a prolific passer in 2023 as he threw for 1,816 yards and 20 touchdowns with just eight interceptions for the defending state champion…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-top-10-qbs-polk-113444866.html

Author : The Ledger

Publish date : 2024-08-06 11:34:44

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