Nevada Preps pass catchers countdown — No. 3
Desert Pines’ Darnell Washington comes in at No. 3 on our list of Southern Nevada’s top five pass catchers.
To create the list, we spoke with coaches from the Mountain and Desert Regions. A couple of the base questions were: “Who is the top high school pass catcher today?” and “Who would you pick to start a team?”
Then we grabbed the statistics from last season, looked at the player’s collective rankings on recruiting websites and used our own judgment to fill holes.
Stay tuned for the rest of our pass catchers and defensive player lists that will be unveiled each week until the end of July.
Nevada Preps Pass Catchers Rank: Desert Pines’ Darnell Washington No. 3
Class
2020
Vitals
6 feet, 7 inches; 245 pounds
Honors
Class 3A All-State First Team (2017), All-Class 3A Southern First Team (2017), All-Class 3A Sunset League First Team (2017)
Recruiting
Washington, who doubles as a defensive end, is one of the top junior recruits in the country, and has scholarship offers from some of the best college football programs in the country, including Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Southern California.
Last Year’s Stats
Washington had 19 receptions for 309 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 16.3 yards per reception.
What they are saying
— “He’s a matchup nightmare with his size and his coordination with his ball skills, it’s very difficult, especially when he has the high point with the ball,” a Mountain Region coach said. “Very strong hands, very coordinated.”
— “They didn’t really pass much on us so I didn’t see much of him as far as passing is concerned,” another Mountain Region coach said.
To get involved in the discussion, use #NVPrepsFB on Twitter. You also can follow along @nevadapreps.
Nevada Preps Pass Catchers Rank: Faith Lutheran’s Peyton Thornton No. 4
Class
2020
Vitals
6 feet, 3 inches; 200 pounds
Honors
All-Northwest League Second Team (2017)
Recruiting
N/A
Last Year’s Stats
Thornton had 47 catches for 607 yards and seven touchdowns last season. The yards and touchdowns were the second most on the Crusaders, who had one of the most prolific passing offenses in Southern Nevada. He averaged 12.9 yards per reception.
What they are saying
— “He just had a real productive year. He’s really long,” one Mountain Region coach said. “He’s not a blazer, but the dude has gorilla hands. He catches everything.”
Nevada Preps Pass Catchers Rank: Foothill’s Braeden Wilson No. 5
Class
2019
Vitals
6 feet, 3 inches; 200 pounds
Honors
All-Southeast League First Team (2017)
Recruiting
N/A
Last Year’s Stats
Wilson led the Falcons with 43 catches for 587 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 13.7 yards per reception, and his seven touchdowns were the second most on the team among all position players.
What they are saying
— “Those guys are getting faster and stronger,” one Desert Region coach said of Wilson, and the rest of Foothill’s receivers.
— “Braeden Wilson was (Foothill’s) top receiver,” another Desert Region coach said.
