Opponents by now have seen enough highlights of Freedom-Woodbridge High School quarterback Tristan Evans that it’s quite certain no one underestimates the junior who is in his first full season as a starter.
“I joke all the time,” Eagles Coach Darryl Overton said. “If you were picking teams in P.E. class, he would be one of the last kids picked if you hadn’t seen him in uniform.”
Put on the pads, though, and Evans is hard to miss — you can usually find him celebrating in the end zone. At 5 feet 8 and 170 pounds, he might not have overwhelming size, but he has engineered one of the best seasons in Virginia high school football history and that continued this past Friday as Evans completed 18 of 21 passes for 370 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed 12 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles beat John Champe, 70-35, in a Virginia 6A Region B second-round playoff game.
For the season, Evans has thrown 52 touchdown passes, two short of the state record. He also has passed for 2,927 yards, second-most in Prince William County history. The Eagles have scored 802 points this season, 37 short of the state record.
“And he has gotten better over the year because he has worked so hard at it,” Overton said. “As coaches, we can appreciate that.”
In addition to a strong supporting cast that includes running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. and wide receivers Kam Courtney and JuJu Preston, Evans also benefited from getting playing time the previous two seasons. He started three games as a freshman during the spring 2021 season when a teammate was injured and got considerable mop-up duty last season.
Ready to move into the starting lineup this fall, Evans was voted a team captain. He also maintains a 4.0 grade-point average and is a member of the school’s junior ROTC unit, Overton said.
“He’s a unicorn,” Overton said. “He does everything right and does it on time. He’s not a big talker, but he does lead by example.”
This week’s DC Touchdown Club Player of the Week High School Football Player of the Week Honor Roll:
ANNE ARUNDEL
Broadneck RB Ian Mauldin rushed 15 times for 180 yards and three touchdowns as the Bruins beat Churchill, 39-7, in a Maryland 4A quarterfinal.
DC
Coolidge RB Sean Brooks rushed 20 times for 109 yards and one touchdown, caught three passes for 41 yards and on defense made five tackles and had two sacks as the Colts beat Bell, 21-6, in the DCIAA Gravy Bowl and advanced the DCSAA Class A championship.
FREDERICK
Oakdale RB/K Rory Blanchard rushed 16 times for 130 yards and one touchdown, caught a 41-yard touchdown pass, recovered a fumble and made a touchdown-saving tackle as the Bears beat Westminster, 33-14, in a Maryland 3A quarterfinal.
HOWARD
River Hill RB-LB Ethan Burnett rushed nine times for 68 yards and on defense made nine tackles with three tackles for loss and one sack as the Hawks beat Franklin, 7-0, in a Maryland 3A quarterfinal for their second consecutive postseason shutout.
LOUDOUN
Loudoun County RB Jason Murray rushed 29 times for 284 yards and three touchdowns as the Captains beat Sherando, 49-28, in a Virginia 4A Region C semifinal.
MONTGOMERY
Damascus RB-LB Dillon Dunathan rushed 24 times for 273 yards and four touchdowns and on defense made five tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack as the Swarmin’ Hornets beat Long Reach, 47-12, in a Maryland 3A quarterfinal game.
NORTHERN REGION
South County WR-DB Miles Greer rushed six times for 66 yards and one touchdown, caught an 18-yard pass, on defense intercepted two passes (returning one for a touchdown) and made five tackles and returned a punt 40 yards as the Stallions beat West Springfield, 48-28, in a Virginia 6A Region C semifinal.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
C.H. Flowers QB Sean Johnson completed 9 of 17 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown and rushed 15 times for 127 yards and one touchdown as the undefeated Jaguars beat Paint Branch, 28-6, in a Maryland 4A quarterfinal.
PRIVATE
St. Mary’s QB Carson Petitbon completed 3 of 6 passes for 45 yards and rushed 30 times for 195 yards and three touchdowns as the Saints beat Concordia Prep, 21-13, in the MIAA B Conference championship game.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Patuxent WR-CB Asa Locks caught three passes for 71 yards and one touchdown, returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and intercepted a pass on defense as the Panthers beat Williamsport, 33-24, in a Maryland 2A/1A quarterfinal.
WCAC
St. John’s WR Asa Gregg caught an 11-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes remaining, lifting the Cadets to a 7-3 victory over DeMatha in the WCAC championship game.
