Sophomore QB Meyer III leading No. 22 Waxahachie into new territory

Travis M. Smith 2 weeks ago Football, Waxahachie High School 595 Views

By Travis M. Smith | Ellis County Sports

Entering the 2024 season, most avid Texas high school football watchers knew how talented Waxahachie has been on defense over the past three seasons.

That group has led the Indians to the 6A Division I postseason as the No. 2 seed from District 11-6A, oft considered the “District of Doom,” and featuring reigning 6A state champions Duncanville (6A DI) and DeSoto (6A DII).

The Tribe has also leaned heavily on 3-star-plus talent at its skill positions for a decade-plus. Fourth-year head coach Shane Tolleson has now displayed a new wrinkle, though.

The Indians have a bonified quarterback — and he’s only a sophomore.

Jerry Meyer III tossed 58 touchdown passes in 2023 at Lake Mead Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. The freshman signal-caller set the state’s single-season touchdown passing record en route to his program’s first-ever state championship.

Meyer completed 149-of-his-221 passes (67.4%) for 2,711 yards (246.5YPG) and those 58 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions over his team’s 11-game march to a title.

J3 is now an Indian. He’s proving his prowess in the pocket. And, boy, does he have some talent to throw to on the outside.

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Trenton Kidd led the Indians in receiving a year ago, pulling in 31 catches for 318 yards and 3 touchdowns. Michael Esparza Jr (10-233, TD) and Kohen Brown (11-116, TD) also returned with significant playing time for the Tribe. JayQuan Snell battled through a couple minor injuries as a freshman but has already received several Division-I offers (as have Kidd, Esparza, Brown and Tristian Gardner).

Understandably, those 2023 reception numbers do not exactly jump off the screen. What is behind those numbers is most important — speed, size, pure athleticism and a real, real talented right arm.

Meyer completed 18-of-his-28 passes (64.3%) for 339 yards and 1 touchdown in the season opener against the (1-2) Ennis Lions.

“Any time you have a sophomore starting quarterback in [District] 11-6A, and him not throwing into any traffic or any turnovers, I’m very proud of him,” said Tolleson of Meyer following the Indians’ 42-14 victory in the 103rd Battle of 287. “Being 16 years old, as poised as he was in his first game in Texas and his first game being this game in this rivalry and this pressure — I’m very proud of J3, his love for this team and his growing love for this community.”

The Waxahachie offense did not pass for over 200 passing yards in any game in 2023 (195 yards in a 56-35 loss to DeSoto on Sept. 22). In the two seasons prior, the Tribe offense only reached season-high passing totals of 231 yards (49-7 win vs Grand Prairie on Sept. 9, 2022) and 229 yards (31-25 loss to DeSoto on Nov. 4, 2021).

2020 was no different, seeing the single-game-best passing yardage total reach just 148 yards in a season-opening win against Copperas Cove on Sept 25, 2020.

Add all four of the Tribe’s most recent single-game highs and your calculator will show 803 yards.

Meyer has already surpassed that total through his first three games. He would also have a 240-yard cushion, which would still be the most passing yards in a game over the past five seasons.

Meyer followed his Texas debut against Ennis by throwing for 282 yards and 3 touchdowns in a nailbiting overtime loss to Coppell (28-27). He and the Indians hit the road this past week, which saw the sophomore throw for another 422 yards and 5 touchdowns (0 INT) in a non-district win against Forney (37-34).

According to MaxPreps, Meyer ranks No. 2 in Texas and 88th nationally in passing yards (1,043). He is on pace for 3,477 yards and 30 TDs to 3 INTs.

“Man, I see Jerry out there getting comfortable,” said Wade Lemons, Waxahachie senior running back and team captain. Lemons started the season with a 100-yard, 3-touchdown performance against Ennis. He now has 228 rushing yards (5.0YPC) and 4 scores through 3 games. “A lot of people forget that he is a sophomore. Each game, he is going to get more and more comfortable. Our receivers — we have, and I know, one of the best-receiving corps in Texas.”

Kohen Brown hauled in a 93-yard touchdown pass from Meyer as part of the wide receiver’s 229-yard, 3-touchdown performance in Friday’s non-district win against Forney.

You’d have to go back to a Jalen Reagor statement game in 2016 to find a similar statistical performance.

The future first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles pulled in 8 passes for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 40-37 road win against Highland Park on Sept 2, 2016. Reagor ended that season with 50 catches for 967 yards and 14TDs.

Brown (5-11, 185lbs) currently leads the aforementioned uber-talented wide receiver group with 412 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns on 13 catches.

The uncommitted junior has at least one touchdown in each of the Tribe’s first 3 games.

Senior wide receivers Tristian Gardner (10-221, TD) and Trenton Kidd (14-168) have already approached or surpassed 2023 production. Ly’Modrick Daniels (Sr.) has also caught 9 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown.

PASSES OF THE PAST

Following a week 1 loss to Ennis (21-13) in 2019, Campbell Sullivan reeled off one of the more impressive stretches as a Waxahachie quarterback. Sullivan bounced back to throw for 319 yards in a 53-46 win against Mesquite Poteet on Sept. 6. He then threw for 352 yards in a pair of losses, respectively, against Flower Mound Marcus (55-38 on Sept. 13, 2019) and Cedar Hill (63-34 on Sept. 27, 2019).

That 3-game total of 1,023 passing yards would still be 20 yards fewer than Meyer has tossed for in his WHS debut.

Travel back to 2017, and you’ll find a 3-game stretch that saw Bryse Salik throw for 1,365 yards.

Salik first won the 96th Battle of 287 by throwing for 409 yards and 4TD (2INT) in a 42-28 win against Ennis. He then threw for 435 yards and 3 touchdowns in a loss against Mansfield Summit the following week, Sept. 22, 2017.

Two weeks later, Salik completed 21-of-his-27 passes for 521 yards, 6 touchdowns to 0 interceptions against Midlothian on Oct. 13, 2017.

Salik finished that split-stretch of games with 1,365 passing yards — and that’s the high-water mark for the past two decades of Waxahachie football.

Salik and the Indians did not throw for more than 266 yards in any of the final 7 games that season, which ended in a 35-0 third-round loss to Frisco Lone Star at The Ford Center inside The Star.

On paper, Salik ended that 2017 season with what is quite likely the best-ever single season for a Waxahachie quarterback. He finished his senior season by completing 221-of-his-319 passes for 3,147 yards and 32 touchdowns to 12 interceptions over 13 games on 69.3% passing.

That team featured future NFL rostered athletes Jerreth Sterns (Sr., 60-956, 8TD rec w/85-416, 5TD rushing) and Demani Richardson (Jr., 44-519, 7TD rush; 13-293, 4TD rec). The same Waxahachie sideline had future Division-I football athletes in Keith Anderson (Jr., WR, 37-497, 5TD rec), Caleb High (Sr., LB), Josh Sterns (Soph., WR, 2-14, TD) and Brandon Hawkins Jr (Fr., WR, 2-21). It also saw now-DI basketball standout CJ Noland carry the football 26 times for 74 yards and a touchdown as a freshman.

There were also a few Jordan Kitna games in 2015 that crossed the 300-yard plateau, but then you really have to travel back to 2003-10 to find any consistent quarterback play. We are talking about the Reggie Harris, Bonham Hough, Boomer Collins and Venique Benton kind of days.

Yet, even by doing so, you still won’t find the potential for a prolific passer as you would by attending a current Indian game.

Waxahachie has never had a legitimate Division-I quarterback prospect to combine with a defensive unit and skill players that could upset any contender in the state — until now.

It’s a party.