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High School Football: Top QB Performances from the Weekend

hunterby: Hunter Shelton08/17/25HunterShelton_
top qb performances afi

High school football continued its return this weekend, despite Mother Nature’s best efforts to spurn kickoffs in the Southeast. Things will really get going over the next couple of weeks as regular seasons continue to get underway for the rest of the country. Some big-time programs were in action this weekend, though, and some quarterbacks wasted no time beginning their 2025 highlight reels.

Every week, Rivals will track some of the top performances from gunslingers across the nation. Below is a look at who excelled on the gridiron in their season-openers across the last few days.

Helaman Casuga — Corner Canyon (Utah)

45-0 win vs. Bingham
13-18, 284 passing yards, 2 touchdowns

After a foot injury limited him to just six games as a junior last season, Casuga got off to a strong start on Friday night in Corner Canyon’s dominating win over Bingham. The four-star Texas A&M commit played three quarters and showed no signs of rust — as evidenced by connecting on a deep ball in the first quarter, leading to a 96-yard touchdown for the first score of the season.

In limited action last season, Casuga hurled for over 1,600 yards and 18 touchdowns to just a pair of interceptions, completing 65 percent of his passes. He burst on the scene as a sophomore, throwing for over 4,100 yards and 34 TDs. Despite not having former five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles at his disposal anymore, Casuga is chasing another 6A state title this fall. Corner Canyon is the top-ranked team in Utah and a top-25 team nationally, per the Rivals Composite Rankings.

Ben Musser — Prince Avenue Christian (Ga.)

40-17 win vs. Callaway
14-19, 227 passing yards, 108 rushing yards, 3 total touchdowns

One of the favorites to take home another Georgia state title, Prince Avenue Christian weathered multiple rain delays and a halftime deficit to pick up the season-opening win over Callaway. The Wolverines’ junior signal-caller really got going in the second half, though he did uncork a bomb in the second quarter that led to an 87-yard score:

Musser, a Virginia Tech commit, threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another as Prince Avenue Christian blanked its opponent in the second half. He also leaned on his running back, Andrew Beard, who finished with three scores, including a TD reception via Musser. The recent Hokies pledge is the No. 22 QB in the 2027 cycle and will look to bolster his stock as one of the best in the Peach State this fall.

Travis Burgess — Grayson (Ga.)

51-3 win vs. Collins Hill
133 passing yards, 96 rushing yards, 4 total touchdowns

Grayson had revenge on its mind this week, as it opened last season with an upset loss to Collins Hill. The Rams, led by Burgess, outlasted a lengthy rain delay and then took it to the Eagles for four quarters. The senior North Carolina commit showed off deadly dual-threat ability on Friday.

With the weather negating the passing game as the evening went on, Burgess scrambled well and found pay dirt with his legs once. He still managed to throw for three scores, despite not racking up serious yardage.

As a junior, the four-star threw for over 2,200 yards and 23 TDs to just four interceptions. Grayson, the No. 10 team in the nation and No. 2 team in Georgia per the Rivals Composite Rankings, will be a tough out this fall. Burgess acquired blue-chip status this summer after competing in the illustrious Elite 11 Finals. He pledged to Bill Belichick and UNC on May 21.

Cayden Benson — Creekside (Ga.)

48-28 win vs. Rome
100 rushing yards, 92 passing yards, 4 total touchdowns

In one of the biggest “upsets” of the week in Georgia, Creekside erased an early 21-0 deficit and steamrolled Rome in the second half en route to a loud victory to open the season. Benson was a catalyst on his feet all day.

After getting the Seminoles on the board in the second quarter, the 5-foot-11 senior then tied things up and gave his team the lead in the third quarter with two more scores. His first three touchdowns came on the feet, and he then added an 18-yard TD pass to help put things out of reach.

One of the more under-the-radar names to know in the Peach State, Benson tallied over 3,400 total yards and 42 touchdowns last season. He threw for nearly 2,400 of those yards, had 30 passing TDs and was named the offensive player of the year in his region.

Creekside entered this week as the No. 29 team in Georgia, per the Rivals Composite Rankings. Rome checked in at No. 18, giving the Seminoles some major momentum off the bat this season.