Longhorn 8- man quarterback Strand ranked first in nation in total yardage

Longhorn quarterback Wyatt Strand is ranked first in the nation in total yards among 8-man quarterbacks, according to MaxPreps.com. Strand views the accolade more as a distraction than an honor as he and the Longhorns prepare to play Foothill Friday for the district hampionship.

QCS Senior Writer

While preparing for a district championship, Logan Longhorn's quarterback Wyatt Strand is dealing with the news that he is ranked first in the nation for total yardage in 8-man football by MaxPreps.com, a national high school sports website, as an added distraction.

“I got mad at coach for telling me last week that I was ranked so high,” Strand said. “I kept telling him that I don't care about rankings or stats. I didn't do this alone, 'we' as a team have done everything, without them I am nothing.”

Strand said he owes everything to the team. They are the ones who have “played their hearts out with me,” he said. “They have caught the passes, blocked for me when I ran. You take them away and their would be no ranking. He said that while the ranking and attention are flattering, it's more of a distraction to him during this crucial time of the season.

“We are working together to create a football legacy for our community,” Strand said. “We have all dedicated ourselves to the ultimate goal of winning a state championship. Every team wants to win a championship and that is exactly what we all have been working for one game at a time this season.”

Wyatt Strand humility allows him to focus on winning more than on statistics or rankings. It makes him adamant his accomplishments this season are because of team effort, said Kene Terry, Logan Longhorn's head coach.

Terry said Strand's offensive production has been overlooked this season, and while he may be too modest to boast about such accomplishments, other teams and coaches are sure to be taking notice.

As of Tuesday, according to the MaxPreps.com, Strand is ranked 5th in passing, 10th in rushing and second in total yardage nationwide in eight-man football. Strand has 3,639 total yards, averages 183.5 yards a game with 1,958 passing yards and 1,630 rushing yards and 51 receiving yards. He has completed 86 of 149 passes, a rate of 55.7 percent, with 32 touchdown passes and only five interceptions so far this season, which gives him a quarterback rating of 127.9.

Second to Strand in total yardage is Christian Rogers, a senior quarterback from Cathedral Academy in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Heggens has completed 66 of 138 passes, 47.8 percent, with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions for a quarterback rating of 115.5 this season. He has 3430 total yards of offense, 1,799 passing yards and 1,631 rushing yards.

“It does not matter to me,” Strand said of all the fuss involved with his national ranking. “All that matters to me is being there for my team 100 percent every game, the same way they have been there for me all season long.”