Senior Logan Verax is working out with the Ryle High School quarterbacks during a sunny, 90-degree day in Union. He’s zipping spiraling passes to Raiders receivers who are running routes on the sizzling hot artificial playing surface during practice at Clifford R. Borland Sr. Stadium.
With a blue sky overhead and three years under his belt at quarterback, Verax is calmly orchestrating a virtual clinic on how to complete a pass to the right receiver at the right spot at the right time. Except for the rising temperature, it’s a beautifully idyllic scene for the 6-foot-3 signal caller, who clearly is in his element inside a comfort zone that can only be described as cushy.
But it wasn’t like that when Verax made his first start as an injury replacement for the Raiders in the final regular season game his freshman season.
“We were playing on a dirt grass field at Conner in the pouring rain,” Ryle coach Mike Engler said. “The field was muddy. But Logan passed for almost 300 yards and three touchdowns, and we won.”
Verax, subbing for starter Bradyn Lyons, completed 14-of-29 passes and didn’t throw an interception. Few realized it, but it was Verax’s coming-out party as a future Raiders star, obscured by the fact that Lyons was back as starter the next week in what would be a season-ending loss to Dixie Heights in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
The party, the playoff wins and pursuit of all-time Raider records would have to wait until the following fall. That’s when Verax kick-started his tenure as permanent starter with a 16-for-29 passing performance for 224 yards, three touchdowns and 71 rushing yards in a narrow, season-opening loss to a Lexington Catholic team that finished the year 9-3.
After Verax’s first six starts, coach Engler knew he had something special on his hands. Verax was 5-1 with 1,073 passing yards and 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions. Verax completed his sophomore season with a 9-4 record and a trip to the state tournament quarterfinals. Verax passed for 2,395 yards, 18 touchdowns and a 57% completion rate. He added 327 rushing yards and four rushing scores.
“Coach just came up to me the Thursday before that game as a freshman and told me I was starting on Friday,” Verax said. “After that, the seniors came up to me and said they had my back. That meant a lot to me. I knew those guys wouldn’t mess up their jobs, so that allowed me to just go out there and play. It helped calm me down.”
The prep gridiron has no fury like a relaxed Verax. That’s why Ryle coaches have spent so much time trying to slow the game down for the dual-threat QB while giving him a chance to be successful on every play.
The fruits of their labor will hopefully be a finished prep product by the time Verax wraps up his career, and a state championship, something that’s eluded every Ryle quarterback who’s come before Verax. That list includes Tanner Morgan, the University of Minnesota star who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after this year’s NFL draft.
Morgan passed for a Ryle record 398 completions, 5,421 yards and 48 touchdowns, but those marks are under siege.
Here are some fun facts about Verax, who is beginning to receive college offers. He has 369 career completions, 4,714 passing yards and 38 TDs, all within range of the mighty Morgan, who put up his career numbers in two seasons at Ryle after transferring from Hazard High School.
“Just me coming up on that is amazing,” Verax said. “But what I’m focusing on is winning games. The rest will come.”
Verax holds the program’s single-game record with five passing TDs. He’s No. 2 behind Morgan with 429 single-game passing yards. He’s been threatening Morgan’s single-season passing yards record of 2,747. Coach Engler believes Verax could have a 3,000-yard passing season and a 1,000-yard rushing season in the tank this fall.
Coming off a junior season with 2,018 passing yards, 17 TDs, 605 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores, Verax is Northern Kentucky’s active passing yards leader by more than 1,000 and second in passing TDs. In that way, he’s a Raider of a lost art. Morgan was never that high on local active leader boards because of the prior two seasons at Hazard.
“I think Logan is the best quarterback in Northern Kentucky, and I would probably put him in the top five in the state,” Engler said. “We just went 6-0 and won The Battle on Boonesborough 7-on-7 Tournament, and our offense was stopped once. Logan was at his best when he was out of the pocket. If you give him those opportunities this season, he’s going to take advantage.”
