But experience, while preferred, isn’t necessary, at least as far as a QB’s high school class is concerned. A look around at the top returning quarterbacks in the Texas Panhandle this fall reveals that they aren’t all leaving after graduation next spring, and that 2024 could be an encore for some of the best.
Some quarterbacks with two years of eligibility remaining have as much experience as some returning seniors. Juniors Bryce Braden of Stratford and Armando Lujan of Sunray (who will square off Sept. 1 in a much-anticipated Class 2A matchup at Stratford) are probably two of the most important players in the area behind center and will determine how far their respective teams will go this season.
Then there are those like Hereford’s Kalub Ramirez, who will have two more years to go after he finishes this year. He’ll be joined by fellow sophomore Reid Macon of West Plains, who was that brand new school’s starting quarterback his entire freshman season of 2022. Dalhart junior Kyler Read is also coming off a 2,000-yard season as a sophomore.
That’s not to say that seniors like Camren Cavalier of Canadian won’t also make an impact as well. Cavalier probably has the best chance of any area quarterback to win a state championship this season, playing for his father Andy in his first season as head coach as the Wildcats aim for a Class 3A Division II title.
Those are just the names local area aficionados can name off the top of their heads. Two metro area seniors, Bushland’s Dawson Jaco (3,360 yards, 41 TDs) and Highland Park’s Brady Thompson (2,798 yards) might be considered the top two QBs in the area any other season, but they might fly a bit under the radar entering this one.
No matter who you follow this season, you can definitely say the kids are all right. Young guns like Braden, Lujan and Ramirez present the most tantalizing packages since they’re three distinct players who bring different dimensions to the position. Here’s a look at those three and the expectations they’ve built after making huge splashes as underclassmen.
Armando Lujan, Sunray, Jr., 6-0, 185
2022: It’s hard to look around the state, let alone the Panhandle, and find a quarterback more accomplished than Lujan. In his second full season as a starter last year, Lujan led all 2A passers in the state with 4,476 yards and 51 touchdowns, numbers which earned him the Press Pass Sports Super Team Offensive Player of the Year. While Lujan is a passer first unlike Braden, he can also run the ball, as he ran for 783 yards and 16 touchdowns, and was named the District 1-2A Division II MVP, not bad for someone who’d never played quarterback until his freshman year and was a receiver in junior high. Sunray was 9-3 and reached the area round last season, and while the Bobcats return 10 starters on both sides of the ball, Lujan (who also starts at defensive back), might be the biggest reason why they’re the favorites to win the district this fall.
Lujan: “It was very intimidating and hard to do. I’m trying to break it this year but I’m more focused on getting the team to go farther in the playoffs. It puts a lot of pressure on me because they try to hold me accountable which is very hard to do. I challenge myself every day in practice to try and get better. It was hard to do going from wide receiver to quarterback. There’s just a lot of stuff to do. We had a new offensive coordinator coming in. I’m just trying to be a leader for my team. Just being more vocal and holding people accountable and doing what my coach tells me to do are the biggest things. My goal for the team is to try to win district first then go to state from there. I’m trying to break the state record for passing yards this year. It’s pretty hard because they expect me to do better than I did last year. What I’ve got to do better is be more vocal. It’s very special to me because I’m just trying to improve my stats more and help my team go as far as it can get so I can go play college ball.”
Coach Wesley Boatmun: “I think it was just the staff talking. We knew that he could throw the ball and was very competitive. The job was open because our quarterback had graduated. Armando just fit into the role really well and done everything we’ve asked of him. He was able to get some traction and really learned. Things went faster with him than expected. He’s a talented basketball player and plays baseball. I think he’s driven to win. He steps up to challenges when he has to be the guy and make the play. He’s a huge part of what we do because we want to be the Air Raid and throw the ball around. We want to make teams defend the whole field and he certainly helps us be able to do that. What that does is open up other areas we can exploit. Other kids are going to be able to contribute and put-up huge numbers in their own right. He’s come a long way in a short time he’s been working in that position, and I think the sky’s the limit. We have a huge junior class and to see what we’re going to have next year, we’re way ahead of where we have been.”
Bryce Braden, Stratford, Jr., 6-3, 210
2022: After starting at linebacker as a freshman for the 2021 state champion Elks, Braden’s responsibilities were doubled when he was named the starting quarterback. While Braden made 102 tackles and had three sacks defensively, he proved just as capable offensively, completing 64-of-103 passes for 1,364 yards and 19 touchdowns, and running for 960 yards and 15 touchdowns establishing himself as a genuine dual threat. Braden’s future after the next two years is likely on defense, but until then, he’ll also be the foundation upon which Stratford’s offense is built, especially as the team makes the transition from former head coach Matt Lovorn to former offensive line coach Jonathan Murphy as the head coach.
Braden: “It’s nothing like it has been in the past. The expectation is always going to be there for Stratford with then powerhouse we are. We might pass a little bit more, but overall, we’re still going to try to run the ball down their throats. Coach Lovorn brought (passing) more after coach (Eddie) Metcalf retired and it might open up more with the guys we have. I enjoy it. It’s not like running the ball and I really enjoy that. That’s a big deal to keep (defenses) guessing all the time. I never really thought I’d play quarterback until one day in sixth grade we were playing dodgeball and a coach asked me if I wanted to play quarterback. It’s always a big expectation to hold the tradition and be accountable to playing Stratford football. It’s really fun. I’m really grateful for having these next two years and I hope I can stay healthy. I knew I was going to have to grow up a little bit after Cody (Rinne, the starting quarterback in 2021) left. I had to take over the offense a little bit more. Last year I think I improved the most on running the ball and seeing the hole and this year I need to get better at throwing the ball just in general.”
Murphy: “(Braden) in the run game is a big part of who we are. We want to run the football and that’s a priority for us. When you have a quarterback that’s that big and strong it helps there for sure. He’s going to be on the field enough where we need to give the football to other people. I think we’re going to be more balanced than in the past few years. We feel like we can take some of the heat off of him carrying the ball. We’ve got some guys who are going to be able to do that. The thing that gets me the most excited is the kind of kid he is. He’s able to take charge and the kids respect him. Physically, he’s able to open up so many things just with the way he runs the ball. I think they’re going to have to account for him. He’s a really smart kid who runs really hard. Bryce has been up on varsity since his freshman year, so you’re looking at four years of varsity payoff you’re getting with that kid. His character’s been great. We’ve got some really talented kids. I think we’re going to be able to move the ball and be balanced.”
Kalub Ramirez, Hereford, So., 5-9, 150
2022: Ramirez is best known for being a baseball commit to the University of Texas even though he was just a freshman last year, but he made his mark as an infielder and a pitcher for the Whitefaces in reaching the region quarterfinals. But he first made his mark in high school sports on the gridiron last fall. Ramirez was called up from the JV midway through the season and ended up starting for the Herd, throwing for 908 yards and eight touchdowns. His biggest moment came in the next to last game of the regular season, when previously winless Hereford faced Randall, who had already clinched the No. 1 playoff seed in District 3-4A Division I. Hereford pulled off what might have been the biggest upset of the year in the Panhandle, as Ramirez completed 20-of-29 passes for 376 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-24 victory.
Ramirez: “I take it as there’s no pressure. I can just come in and lead this team. I was surprised but I was looking forward to (starting as a freshman). The first game was homecoming so I had some jitters. I felt like we proved a lot (against Randall). It showed the team that we really had. We were really working hard that whole week and looking forward to it and we came out with the W. It wasn’t just what I showed I could do on the field, but off the field as far as leadership wise. That’s all it’s about. I just feel like last year we didn’t have the bonding and this year we’ve built that chemistry up. I feel like last year there were times the pocket would collapse and I’d escape it, and I think this year I’m really working on staying in the pocket and making those throws. It’s about making better reads. I made a few bad reads last year and this year I’m going to develop that. I’m just really looking forward to taking one W at a time. That’s what we’re really worried about.”
Coach Adam Naron: “We wanted him to have some success with JV but injury forced our hand to start him a little earlier. Kalub did a great job from the get-go. We knew he was going to be special, we just had to keep him healthy being a freshman. Beating Randall was great for our program. It really validated our kids beliefs in themselves that they were a quality football program. They knew they were a lot better than their record reflected. Usually you’ve got a freshman quarterback who’s played against freshman talent and they haven’t gotten to see varsity reps. He was in that fire with varsity teams coming at us in district. He’s a step ahead of what a normal sophomore would be and he’s a late birthday kid who’s already turned 16. Kalub’s ability to see downfield and escape the pressure of the defense is probably one of his best attributes. He’s a middle infielder in baseball and he’s used to making throws on the run. With Kalub’s ability to throw the ball, we’ll probably air it out a little more than we already have. We do have a skill set around him right now that we feel like is pretty strong.”