Fayetteville 2017 QB Taylor Powell Racks Up the Postseason Honors in Arkansas

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Awards are nothing new for Fayetteville High School quarterback Taylor Powell but the talented Class of 2017 rising star better get used to receiving them.

At the end his sophomore season, Powell had completed 172 of 271 passes for 2,513 yards with 20 touchdowns against eight picks earning Arkansas Sophomore of the Year honors and Northwest Arkansas New Comer of the Year. The Bulldogs finished the season with an 11-3 mark making a run to the state championship game.

Now the 6’2”, 195 pound, all-around quarterback has bested himself taking Fayetteville back to the promise land winning a state championship topping 7A West rival Har-Ber (Springdale) 28-7 for the hardware. Along the way, Powell earned some immediate stripes in the Bulldogs ranks getting over an even bigger rival, Bentonville, in the semifinal round. Powell and company slugged it out with the two-time state champs winning 31-21.

When the clocks had rolled triple-zero on the 2015 Arkansas high school football season, Powell emerged as one of the best not only in the state, but also in the 2017 recruiting class passing for 3,594 yards with 49 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He completed 71 percent of his passes and showed the headiness to know when to tuck the ball and run adding 115 yards on 60 carries with six more touchdowns and two 2-point conversions successfully completed.

The postseason honors are starting to come in again, and again Powell is being rewarded for his play on the field. For a second consecutive season he has been named All-Conference and All-State winning 7A West Conference Top Quarterback of the Year, voted on by coaches. He was also named Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Offensive Player of the Year and is up for the state’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy Award, the Landers Award.

Powell is up against some tough competition for the Landers Award but certainly worthy of taking home yet another honor.

Landers Award Nominees 2015:

T.J. Hammonds – Pulaski Robinson

Koilan Jackson – Parkview

Alex Day – North Little Rock

Brockton Brown – Sheridan

David Beasley – Pine Bluff

Fuller Chandler – Har-Ber (Springdale)

Cason Maertens – Benton

Ladarius Skelton – Pine Bluff

Zach Kelley – Pulaski Academy

Cecil Langston – Rivercrest

Taylor Powell – Fayetteville

Powell has released his end of the season highlight reel, which includes the playoffs, for the general public to see. The highlights are full of long bombs, the ball coming out at different arm angles, pocket movement, touch, finesse, anticipation, and pinpoint accuracy.

Click the link to watch Taylor Powell’s 2015 season highlight reel via Hudl.

Photo credit: Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; No. 7 Taylor Powell.