jester270 Posted March 1 Posted March 1 Process. That’s the word often used when people talk about the rise of Apollo football — and Max Johnson has been one of the biggest drivers behind it. Standing at 6’3, 205 pounds, Johnson has been a three-year starter at quarterback for the Eagles and a proven leader in Coach John Edge’s high-powered passing attack. Calm, confident, and competitive, Max has helped elevate the standard of the program while putting together one of the most productive quarterback careers in Apollo history. Johnson brings great arm strength, remains accurate under pressure, and is dangerous throwing on the move. When plays break down, he becomes an even bigger problem — showing the ability to extend drives and create explosive plays with his legs. His growth has been evident year after year: Junior Season 10 games 172 completions / 247 attempts 69.6% accuracy 2,270 passing yards 24 TDs / 9 INTs Sophomore Season 10 games 143 completions / 225 attempts 63.6% accuracy 2,001 passing yards 18 TDs / 10 INTs Freshman Season (starter after 4 games) 98 completions / 168 attempts 58.3% accuracy 1,322 passing yards 9 TDs / 6 INTs Now heading into his senior season, Johnson is poised for a huge year and looks to establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. College programs have already taken notice, earning offers from: Liberty Eastern Kentucky Tennessee Tech Gardner-Webb Kentucky Wesleyan Murray State Missouri State Lindenwood As Apollo continues its climb in 5A, expect Max Johnson to lead the charge once again.
TimeWillTell Posted March 2 Posted March 2 7 hours ago, jester270 said: Process. That’s the word often used when people talk about the rise of Apollo football — and Max Johnson has been one of the biggest drivers behind it. Standing at 6’3, 205 pounds, Johnson has been a three-year starter at quarterback for the Eagles and a proven leader in Coach John Edge’s high-powered passing attack. Calm, confident, and competitive, Max has helped elevate the standard of the program while putting together one of the most productive quarterback careers in Apollo history. Johnson brings great arm strength, remains accurate under pressure, and is dangerous throwing on the move. When plays break down, he becomes an even bigger problem — showing the ability to extend drives and create explosive plays with his legs. His growth has been evident year after year: Junior Season 10 games 172 completions / 247 attempts 69.6% accuracy 2,270 passing yards 24 TDs / 9 INTs Sophomore Season 10 games 143 completions / 225 attempts 63.6% accuracy 2,001 passing yards 18 TDs / 10 INTs Freshman Season (starter after 4 games) 98 completions / 168 attempts 58.3% accuracy 1,322 passing yards 9 TDs / 6 INTs Now heading into his senior season, Johnson is poised for a huge year and looks to establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. College programs have already taken notice, earning offers from: Liberty Eastern Kentucky Tennessee Tech Gardner-Webb Kentucky Wesleyan Murray State Missouri State Lindenwood As Apollo continues its climb in 5A, expect Max Johnson to lead the charge once again. Max Johnson is a very good football player. I have noticed on his and the Apollo Football college coaches visiting and offering him. Our area has a lot of really good football players and it's going to keep getting better. If this young man can get Milburn at RB and Williams the ball next year they will be a very tough team to stop. Do you guys seeing him getting offered to UK or UL?
jester270 Posted March 2 Author Posted March 2 29 minutes ago, TimeWillTell said: Max Johnson is a very good football player. I have noticed on his and the Apollo Football college coaches visiting and offering him. Our area has a lot of really good football players and it's going to keep getting better. If this young man can get Milburn at RB and Williams the ball next year they will be a very tough team to stop. Do you guys seeing him getting offered to UK or UL? UK and UL are possibilities that you can’t rule out. I did see on Twitter that Michigan State and Boston College QB coaches came to town to visit. I predict the list will grow even more after some camp visits this offseason. And yes, Johnson will have some very talented targets returning this season. He will be poised for a HUGE senior season. 1
zoneblitz24 Posted March 2 Posted March 2 What skill and OL players are returning next year? I thought Apollo graduated some very productive players this year.
RollTide4 Posted March 2 Posted March 2 I have seen him play 3 times and I have been extremely impressed with him. He is a very talented player. 1
jester270 Posted March 2 Author Posted March 2 17 hours ago, zoneblitz24 said: What skill and OL players are returning next year? I thought Apollo graduated some very productive players this year. Apollo has 4 starters returning on the Oline: Lawrence, Ali Zunun, Gabe Burton, Tyler Graddy Skill: Eli Williams, Ross Milburn, Gabe Jones (rising sophomore), Johnson The main area of replacements will be the secondary, but their roster is loaded with guys who can fill those spots. Apollo will be a great program. I know that there will be some new additions from other athletes who play other sports, too.
TimeWillTell Posted March 2 Posted March 2 44 minutes ago, jester270 said: Apollo has 4 starters returning on the Oline: Lawrence, Ali Zunun, Gabe Burton, Tyler Graddy Skill: Eli Williams, Ross Milburn, Gabe Jones (rising sophomore), Johnson The main area of replacements will be the secondary, but their roster is loaded with guys who can fill those spots. Apollo will be a great program. I know that there will be some new additions from other athletes who play other sports, too. Who are the new additions? I know Burns Middle School has been very successful these last two years. I would like to know who will be the QB after Max Johnson leaves. Who will be their backup quarterback this year. Coach Edges son was a great backup. He came in a couple games this year I believe Barren and Graves when Max got hurt and won those games for them.
jester270 Posted March 2 Author Posted March 2 26 minutes ago, TimeWillTell said: Who are the new additions? I know Burns Middle School has been very successful these last two years. I would like to know who will be the QB after Max Johnson leaves. Who will be their backup quarterback this year. Coach Edges son was a great backup. He came in a couple games this year I believe Barren and Graves when Max got hurt and won those games for them. I have heard that Ty Lillpop, Gunner Hendrix, and Brayden Burger are looking to come out. All great athletes who could be able to have an immediate impact. I think Apollo is now finally starting to promote multisport athletes throughout different programs. I heard in the past that certain coaches would tell their players to not play other sports, which to me, is a very bad look for a school as a whole. As far as backup QBs go, I know rising junior Brody Jones did some cleanup time at the QB spot for the Eagles in big wins. I do know that Jacques Williams III (rising freshman) will be looking to enter the QB room. Any football fan in the area should remember his dad, who was a tremendous Apollo Eagle football player in the early 2000s. The future is bright for the Eagles! 1
OL1187 Posted March 3 Posted March 3 15 hours ago, jester270 said: I have heard that Ty Lillpop, Gunner Hendrix, and Brayden Burger are looking to come out. All great athletes who could be able to have an immediate impact. I think Apollo is now finally starting to promote multisport athletes throughout different programs. I heard in the past that certain coaches would tell their players to not play other sports, which to me, is a very bad look for a school as a whole. As far as backup QBs go, I know rising junior Brody Jones did some cleanup time at the QB spot for the Eagles in big wins. I do know that Jacques Williams III (rising freshman) will be looking to enter the QB room. Any football fan in the area should remember his dad, who was a tremendous Apollo Eagle football player in the early 2000s. The future is bright for the Eagles! Max should have a great Sr season but with the talent lost from last season and with what they have returning, what is the realistic expectation for next years Apollo team? Even if Lillpop and co come out do you think they help that much in making a jump to being competitive with O'Cath let alone OHS. After losing at home last season vs DC (no offense to DC) I would still expect them to come in last place in the city-county race. Even in the QB discussion in Owensboro right now between Max, Gway, and Carothers, Max may have the most to prove after last season compared to the other 2 imo.
TimeWillTell Posted March 3 Posted March 3 42 minutes ago, OL1187 said: Max should have a great Sr season but with the talent lost from last season and with what they have returning, what is the realistic expectation for next years Apollo team? Even if Lillpop and co come out do you think they help that much in making a jump to being competitive with O'Cath let alone OHS. After losing at home last season vs DC (no offense to DC) I would still expect them to come in last place in the city-county race. Even in the QB discussion in Owensboro right now between Max, Gway, and Carothers, Max may have the most to prove after last season compared to the other 2 imo. I expect them to win 7-8 ceiling and 4-5 floor. I think that's a pretty fair assessment.
OL1187 Posted March 3 Posted March 3 1 hour ago, TimeWillTell said: I expect them to win 7-8 ceiling and 4-5 floor. I think that's a pretty fair assessment. Assuming they schedule is the same this year Heritage Hills and Murray could be potentially be wins for the Eagles. That would be huge. Who would you say their 2-3 losses come against? OHS, O'Cath, ???
zoneblitz24 Posted March 3 Posted March 3 1 hour ago, OL1187 said: Assuming they schedule is the same this year Heritage Hills and Murray could be potentially be wins for the Eagles. That would be huge. Who would you say their 2-3 losses come against? OHS, O'Cath, ??? 3 hours ago, TimeWillTell said: I expect them to win 7-8 ceiling and 4-5 floor. I think that's a pretty fair assessment. They also have to go on the road to Graves right before Fall Break who they were in a tight ball game with last year that Graves could have easily won. Graves is also returning their entire starting roster except 2 key starters on defense and should be getting a few starters back that were out last season with season ending injuries. That's a long road trip and a grass surface which Apollo doesn't practice or play on grass very often.
jester270 Posted March 3 Author Posted March 3 6 hours ago, OL1187 said: Max should have a great Sr season but with the talent lost from last season and with what they have returning, what is the realistic expectation for next years Apollo team? Even if Lillpop and co come out do you think they help that much in making a jump to being competitive with O'Cath let alone OHS. After losing at home last season vs DC (no offense to DC) I would still expect them to come in last place in the city-county race. Even in the QB discussion in Owensboro right now between Max, Gway, and Carothers, Max may have the most to prove after last season compared to the other 2 imo. Respectfully, this feels like a lot of offseason assumptions. Apollo lost talent, sure — but so does every program. The question isn’t what they lost, it’s what they’ve developed. Max is a 3-year starter with nearly 6,000 career yards and steady year-over-year growth. That’s not “most to prove,” that's just a testament of how he has been developed as Freshman to now. As for Lillpop and that group — depth and competition matter. Programs don’t make jumps because of one name, they make jumps because processes, offseason work, and leadership development. And based off my observation, the Eagles return mature talent as well as adding more depth in case of injuries which I believe this will help get them working towards that next step of being a very competitive football team. DC at home last year was a bad night — it happens. But writing them into last place in March is wild. If Max takes the expected senior leap and the supporting cast matures, Apollo is absolutely capable of being competitive in the city-county race. This is a recruiting thread... I am just happy to see Johnson gets recognized by big programs. He has developed tremendously, and that is what this post is trying to promote. The kid has worked his butt off and has really proven himself, IMO.
TimeWillTell Posted March 3 Posted March 3 2 hours ago, zoneblitz24 said: They also have to go on the road to Graves right before Fall Break who they were in a tight ball game with last year that Graves could have easily won. Graves is also returning their entire starting roster except 2 key starters on defense and should be getting a few starters back that were out last season with season ending injuries. That's a long road trip and a grass surface which Apollo doesn't practice or play on grass very often. I agree. I can see Apollo winning that game but by not much. Probably 21-14. this game can go 21-14 Graves. Both teams are playing for second let’s be honest.
OL1187 Posted March 3 Posted March 3 24 minutes ago, jester270 said: Respectfully, this feels like a lot of offseason assumptions. Apollo lost talent, sure — but so does every program. The question isn’t what they lost, it’s what they’ve developed. Max is a 3-year starter with nearly 6,000 career yards and steady year-over-year growth. That’s not “most to prove,” that's just a testament of how he has been developed as Freshman to now. As for Lillpop and that group — depth and competition matter. Programs don’t make jumps because of one name, they make jumps because processes, offseason work, and leadership development. And based off my observation, the Eagles return mature talent as well as adding more depth in case of injuries which I believe this will help get them working towards that next step of being a very competitive football team. DC at home last year was a bad night — it happens. But writing them into last place in March is wild. If Max takes the expected senior leap and the supporting cast matures, Apollo is absolutely capable of being competitive in the city-county race. This is a recruiting thread... I am just happy to see Johnson gets recognized by big programs. He has developed tremendously, and that is what this post is trying to promote. The kid has worked his butt off and has really proven himself, IMO. You're right this is a recruiting thread and it’s to highlight a kid who has put in real work and earned recognition from big programs. Johnson has developed tremendously, and that’s something worth acknowledging. We can debate team outlooks later on the 2026 Apollo Eagles thread lol. But here, I can give credit where it’s due. The young man has earned it.
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