Vote for top quarterbacks in Greater Cincinnati high school football
Touchdowns scored in a game – Mt. Healthy quarterback Jahmeir Spain scored eight TDs vs. Ross, Aug. 30, 2024, tied for fourth in the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Touchdowns scored in a game – Mt. Healthy quarterback Jahmeir Spain scored eight TDs vs. Ross, Aug. 30, 2024, tied for fourth in the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Points in a career – Roger Bacon RB Corey Kiner scored 772 points, good for fourth in the state, from 2017-2020.
Touchdowns scored in a career – Roger Bacon RB Corey Kiner scored 125 TDs in his career, 2017-2020, which is good for fourth in the state. A note on the record page indicated he finished high school ranked in four categories despite sitting out 34 quarters (8.5 games) because of the score, injury or weather.
Touchdowns scored per season – Wyoming running back C.J. Hester is tied for fifth in the OHSAA record books after scoring 51 touchdowns in 2022.
Points per season – Wyoming’s C.J Hester scored 306 points in 2022, tied for 14th in the OHSAA record books.
Rushing touchdowns in a game – Reading’s Austin Fancher scored eight TDs in a Sept. 1, 2023, game against Summit Country Day, which makes him tied for second in the OHSAA record books.
Rushing touchdowns in a season – Wyoming running back C.J. Hester had 49 rushing touchdowns in the 2022 season, tied for fourth overall in the OHSAA record books.
Rushing touchdowns in a career – Roger Bacon RB Corey Kiner had 116 rushing touchdowns from 2017-2020, which tied him for fourth in the OHSAA record books.
Yards rushing in a game – Williamsburg running back Jason Bainum still holds the top spot in the OHSAA record books for most rushing yards in a game – 523, from his Sept. 28, 2001, game against Clermont Northeastern. He has five other games on the list – 498, fifth; 475, tied 10th; 417, tied for 35th; 415, tied for 36th; 413, tied for 38th
Yards rushing in a season – Williamsburg’s Jason Bainum had 3,386 rushing yards in the 2001 season, good for seventh overall in the OHSAA record books. He also has another season in that list – the 2000 season, when he had 3,043 yards, good for 13th.
Yards rushing in a career – Williamsburg’s Jason Bainum (far right) is fourth in the OHSAA record books with 8,216 yards rushing from 1998-2001.
Passing touchdowns in a game – Brady Schmidt of Clermont Northeastern scored eight passing TDs in the Oct. 24, 2025, game against East Clinton, which ties him for third in the OHSAA record books.
Passing touchdowns in a game – Mt. Healthy quarterback Jahmeir Spain (1) had eight passing touchdowns in the Aug. 30, 2024, game against Ross, which ties him for third in the OHSAA record books.
Passing touchdowns in a game – Taft’s Key’Sean Torbert (5) scored eight passing TDs in the Sept. 19, 2024, game with Dayton Thurgood Marshall, which is a tie for third in the OHSAA record books.
Passing touchdowns in a game – Williamsburg’s J.J. Miller (2) scored eight passing TDs against Hillsboro Sept. 8, 2023, which is a tie for third in the OHSAA record books.
Passing touchdowns in a game – OK, so he’s not technically from Cincinnati, but he’s the Bengals QB1. Joe Burrow of Athens was among those tied for third with eight touchdowns against Proctorville Fairland on Sept. 27, 2013.
Passing TDs in a season – Athens High School quarterback Joe Burrow (10) had 63 passing TDs in the 2014 season, good for sixth in the state.
Passing TDs in a season -Setting aside Bengals QB1, the Cincinnati guy ranked highest in this category is Moeller QB Matt Ponatoski (7), who had 57 TDs in a season for the Crusaders in 2024, tied for ninth.
Passing TDs in a career – Athens’ QB Joe Burrow had 156 passing TDs in his career from 2012 to 2014, good for third in the state.
Passing TDs in a career – Again, setting aside Burrow, Cincinnati’s Western Brown QB Drew Novak (left) had 131 career passing TDs from 2019-2022, good for sixth in the state.
Yards passing per game – Kings QB Will Kocher (13) had for 568 passing yards in the Nov. 25, 2022, game vs. Toledo Central Cahtolic, good for 15th in the state.
Yards passing in a season – Western Brown quarterback Drew Novak had 5,269 passing yards in the 2021 season, good for sixth in the OHSAA record books. (Burrow had 4,437, good for 21st, in 2014.)
Yards passing in a career – Drew Novak of Western Brown had 14,127 career passing yards from 2019-2022, good for third in the OHSAA record books. Burrow was seventh with 11,428.
Receiving touchdowns in a game – CHCA wide receiver Marcus Sheanshang had five touchdowns vs. Madeira in 2025, good for third in the OHSAA record books.
Receiving touchdowns per game – Ryan Betscher of Cincinnati Hill Christian Academy also tied for third in the state with five touchdowns in a 1997 game with New Miami High School. Williamsburg’s Mike Gregovich joins Marcus Sheanshang, Jamel Howard and Betscher, pictured, as being tied for third in this category for his Nov. 31, 1994, game against Hillcrest.
Receiving touchdowns in a career – Aaron McFarland is tied for 12th in the OHSAA record books for his 41 career receiving touchdowns at Taylor and Oak Hills high schools.
Receiving touchdowns in a career – Kings wide receiver Michael Mussari is tied with McFarland with 41 receiving touchdowns for 12th place in the OHSAA record books for his career, 2020-2022.
Most receptions in a game – Anderson wide receiver Joey Faulkner is tied for fourth in the OHSAA record books for his 19 receptions vs. La Salle on Oct. 30, 2020.
Yards receiving in a game – Western Brown’s Isaiah Smith is tied for seventh in the OHSAA record books for having 123 receptions in the 2023 season.
Most receptions in a career – Anderson’s Trace Jallick is ninth in the OHSAA record books for having 257 career receptions from 2021-2024.
Yards receiving in a game – Western Brown’s Isaiah Smith (10) had 339 yards receiving in a Sept. 29, 2023, game against New Richmond, good for seventh in the OHSAA record books.
Yards receiving in a season – Isaiah Smith of Western Brown had 2,088 yards receiving in the 2023 season, good for fourth in the OHSAA record books.
Yards receiving in a career – Western Brown’s Isaiah Smith (10) had 3,795 receiving yards from 2021-2023, good for 12th in the OHSAA record books.
Longest pass reception for a touchdown – St. Xavier’s Josh Williams is tied for first with a 99-yard touchdown against McNicholas in 2000. Also tied for first is James Frazier of Middletown, not pictured, who had a 99-yard TD against Sycamore in 2003.
With Joe Burrow leading the Cincinnati Bengals in Paycor Stadium on Sundays, the talent level of high school quarterbacks in the area will continue to rise as they try to emulate one of the best players in the game.
Even as some of the top passers in Greater Cincinnati history graduated in 2026 (Matt Ponatoski, Nathan Verax and Cam O’Hara to name a few), the position group is just as talented this fall.
Here are the top quarterbacks in the Queen City.
Make sure to vote for the top quarterback in the city in the poll at the bottom of the story. The poll will close at 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7. The USA Today Co. network is debuting a new polling service that allows readers to vote more often while protecting against fraudulent voting methods. User experience feedback can be sent to mlaughman@enquirer.com.
Armstrong spent his freshman season as Mario Litmer’s backup but will be in the limelight on Friday nights going forward. He’s shown tremendous potential moving through the grade school and junior varsity ranks and will be more than ready to lead one of the top teams in Class 4A. Plus, he has a last name tailor-made for a quarterback. He had 208 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman and already holds offers from Southern University and Austin Peay.
Capable of slicing through the defense at either position out of the backfield, Daniel will try to lead the Braves to a third Cincinnati Hills League title in the last four seasons and another state tournament appearance. With an early-season trip to Beechwood, their regular-season winning streak will also be tested. As a junior, Daniel threw for 1,192 yards and 13 touchdowns and ran for 1,116 yards and 21 scores. He threw five of his seven interceptions in the postseason; if he reverses that trend this fall, it could be another special season for the Braves.
Estep was the centerpiece in the Panthers’ emergence as one of the best teams in the state in 2025. While they graduate 32 seniors, they are still primed to compete for Greater Catholic League-South and regional titles. Entering his third year as a starter, Estep threw for 2,430 yards, including a career-high 315 in a win over Princeton, and 15 touchdowns. The Miami RedHawks commit was named the GCL-South co-offensive player of the year and was named to the all-district and all-state first teams.
Week 6 of the 2025 season saw Colerain win its first game in nearly three years. In Jordan Stevens’ second season, the expectation is that the Cardinals will continue their upward trajectory. Garr was the third-leading passer in the Greater Miami Conference last year with 1,938 yards. His 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a sophomore showed he has a lot to learn, but his athleticism has already attracted a lot of college attention. He currently has seven Division I offers, including from Maryland, Wake Forest and Kent State.
Gilmour can do it all out of the backfield for the Tigers. As a junior, he threw for 1,897 yards and 26 touchdowns to just three interceptions, and ran for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns. Even though Lawrenceburg returns just two receivers who registered more than 100 yards last season, Gilmour will find a way to get the ball to the right teammate.
He returns as one of the top returning passers in the Miami Valley Conference as the Nighthawks go for their fifth straight Gray Division title. His 206.5 passer rating led the entire conference while his 1,879 yards were third. He threw for 27 touchdowns and had multiple passing scores from week 2 through the end of the season. Guttman was also in the top five in the conference as a rusher, totaling 969 yards and eight touchdowns.
Starting at quarterback as a sophomore in the GMC isn’t easy. Leading the league in passing yards is even tougher. But Knutson did both, throwing for 2,486 yards and 22 touchdowns as the Thunderhawks went 8-4 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. The league will once again be very competitive, and with the graduation of running back Ryder Hooks, Lakota East’s success could hinge on Knutson’s performance.
At. 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, the Wake Forest University commit has real poise in the pocket. He will once again have several elite options at receiver and running backs out of the backfield, but his 2025 completion percentage of 71.6 proves he can get the ball to any open teammate in a multitude of scenarios. As the Tigers advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals, he threw for 2,710 yards and 39 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
An Anderson quarterback has led the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in passing yards in five of the last six seasons. That trend should continue as Scalf takes the field for his senior season. He threw for 4,961 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2025, including two 400-yard performances and four games with four touchdowns or more. He will face a tough test right off the bat as the Raptors host Louisville Trinity, but Anderson still looks like the top dog in the ECC.
Smith was part of a rotating cast of quarterbacks for the Firebirds in 2023 and 2024, including starting the first two games of the season as a freshman, but he took over the starting role as a junior. While Lakota West went 7-5 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, Smith threw for 1,959 yards and 20 touchdowns. He had five interceptions but never more than one in a game, displaying his mature decision-making. He has seven offers, including from the University of Kentucky and Miami RedHawks, and is receiving attention from a host of high-major schools.
Deon Bradford, Western Brown; Lucas Cannady, St. Bernard-Elmwood Place; Sean Clore, Loveland; Dylan Courtney, Covington Catholic; Sa’Vion Davis, Withrow; David Dupee, Wyoming; Brian Ferguson, Holy Cross; Garrett Fraley, La Salle; Josiah Jones, Winton Woods; Charlie Kantz, Taylor; Ar’Neil Khar, North College Hill; Brady Lawhon, Harrison; Gregory Marlow, Waynesville; Jayden McClain, Hamilton; Kemmarion McCray, Cincinnati College Prep; Hunter McLaughlin, Moeller; Max Miller, Springboro; Kolby Morgerson, Middletown; Lincoln Schreiber, Oak Hills; Tink Sellers, Deer Park; Landon Spaulding, Bishop Brossart; Grant Webb, Simon Kenton; Brady Young, New Richmond
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Vote for top quarterbacks in Greater Cincinnati high school football
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