Denny Duron founded the Evangel Christian Academy football program 35 years ago, but Thursday's game against Captain Shreve in Shreveport, La., stood out to the coach. Duron, a former Louisiana Tech quarterback, said he witnessed the most impressive player performance he'd ever seen at any level.
Duron was referring to Evangel Christian quarterback Peyton Houston, whose 817 yards against Captain Shreve were the most passing yards thrown in a single high school game, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). That number also made Houston the first quarterback to surpass 800 single-game passing yards in NFHS history.
Duron said he wasn't aware of the record until after it had been broken.
"It didn't even dawn on me until afterward when our offensive coordinator said, 'I think he threw for close to 700 yards.' And I said, 'That's impossible.' That was my first response to that," Duron said.
According to the coach, the team's offensive coordinator reviewed the game film four times -- then so did local journalist Roy Lang III -- to confirm Houston broke the previous NFHS record of 787 yards thrown by Matt Miller of Pennsylvania in 2015.
Although Houston set an NFHS record, Will Grier still holds the national record of 837 yards set in 2012 when Grier played for Davidson Day in North Carolina, according to MaxPreps. The site, which tracks high school sports stats, also noted that Houston set a Louisiana state record, topping the previous mark of 639 passing yards set by T.J. Finley in 2018 while playing for Ponchatoula High School.
The yardage wasn't the only impressive part. Houston completed 53 of 68 passes and threw for eight touchdowns. He also rushed for 88 yards to add two more scores.
Houston, who said he wakes up at 4 a.m. every other day to work on his throwing, said that's where he gets his confidence that turns into second nature come game time.
Perhaps most stunningly, Evangel Christian Academy lost the game in overtime, 77-76.
"I was really just focused on each play," Houston said. "In OT, we scored first and decided to go for 2. We weren't able to get the 2-point conversion, unfortunately. They scored and their kicker made the extra point."
"Our team is very talented and young at the same time," Houston added. "The losses hurt, but each week I feel like we're getting better as a team."
Duron said Evangel Christian Academy was without their two best defensive tackles for the contest due to injuries and both teams matched each other's pace in an offensive "shootout," but Duron noted that he doesn't ever want to see that many points on the board again.
He described Evangel Christian Academy as a small Christian school. Its football program -- which competes in the state's 5A class along with Captain Shreve -- lists numerous notable alumni, including 14 graduates who have gone on to play in the NFL. But the team has had a frustrating stretch with a 1-5 record this season. Evangel Christian Academy lost its last three games by a total of seven points, including back-to-back one-point losses.
That's why, Duron said, he and Houston weren't thinking about the record Thursday.
"(Houston) was just trying to win a game," Duron said about the quarterback. "That's all he cared about. And all I can tell you is after the game, he was not comforted by any news of yards or records. He never asked about that stuff. He was just very disappointed that he hadn't won that football game."
Days later, after attending Alabama's narrow win Saturday over South Carolina in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Houston acknowledged that the record is "great" and praised his teammates for helping him achieve it. The 6-foot, 195-pounder is in the 2027 class and holds offers from LSU, Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Miami and Tennessee, among others, according to 247Sports.
He said he still expects Evangel Christian Academy to make the playoffs and compete for a state championship. "It will be tough, but with God, anything is possible," he said.
Duron has similar faith and said that, although it's been a discouraging stretch, his players are resilient and he's encouraging them to stay positive. Houston said the team committed to focusing on each play rather than what they couldn't control leading into the game against Captain Shreve.
Sometimes tough losses happen. Sometimes records do, too.