Iowa High School Quarterback Tries to Win College Playoff Tonight

On November 8, 2018, Max Duggan's Iowa high school football career came to an end with a quarterfinal playoff loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Tonight, he'll be in another dome-like stadium with a national title at stake.

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That loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier brought the end to an amazing high school senior season for Max Duggan. He completed more than 66 percent of his passes and threw for over 2,100 yards. Duggan passed for 24 touchdowns and had only 3 passes intercepted. He was also the leading rusher for Council Bluffs Lewis Central with 1,223 yards on the ground and 25 touchdowns.

The statistics from Duggan's first three years at Council Bluffs Lewis Central were also remarkable. Just check these out:

• Junior season: 8 touchdown passes, 1 interception; 9 rushing touchdowns
• Sophomore season: 15 touchdowns, 5 interceptions; 14 rushing touchdowns
• Freshman season: 12 touchdown passes; 1 Interception; 4 rushing touchdowns

Duggan's combined high school stats: 59 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions; 52 rushing touchdowns. The video below is from when Duggan was still in high school. It shows he's a great athlete, not just a great football player.

Last week, ESPN's College Gameday did a great feature on Duggan, including his time growing up in Council Bluffs.

Duggan has started 42 of the 44 games he's been on campus for at TCU (Texas Christian). It hasn't been easy. In his junior season, he battled through injuries and was only able to play in 10 games.

What happened to Duggan before the start of the 2020 season shows what he's made of. While being tested for COVID-19, doctors discovered Duggan had a condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The condition, that he was born with, would require a 9-hour operation. Two days after the surgery, Duggan had emergency surgery for a blood clot.

Four weeks after those surgeries, Duggan returned to the field for the second game of the 2020 season. The game was against Iowa State. Duggan came in in relief at halftime and threw for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns... yes, just in the second half. Iowa State won the game 37-34, but Max Duggan was back.

If the Horned Frogs can't upset top-ranked and defending national champion Georgia tonight, it won't be because Max Duggan didn't leave it all on the field. Tonight's College Football National Championship Game is on ESPN. Coverage from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California begins at 6:30 p.m.