In one of the more impressive offensive seasons in Georgia high school football history, several state records were set and many longstanding marks of perfection fell. There were an abundance of players etching their names into the record books this year from all classifications, and those accomplishments may stand for years to come.
Officially A Georgia Bulldog! pic.twitter.com/DNYHItXAi5
— Gunner Stockton (@GunnerStockton) December 16, 2021
Two players stood out the most this season: Rabun County quarterback Gunner Stockton and Brooks County running back Omari Arnold. Arnold moved into ninth place for all-time career rushing touchdowns and jumped to seventh for rushing touchdowns in a season (42). Stockton shattered several football records. He ended his career with the second-most passing yards behind the legendary Trevor Lawrence and the most passing touchdowns (177). His 55-touchdown campaign in 2021 earned him second place on the list for the most passing scores in a season. Stockton also had a record nine games with six or more passing touchdowns.
Congratulations to @robDbrown26 for being named 6-A Player of the Year! pic.twitter.com/2KBYkhpqxX
— Trion Football (@TrionFootball1) December 3, 2021
Trion running back Rob Brown rushed for the second most yards in a playoff game ever this past season with a 448-yard performance against Social Circle. He is also now tied for third in rushing touchdowns in a single game after a seven touchdown performance against Mt. Zion.
It wasn’t just the rushing game that featured rewritten history books. In fact, several quarterbacks besides Stockton found their way onto lists they couldn’t be located on prior to 2021. Lonnie Ratliff (Duluth), Zach Harris (Cambridge), Tyler Hughes (Marietta), and AJ Swann (Cherokee) all entered the list for career passing yards, while big seasons by Aaron Philo (Prince Avenue) and Robbie Roper (Roswell) placed those stars on the list for passing yards in a season. One game for Philo in particular stood out, as he passed for 557 yards against the Christian Academy of Knoxville, good for fourth in GHSA history. Collins Hill’s Sam Horn used a spectacular senior campaign to boost his positions in the career passing yards and touchdowns lists.
IT’S ME?? 1 OF 1 ? @shotbyjoel @247Sports @Rivals pic.twitter.com/hZifOATAfP
— Travis Hunter (@TravisHunterJr) August 23, 2021
In the receiving game, Travis Hunter (Collins Hill) moved into fourth all-time in career receiving yards, while Jaden Gibson of Rabun County broke into second place on the season receiving yards list with 1,878 in 2021. Additionally, Hunter is now the leader in career receiving touchdowns (48).
As a team, no program had a bigger football record-breaking season than Trinity Christian. The Lions scored 742 points in 2021, good for second in a season behind 2017 Rome. Trinity Christian also moved into the top 10 for most points in a regular season and set the state record with 53.0 points per game.
2021 was a year for the offensive record books. Both teams and players found ways to shatter decades-long marks set by Georgia greats, and more of that may be in the future as the state shifts to favor more offensive production. Will the trend continue as more schools prioritize a high-flying offense? Or will defense resurrect itself and break several records of its own in the future?
