Somebody in Washington high school football isn't afraid of going after Kellen Moore's passing record

Jabez Boyd, junior quarterback at Life Christian Academy, will be throwing the football a ton this fall, and has set Moore's single-season mark of 4,600 yards as his goal

Life Christian's Jabez Boyd is one of the rising dual-threat quarterbacks in Class 1A. / Photo by Todd Milles

TACOMA, Wash. - It is Year 3 for ex-USC standout Hershel Dennis at the helm of Life Christian Academy football.

And if the first two seasons were about development, this fall is certainly about dominion in the Class 1A ranks.

The Eagles have the huddle leader to guide them there, too.

Remember this name - Jabez Boyd - a dual-threat junior with the electric arm and even more-ambitious personal goals.

In fact, Boyd has a passing-yardage number in mind for 2024 - 4,600 yards.

Why so specific?

It is the single-season record in Washington, set by former Prosser star and now NFL offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who set the mark in 2005.

"I've been putting a whole bunch of work in the offseason," Boyd said. "I am ready to showcase my talents."

Now before you shrug the lofty goals off, consider these three things:

* As a second-year starter last season, Boyd threw for 2,259 yards and 23 touchdowns in 10 games - all for an offense that had just one senior.

* This fall, not only is Life Christian the 1A Nisqually favorite, but is ranked No. 7 in SBLive WA's preseason rankings. The Eagles could be playing deep into November.

* And perhaps the most critical of them all, this is the first offseason where Boyd has solely concentrated on football, giving up AAU basketball.

This renewed commitment came after Dennis sat down with his signal caller, telling him he had the goods to play at a high level of college, but also that he had to take more full-time instruction.

"He had to increase his work ethic," Dennis said. "And he has done exactly that."

Boyd began private training with Rise quarterback coach DaVante Peterson, who has also joined Dennis' staff at Life Christian.

"DaVante has been so much help in improving Jabez's mechanics and pocket presence this offseason," Dennis said. "And the switch has just flipped on with him."