25 Sacramento-area quarterbacks to watch as 2024 high school football season approaches
At any level of football, a quality quarterback is paramount to a team’s success.
They run the show, as a runner or passer or both. They burden the load and often make the difference between a so-so season or a championship one. As we break down the top returning signal callers with the 2024 high school football season approaching in the Sacramento, we don’t just factor in statistics. Leadership and program impact matter.
Each of the players on this list started at least one varsity game last fall (some missed the bulk of the season due to injury). This list will also show that a big body, good grades, skills and character don’t always equate to scholarship offers. That’s because the recruiting landscape is dotted by thousands of talents across the country who are scrambling for the hundreds of full athletic scholarships offered at the Division I and II levels, though players have for decades landed and flourished at smaller colleges, including California community college programs.
And there is this: High school football doesn’t have to be an arms race to see who lands scholarship offers. Football at this level is supposed to be about fun. Being a varsity starter in a region as vast as this one is already a lifetime memory, an accomplishment to be proud of.
Teams in this region can engage in intrasquad scrimmages beginning Friday. They can scrimmage opponents Aug. 16-17 and will kick off their season openers Aug. 23-24.
Joe Abarca
School: Woodland
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 5-10, 175
Comment: There have been a number of sophomores who started behind center on the varsity for the Wolves of Yolo County over the decades, and Abarca was as good as any of them. He passed for 2,303 yards and 16 touchdowns last season as a bright spot for a team that went 2-8.
Luke Alexander
School: Grant
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-1, 190
Comment: Alexander lit it up for the storied Pacers in 2023, passing for 3,105 yards and 43 TDs in one of the most outlandish seasons in program history. He nearly led Grant to a CIF state repeat before going down with an injury late in the first half of the championship game. He is poised, precise and worthy of some recruiting interest.
Brad Blankenheim
School: Amador
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 5-11, 165
Comment: In his first varsity campaign, BB impressed in passing for 1,449 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 692 yards and 12 scores for the small-school Buffaloes of Sutter Creek.
Connor Campbell
School: Casa Roble
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-3, 200
Comment: A driving force behind the Rams’ Sac-Joaquin Section championship season last fall. Campbell excites his coaches and fires up the football-mad fans of Orangevale with his ability to fire a good ball, having passed for 5,151 yards and 67 TDs as a two-year varsity starter. Also a fine baseball player. Paging college recruiters on Line 1.
Ricky Cole
School: Inderkum
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-0, 185
Comment: Shifty, swift, accurate and fun, Cole shattered school passing marks last season, including 2,562 yards and 49 touchdowns. He had powerhouse Folsom on the ropes in a Division I playoff game. No recruiting interest? Check that film. The kid can play.
Christian Coronado
School: Monterey Trail
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-3, 240
Comment: Injuries stalled his 2023 season, but CC showed what he could do in flashes, and he looks the part of stout leader at his size. He can play anywhere on the field. He is the son of school athletic director David Coronado and will add muscle and leg drive for the run-heavy Mustangs of Elk Grove.
Cole Davis
School: Pleasant Grove
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-3, 175
Comment: Davis showed promise, skill and drive last season before going down with an injury, though he remained a fixture on the sideline, talking to other QBs. He has all the ability to lead a playoff team and to generate some recruiting interest as he enters 2024 fueled by motivation.
David Hale
School: Elk Grove
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-3, 175
Comment: Hale is the focal point of the Thundering Herd’s tricky flex-bone option attack — he either pitches, keeps or throws. He has been a factor for the storied program since his freshman season. He rushed for 15 scores in 2023 and spent more time complimenting teammates and coaches for jobs well done.
Nick Harris
School: Granite Bay
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-5, 205
Comment: Tall and ready to take charge, Harris has good size and a great system in which to flourish, including a bruising runner in Isaiah Ene. The Grizzlies have been a playoff regular since the late 1990s.
Walter Lewis
School: Highlands
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 6-0, 175
Comment: On his way to becoming the first four-year varsity starting QB in program history, Lewis has already passed for nearly 3,000 career yards and 36 TDs while rushing for 907 yards and 14 scores for the small-school Scots of North Sacramento.
Ryder Lyons
School: Folsom
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 6-3, 215
Comment: The Bee’s Player of the Year in 2023 after leading the Bulldogs to a CIF state championship with a masterful late drive, Lyons performed beyond his years. Nothing rattles him. Strong, nice touch, great wheels and instincts, Lyons credits teammates and coaches, and he delivers. Passed for 3,578 yards and 38 TDs while rushing for 929 yards and 23 TDs in 2023. Major national recruit.
Joaquin Graves-Mercado
School: Oak Ridge
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-0, 180
Comment: The next in a long line of fine quarterbacks to roll through El Dorado Hills, Graves-Mercado wants to be the first signal caller to topple Folsom since forever. Terrific deep-ball touch, loves to compete, and he passed for 2,709 yards and 23 TDs for a team that reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I finals.
Deakon Holden
School: Christian Brothers
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 6-1, 155
Comment: Entering his third year as a varsity starter, Holden has a firm hold on the job for the storied Falcons after sharing it. His program is aiming for another section finals appearance. He has passed for 2,108 yards and 34 TDs in his career, and he’s still growing and still filling out.
Isaiah Hunt
School: Woodland Christian
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 6-0, 175
Comment: Hunt played a big role in the Cardinals’ 15-0 team that ended with a small-school CIF state championship, sharing time at the position. Quick and elusive, he passed for 885 yards and 12 TDs and rushed for three scores.
Jaden Jackson
School: West Park
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 6-3, 190
Comment: Shifty, fast, great wheels and a nice arm, JJ is a nightmare to defend. He’s also a basketball grinder, so kudos to multi-sporting. Passed for 2,467 yards and 29 TDs for the rising-fast Panthers of Roseville, who expect a section title this fall. Expect more recruiting interest, too.
Mitchell Labrado
School: Laguna Creek
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-1, 175
Comment: A fourth-year varsity player, Labrado showed his cool and calm in leading a late drive to beat Pleasant Grove last season in a Delta League showdown. He passed for 1,687 yards and 15 TDs in 2023. Great student and a good leader for a Cardinals team that expects another playoff team.
Gavin McAllister
School: Delta
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-4, 190
Comment: Forever motivated by the 2023 midseason death of older brother Justin, McAllister finished his junior season with 1,640 yards passing and 30 total TDs for the small-school Saints of Clarsksburg. Also a varsity starter in basketball and baseball, the thing to do for this storied school.
Jackson McPeak
School: River Valley
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-5, 245
Comment: McPeak is a big name on the Yuba City campus over the years, including QB Dawson McPeak from 2018. Now, here comes his kid brother for another varsity season. Their father is principal Lee McPeak. Pops couldn’t play like the sons, and the current edition looks the part of prospect for a program eager to return to the postseason.
Jaylen Melvin
School: Natomas
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-0, 165
Comment: After sitting five games after transferring from Roseville, Melvin heated up, totaling 771 yards and 10 touchdowns in making all league. Strong and a good student, Melvin is poised for a big fall.
Dallas Munn
School: Destiny Christian Academy
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-3, 190
Comment: Munn will be the man at the school formerly known as Capital Christian, where his 2023 season was cut short due to injury after a transfer from Rocklin. Big, stout, strong and determined to finish with a flourish, Munn is picking up recruiting interest.
Laron James-Radcliffe
School: Sacramento
Year: Sophomore
Height/weight: 6-0, 165
Comment: For a first-time varsity player, LJR impressed in helping turn a slow start to the season to a fast finish and another playoff berth. He passed for 1,424 yards and 18 TDs and will be counted on to up those numbers.
Angel Reyna
School: Del Campo
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-0, 170
Comment: A three-year varsity starter, Reyna passed for 1,871 yards and 19 TDs in 2023 for a Cougars program of Fair Oaks that aims to reach the playoffs. Plays multiple sports.
Ethan Rickert
School: Bradshaw Christian
Year: Senior
Height/weight: 6-1, 190
Comment: A winner in football, basketball and baseball as one of the great threee-sport stars in the history of the small-school powerhouse in Sacramento, Rickert will be a fourth-year varsity starter at QB under his coaching father, Drew Rickert. Had his best season in 2023 for a run-heavy offense, passing for 1,252 yards and 17 TDs for a team that reached a section final.
Reeve Slone
School: Rocklin
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 6-3, 180
Comment: Slone stepped in as a sophomore last fall and was superb and steady in leading the Thunder to the Division II section championship. Did the guy even break a sweat or look stressed? Not his style. Also was poised in late-game moments in basketball. Passed for 2.454 yards and 22 TDs while rushing for 350 yards and seven in 2023 and is sure to be a fast riser on the recruiting radar.
Mason Susnara
School: Roseville
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 6-0, 180
Comment: Susnara passed for 1,737 yards and 19 TDs for a D-III playoff team and also played baseball to maximize his varsity fun. Showed poise beyond his years.
Ryder Trantham
School: Rio Americano
Year: Junior
Height/weight: 6-1, 185
Comment: He showed a lot of promise as a sophomore sharing the job, passing for 612 yards and seven scores for a team that surged from the bottom to reach the playoffs. The Raiders to a man all expect another playoff run.
▪ Who’d we miss? Update us with an email on a player to look for: jdavidson@sacbee.com
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This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 5:00 AM.