Maize’s star QB is dominating. So why is he training at receiver on weekends?
On the weekends, Brayden Myovela looks every bit like the wide receiver prospect Division I football coaches believe he can be.
He polishes his releases, sharpens his routes and works with local trainer Rashad Daniels on the details that could make him a future college playmaker on the outside.
But on Friday nights, the Maize senior trades in his receiver’s stance for something much different: the role of quarterback and leader of the No. 1-ranked Class 6A team in Kansas.
It’s a balancing act that defines Myovela’s final high school season. To recruiters, he’s still a 6-foot-3 receiver with tantalizing athleticism. To Maize, he’s the quarterback who turned the program back into a championship contender and has the Eagles soaring toward another potential deep run in the playoffs.
“I really just love the grind,” Myovela said. “It does get hard sometimes, but I know it’s all going to be worth it when I get to the next level.”
The turning point
One year ago, Myovela was not a quarterback on Maize’s roster.
He was still playing wide receiver when the Eagles’ offense sputtered to an 0-4 start against a difficult schedule. That’s when head coach Gary Guzman made the move that changed everything: sliding Myovela to signal-caller.
The results were immediate: Maize averaged 53 points in five straight wins, as Myovela helped the team return to the state quarterfinals. With his athleticism, poise and knack for making something out of nothing, Myovela quickly transformed Maize’s offense with the ball in his hands.
“I like being in control of a game, knowing what you’re about to do and having the ball in your hands,” Myovela said. “And then just being a leader and using your voice on the field.”
Since that switch, Maize is 9-1 with Myovela as the starter, averaging 44.5 points per game. In those wins, he’s piled up 1,407 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions, plus 854 rushing yards and 11 more scores.
“When he stepped into that position, the team immediately responded to him and immediately followed him,” Guzman said. “He has the ability to lead. He’s not always going to be the most vocal, but he can be vocal when he needs to be.”
A quarterback who still sees himself as a receiver
The irony is that Myovela still believes his greatest potential at the next level isn’t at quarterback, but at wide receiver — the position he’s played since middle school and the one where Boston College and Tulsa, among others, envision him.
Myovela’s athleticism isn’t only seen on the football field. He’s also a standout basketball player who earned All-Metro honors last season after helping lead the Maize boys basketball team to a third-place finish at the Class 6A state tournament.
“Most of the colleges are recruiting me as a receiver, but some have labeled me as an athlete,” Myovela said. “They want to see what I can do when I get there and see where I’m best at. My recruitment is honestly open to anything, but I do see myself playing receiver at the next level.”
That means his weekends look different than the typical high school quarterback. While they might look to refine their throwing motions or arm angles, Myovela is instead grinding through extra sessions with Daniels in pursuit of becoming a better receiver.
The perfect fit for Maize
For Guzman, a 35-year coaching veteran who recently won his 200th career game, Myovela is the type of dual-threat quarterback that unlocks so much in Maize’s spread offense.
“Brayden has great vision and he’s very poised back there and doesn’t get rattled,” Guzman said. “He can make things happen. If he gets in trouble, he’s got the ability to get out of there and go make plays with his legs. But he also throws the ball really well and is very accurate with nice velocity on the ball.”
The proof is in the numbers. Through a 4-0 start this fall, Myovela is completing 69% of his passes for 579 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. He’s added 381 rushing yards and seven more scores, including a career-best game (284 combined yards, five total touchdowns) in Maize’s recent 42-21 win over Derby that vaulted the Eagles to the top contender in 6A.
“When you have a guy who can run and pass like Brayden, that’s perfect for what we do with our offense,” Guzman said. “We’re a spread team and we like to run (run-pass options) and there’s so much we can do with a guy like that with his abilities.”
But Maize’s dominance this season isn’t solely about its quarterback.
The offensive line, anchored by junior left tackle Nolan Hadley and four seniors (Jayden Ronk, Trevion Cook, Conrad Litton and Caydon Herrick) has been stout. Running backs Shannon Jones and DeMarye Smith form a reliable duo, while Pearce George has emerged as a top receiving threat and the trio of Ryder Zimmerman, Will Stanley and Maddox Manzano give Myovela plenty of options.
Maize’s defense, with the majority of its starters back, has also provided more than enough support. The secondary is led by veterans in Scotty Hadley, Vincent Rosas and Brodie Jarvis, while Drake Blasi is the team’s leading tackler and is joined at linebacker by Hunter Jennings, Connor Goerzen and Beckett Schuette with Rendor Hada, Josiah Cole, Isaac Lerma and Peyton Norwood providing the rush up front.
“This is an unselfish group who has great chemistry and the kids just know what they’re supposed to do,” Guzman said. “They trust each other and they trust the coaches. So it’s just been a lot of fun. This is probably what keeps coaches coming back.”
The bigger picture
For Myovela, the choice to stay at quarterback for his team — even if it means fewer reps at receiver — is simple.
It’s about winning.
“I know the work that we put in during the summer as a team and that just builds confidence,” Myovela said. “I can’t think of one guy who wasn’t at summer workouts. We’ve all been on the grind this summer, so we knew we were ready.”
Ready, indeed. Maize is unbeaten and led by a quarterback who doesn’t quite see himself as a quarterback — but who plays the position better than almost anyone in Kansas right now entering Friday’s road game at Campus.
On Saturdays, Myovela might look like a receiver in training. But on Fridays, he’s the quarterback who defenses across the state still can’t figure out how to stop.
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