Zarephath Academy Football Player Jordan Durham Named ITG Next Florida Male Athlete of the Month for September 2024
As a result of his stellar start to the 2024 high school football season, Zarephath Academy quarterback Jordan Durham has been voted the ITG Next Florida Male Athlete of the Month for September 2024. The honor comes as a result of Durham’s on-field play during August.
To receive the accolade, Durham amassed 45.93% of the possible votes over a list of three additional finalists spanning across two sports. Those athletes were Marianna football player Amari Clemons, King cross country runner Mason LeBlance, and Suncoast cross country runner Max Arthay.
As to why Durham received this honor, it simply comes down to the fact that the senior was likely Florida’s top high school quarterback in August, albeit in a limited sample size.
In August, Durham led the Eagles to an undefeated 2-0 overall record to start the year, as well as an impressive 48-14 win over Fernandina Beach in a preseason game.
In the game against Fernandina Beach, Durham completed 17-of-26 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 29 yards on three attempts.
In the Eagles’ season opener, Zarephath Academy was on the road once again, where they defeated Episcopal School of Jacksonville 42-21. Durham carried over the success from their preseason game into this one. He completed 25-of-33 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 76 yards and another score on five attempts.
Durham’s lone other game in August came against South Fork, with Zarephath Academy topping South Fork 48-30. This was arguably Durham’s best performance of the season so far. He completed 25-of-34 passes for a season-high 523 yards and four touchdowns, and he rushed for 12 yards and two more scores on a pair of attempts.
In his two regular season contests in August, Durham had a combined completion percentage of 74.6%, going 50-for-67 passing with 1,033 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 8-to-0. Over that span, Durham also rushed for a total of 88 yards and three touchdowns on seven attempts.
Durham has carried over this success into September as well. At the time of writing, the senior ranks among the top passers not only in the state, but also in the nation.
Not counting the Eagles’ preseason victory, Durham has helped lead Zarephath Academy to an undefeated 5-0 overall record so far this season. Over that span, the Eagles have outscored opponents a combined 242-103 and are averaging 48.4 points per game offensively.
Across the first five regular season games of the season, Durham has thrown for a combined 2,019 yards passing, has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 19-to-1, and has rushed for 286 yards and four touchdowns. Durham has thrown for 300 or more yards in every game; in two of those games, he actually threw for over 500 yards.
Congratulations on a stellar August to Zarephath Academy QB Jordan Durham, the ITG Next Florida Male Athlete of the Month for September 2024.
