(Photo: Keith Niebuhr, 247Sports)
Cameron Turley set two Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.) school records and equaled another in last week’s victory against Peachtree Ridge.
His 347 passing yards set the single-game record; his four passing touchdowns equaled the single-game record; and his 37 career passing touchdowns broke the school record of 35.
It’s been that kind of year for Turley and Mill Creek.
The Hawks are 8-0 and ranked No. 12 in the Super 25 heading into Friday night’s matchup with Mountain View (Lawrenceville), which is 7-1. Mill Creek won last year’s meeting 42-0, but this Mountain View team is having a breakthrough season and heading toward its first playoff berth.
Turley, 6-3 and 190 pounds, is in his second year as the full-time starter at quarterback. He threw for 2,200 yards and 16 touchdown last season and led the team to 13-1 record. The lone loss was to Colquitt County (Moultrie) in the state semifinals — a loss that Mill Creek avenged 34-27 in the season opener this season.
When this season ends, football likely will end for Turley, who is a Georgia Tech baseball commit.
USA TODAY High School Sports caught up with Turley this week to talk about the season so far, his success and balancing baseball and football.
Q: How would you describe how the season has gone so far?
A: This season has gone very well so far for our team obviously, but we always strive to get better. I feel like we’re just scratching our potential as a complete team and it will be very exciting once we put together all the key aspects of our team.
Q: Why do you think you’ve had so much success?
A: I think I’ve done well this year because I’m just having fun. I don’t have the pressure of recruiting lingering anymore so I can focus on my team of all things.
Q: Going back to the season opener, Colquitt County had a long winning streak and was two-time state champion. What was the significance of beating them and getting off to such a big start?
A: It meant a lot to our team to get the big win in the dome against a team like Colquitt. We were really excited to come into that game knowing their past success and had a chip on our shoulder from last year when they beat us in the semifinals. Overall, it was a great win for a program and definitely a confidence booster for the new season.
Q: Peachtree Ridge was a big game for you in terms of setting those school records. What do those marks mean to you?
A: The records are pretty cool to have now that I’ve broken them, but the only thing I’m really concerned about is winning games. If I do my job and help my team win games, regardless however many yards I put up in the game, I’m happy with the outcome.
Q: Your intention is to play baseball in college so how do you balance the demands of baseball and football, especially in the offseason for each sport?
A: In the offseason, especially now with baseball around the corner, I’ll stay after practice and hit at the high school field about three times a week. It’s sort of tough to balance them because they both take up so much time and energy, but you get used to a routine once you set one. Practicing football during baseball season is hard because baseball has games throughout the week so it’s hard to make time for football. I usually just throw a football occasionally throughout the baseball season, nothing too big.