A decade’s worth of sterling high school QBs

Pat Devlin didn't step quietly onto the high school football stage.

In October 2003, as a 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore for Downingtown East, Devlin completed 31 of 46 passes for a then single-game state record of 511 yards and five touchdowns in a 53-34 home loss to Ches-Mont League rival West Chester East.

That was the first true glimpse of what was to come. Devlin, equipped with a cannon-like arm and quick feet, ended up setting a state record for career passing yardage (8,172 yards). As a 6-4, 205-pound senior, he threw for 2,750 yards and 27 TDs while leading the Cougars to an 11-2 record and the PIAA Class AAAA state semifinals.

For his jaw-dropping efforts, Devlin, now a junior starter at Delaware and averaging 235 yards passing per game, is The Inquirer's quarterback of the decade in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

How about - you are surely bound to ask - Penn Charter's Matt Ryan, a second-year standout for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons?

Well, our selection was based on the statistics and accomplishments a player had while in high school and not in college or, in the case of Ryan, the professional ranks.

We took the same approach to the rest of the Top 10 list. For example, while Cardinal O'Hara product Tom Savage is off to a solid start at Rutgers, the blue-chip recruit was slowed by injuries in his last two high school seasons. His statistics, as a result, suffered.

Here is one person's offering of the best signal-callers from 2000 to 2009. The year listed after each player's name and school denotes his final high school season.

1. Pat Devlin, Downingtown East, 2005. The blond-haired hurler and Penn State recruit was an ' Class AAAA first-team all-state pick in each of his last two seasons. In his breakout sophomore campaign, when he first caught the eye of Division I-A recruiters, Devlin passed for 2,950 yards and 22 TDs.

2. Matt Ryan, Penn Charter, 2002. The strong-armed Boston College recruit threw for nearly 3,000 career yards. As a senior, Ryan passed for more than 1,000 yards and 12 scores as the Quakers went 8-1 overall and, with a 4-0 mark, captured the Inter-Academic League championship.

3. Chris Whitney, St. Joseph's Prep, 2006. A dual-threat QB, he accounted for more than 2,000 yards (1,667 passing, 444 rushing) and completed 57 percent of his throws in his senior season. Over his last three years, Whitney, now at Villanova, threw for 3,850 yards and the Hawks went 30-8.

4. Mike Connor, Strath Haven, 2000. He was 43-1 as a starter and sparked the Panthers to back-to-back Class AAA state titles. In a 15-0 senior season, the 6-4, 220-pounder completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,021 yards and 17 TDs. Connor, now a coaching assistant at Plymouth Whitemarsh, played for a brief period at Delaware.

5. Sam Hollenbach, Pennridge, 2001. With his 6-5, 210-pound frame, he stood tall in the pocket and picked apart defenses. In his last two seasons with the Rams, whose wing-T scheme kept him from making aerial assaults, Hollenbach threw for 2,784 yards and 26 TDs. At Maryland, he passed for 5,139 career yards.

6. Bryan Savage, Haverford School, 2003. As a senior, the 6-4, 215-pounder earned Class AA first-team all-state honors while throwing for nearly 1,900 yards and 16 TDs. His career passing total was 4,250. After a brief stay at Wisconsin, Savage played at Coffeyville Community College and finished at Hofstra.

7. Nolan Kearney, Downingtown West, 2007. A major threat both throwing and running, he accounted for 2,805 total yards (2,250 passing, 555 rushing) in his final season. In completing better than 60 percent of his passes, Kearney threw for 21 TDs with only three interceptions. He is at William and Mary.

8. Ryan Nassib, Malvern Prep, 2007. Before heading off to Syracuse, the strong-armed Nassib threw for more than 1,200 yards and eight scores while leading the run-oriented Friars to a 9-1 overall record and 5-0 mark in the Inter-Ac League. Over his last two years, Malvern Prep compiled a 17-3 record.

9. Drew Loughery, La Salle, 2009. The lone selection from the Class of 2010, Loughery, a second-year starter, has averaged nearly 200 passing yards per game. Last season, the 6-1, 205-pounder threw for 2,628 yards and 25 TDs as the Explorers bagged the Catholic League AAAA championship.

10. Kevin Morton, Abington, 2007. Over his last two seasons, Morton fueled the Ghosts by passing for 3,970 yards. As a senior, he threw for 2,250. Only his size (6-1, 190) kept him from being a Division I-A recruit. Through seven games for Kutztown, he had passed for 1,565 yards and 11 TDs.

Fifteen honorable mentions, listed alphabetically: Josh Cohen, Conestoga, 2004; Bret Gillespie, Downingtown West, 2009; Sean Grieve, Germantown Academy, 2003; John Harrison, La Salle, 2007; Matt Helm, Downingtown, 2002; Al Humes, Ridley, 2006; Sam Kind, Abington, 2009; Mike Lomas, Cardinal O'Hara, 2000; Sean McGovern, Cardinal Dougherty, 2001; Brett Moyer, Ridley, 2001; Steve Richter, Conestoga, 2007; Tom Savage, Cardinal O'Hara, 2008; Terrence Shawell, Pottstown, 2002; Andre Sloan-El, Roman Catholic, 2003; Zach Zulli, Perkiomen Valley, 2008