Record-Breaking High School QBs Stockton, Locke Share Freak of the Week Honors

Future Georgia, Mississippi State quarterbacks break storied state records of former No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks

Author:
John Garcia Jr.
Publish date:
Nov 3, 2021

"Freak" is a term thrown around too much in the sports world, but sometimes, it's the first phrase that crowds the cranium when a gaudy athletic feat takes place.

What about an entire game's worth of head-turning and gasps?

SI All-American continues its salute to these dominant high school football players in a weekly feature, aptly titled 'Freak of the Week,' going out to a remarkable Friday night performance. The list of candidates this week may have been the hardest to select from yet, given the gaudy numbers and historical context of some of the top prep passers alone.

In this case, for the first time in the award's history, it had to be two.

What are the odds Trevor Lawrence's touchdown passing record in Georgia would be eclipsed on the same night Kyler Murray's 6A record was in Texas?

That is what co-Freak of the Week recipients Gunner Stockton and Braedyn Locke accomplished, respectively, just about three hours apart from one another.

Stockton, of Tiger (Ga.) Rabun County, was tied with Lawrence at 161 career touchdowns passes to kick off his Friday night against Union County. It wouldn't take long for No. 162 to leave his hands, with the help of a strong grab from one of his teammates no less.

The combination of improv, avoiding the first threat and flicking the ball to the intended target was quintessential Stockton. He is an off-script specialist with great athleticism and competitive nature, in addition to the arm. An in-state commitment for Georgia, Stockton would finish his Friday night with five TD passes in a 56-14 win.

The future Bulldog, ranked among the top 20 quarterbacks at SI All-American, was more focused on the victory than the record itself.

“We all knew I only needed one score to break the record, but I wasn’t really worried about that or trying to break the record,” Stockton told SBLive Sports. “I just want to score and win the game, and however we score is OK with me, just as long as we score.”

Locke took the news similarly, differing credit after breaking another No. 1 overall pick's high school record for Rockwall (Texas) High School.

"It was a pretty cool moment for me and my teammates," he told Sports Illustrated. "I’ve just been really lucky over the years to be surrounded by such great coaches. They invest so much into me and have truly made me the player I am. I’ve also been fortunate to play along side some great receivers.

"They deserve a lot of credit too, I’m just the guy throwing them the ball."

Rockwall (Tex.) Senior Braedyn Locke
Courtesy of Braedyn Locke

Locke threw for 479 yards and six touchdowns to break Murray's mark of 117 TD tosses at the storied Class 6A level in Texas (Grant Gunnell holds the record regardless of classification at 195). The half-dozen scores from Friday places the Mississippi State verbal commitment's total to 119.

Rockwall will wrap up the regular season as the favorite against North Mesquite on Friday, where Locke has the first chance to expand on his new record. The game and what lies beyond for the senior, along with how well the Yellowjackets are playing, is the priority going forward. RHS has won four straight games.

"I thought it was a great win for our program," Locke said. "Played well in all three phases, clinched a 9th straight playoff birth and I think it really speaks to the program that has been built at Rockwall.

"It’s something awesome to be apart of."

The future of the game's most important position in the country's most powerful football conference, the SEC, sure looks bright.