High School

Top QB Julian Lewis dazzles in senior season high school football opener

Nation's No. 2 quarterback leads 21-point swing, flashes trick play on ESPN-televised opener

Andy Buhler

Carrollton QB Julian Lewis (10) warms up to play Westlake at Grisham Stadium.
Carrollton QB Julian Lewis (10) warms up to play Westlake at Grisham Stadium. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Julian Lewis, the nation's No. 2 rated quarterback, received national TV billing for his senior high school football opener on Friday.

The USC commit wasted no time shining in the spotlight.

He threw a 32-yard touchdown strike to junior wideout Ryan Mosley on a halfback toss-back trick play to give Carrollton a two-touchdown lead past Woodward Academy 24-14 in an ESPN-televised Georgia high school football opener.

Lewis is one of the nation's top quarterbacks — No. 2 per Rivals — and has been a sensation since his freshman year. The Trojans entered the season ranked No. 18 in the country.

>> Julian Lewis still 'locked in' with USC, but leaves door open

Peyton Zachary took a pitch to the right, stopped, pitched the ball back to Lewis, who delivered a dart into the 6-foot-3 Mosley, who was open in single coverage in the endzone.

His third touchdown pass of the night and Carrollton's third in a row came at the 9:24 mark in the second quarter and helped the Trojans to a 21-7 lead.

His second TD went to Zachary, a 30-yard pass to give the Trojans a 14-7 lead with six seconds left in the first quarter. It was set up by a long completion over the middle on 2nd and 10 that Lewis uncorked after evading a collapsing pocket.

Lewis committed to USC in Summer 2023. Since, Colorado, Indiana and Auburn have aggressively pursued Lewis, raising questions about whether or not he'd stick with USC.

He doubled down on the Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley in an interview with ESPN during the broadcast on Friday.

As a sophomore, Lewis threw for 4,118 yards and 48 TDs, then followed that up with a 3,094-yard, 48 TD junior season — with just two interceptions, 10 fewer than his sophomore season.

Carrollton went 11-3 in 2023 and reached the third round of the Georgia 7A playoffs after Lewis led the program to the state championship game as a sophomore in 2022, which Carrollton lost to Mill Creek, 70-35.

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports

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Andy Buhler
ANDY BUHLER

Andy Buhler is a Portland, Oregon-based sportswriter with more than nine years of experience covering high school sports across the country. He's covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason, served on state tournament seeding committees and launched the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a journalism degree from Gonzaga.

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