At the most important position in sports, southwest Missouri features a handful of quarterbacks who are capable of leading their teams to conference titles and deep postseason runs.
With the area’s returning talent at the position, it should turn into a few explosive offenses across the area.
Here are the quarterbacks you should know.
Brady Carlton, Carthage, 12
Carlton threw for 1,019 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 1,092 yards and 15 scores for the Tigers in his first year as the team’s starter.
Jourdyn Edelstein, Strafford, 12
Edelstein has been a mainstay behind center for Strafford. He’ll be one of the more experienced players in the Ozarks next year after throwing for 1,175 yards and 11 scores last year.
Aden Estep, Mountain Grove, 11
Estep had over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 34 touchdowns in his first season as a starter in the Panthers’ offense.
Bryer Guerin, Marionville, 11
Guerin threw for 1,385 yards and 22 touchdowns and intercepted an area-high eight passes on the defensive side while leading the Comets to a state title as a sophomore.
Gabe Johnson, Webb City, 11
Unfortunately, Johnson will miss his junior year after injuring his knee during a district basketball game this past winter. He’s among the top playmakers in the Ozarks after rushing for 1,417 yards and 13 touchdowns last season as a sophomore. Here’s to wishing for a big bounceback season in 2025.
Gavin Johnston, Mount Vernon, 12
Johnston’s been a mainstay behind center for the Mountaineers and has seen time in the role since his freshman year. He’s the area’s top returning passer after throwing for 2,611 yards and 26 scores last year.
Isaiah Jones, West Plains, 12
Jones exploded in his first season as a starter in the Zizzers offense, ending the year as the area’s third-leading passer. We’ll see how he adapts to life without Briggs Hughston, his favorite weapon from a year ago.
Luke McCormick, Branson, 12
Branson was one of the area’s best stories last year and McCormick led the way. The senior Pirate has a big body and a strong arm and is a capable runner who should help his team continue its winning ways.
Adam McKnight, Nixa, 10
Expectations are high for Nixa’s new starting quarterback. McKnight has been among the best in the area at every sport he’s played thus far, basketball and baseball, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make a big impact in the Eagles’ offense.
Cash Newberry, Glendale, 11
Newberry showed promise as the Falcons’ starter through difficult circumstances last year. He might have to adapt to a new offense with Frank Tristan taking over as head coach but we’ve seen the Tristan offense produce good quarterbacks in recent years.
Peyton Russell, Ozark, 11
Jeremy Cordell made Russell his first starting quarterback since taking over as head coach at Ozark. As a sophomore, Russell threw for 1,393 yards and will continue to be a key player in the Tigers’ rebuild.
Spensar Seiger, Fair Grove, 12
Seiger was the main man behind center during the Eagles’ state semifinal run. He finished with 1,221 yards and 15 touchdowns. Fair Grove should be primed for another deep run this year.
Alex Wilkerson, Lamar, 12
Wilkerson was injured for part of the 2023 season but came back just in time to lead Lamar to a state championship victory. When he’s healthy, there are few in the Ozarks who are better than him on both sides of the ball. He’ll have some changes around him offensively but he should continue to make big plays with his legs.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield area high school football quarterbacks to know in 2024
Springfield News-Leader
