It's not that Northwest Whitfield's Ray Morrison wasn't affecting last Friday's football game against Heritage. It's just that, with a nickname like "Big Play Ray," the senior receiver wasn't affecting it the way he expected.
For 47 minutes and 33 seconds, Morrison was noticeably absent from the box score as the Generals focused extra coverage against the 6-foot-2, 180-pound speedster. The next 22 seconds proved the logic of Heritage's game plan as Morrison, with the Generals laying back ahead five points with 27 seconds remaining, took over.
After catching two short passes from quarterback Owen Brooker, Morrison went 5 yards deeper, snatched the pass at the sideline just as a defender dove for the ball, turned upfield and outraced the secondary to complete a 60-yard touchdown and a shocking rally by the Bruins.
It's the kind of play that has become commonplace for Morrison, who has 642 yards and six touchdowns in seven games this season. Four of the scores have covered more than 50 yards, but Big Play Ray is among several Chattanooga-area receivers who can turn a game in a flash in what has been an unusually deep year for talent at the position.
McCallie and East Hamilton lead the way with an embarrassment of riches at receiver that includes multiple players with college scholarship offers. In that group are McCallie's Kenzy Paul, who is committed to Vanderbilt, and teammate Xavier Gaillardetz, who has created a recruiting buzz since arriving just before the season began.
Gaillardetz, who is from Canada, had not played since his sophomore year due to COVID-19 canceling his team's season last fall. The 6-2, 205-pound senior has been a starter since the Blue Tornado's opener, though, and leads the area's Tennessee receivers with 37 catches - with those going for 809 yards - and is also tops with 11 touchdown receptions.
"He's got the best pair of hands I've seen in my coaching career," McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "When he came here, he looked the part, but we had no idea just how good he was. Besides the fact that he runs well and is very physical, what separates him is his knowledge and understanding of route concepts and how to get open.
"You combine that with his ability to catch any ball thrown in his area, and there's no question he's a Power Five (conference) wideout."
Similarly, East Hamilton has three receivers with college offers: Kaunyae Burgans, Jaxon Flemmons and Jeremiah Flemmons. Burgans, who has offers from Eastern Kentucky and the University of Tennessee at Martin, and Jeremiah Flemmons, who has committed to Austin Peay, has each averaged better than 16 yards per catch.
Cleveland's Destun Thomas is arguably the area's best big-play threat, having averaged 26.2 yards per catch, and is committed to Memphis. Six of his eight touchdowns have covered 30 or more yards, and despite missing three games with a shoulder injury - he is expected to return next week - Thomas still ranks among the area receiving leaders with nearly 900 yards.
Three teams traditionally more known for their ability to run the ball - Baylor, Meigs County and South Pittsburg - have put up impressive passing totals already this season because of elite talent at receiver.
Baylor's Cameron Sparks, a 6-4, 205-pound freshman, already has an offer from Tennessee, and the Red Raiders' Carson Yates has totaled 750 receiving yards while averaging 22.7 yards per catch. Meigs County's Cam Huckabey, an all-state defensive back, has become the top-ranked Tigers' best threat for a big gain on offense, averaging 18.7 yards per catch with eight touchdowns, while South Pittsburg's Reggie Hunter (6-5, 220) is a matchup nightmare for most defensive backs the Class 1A Pirates will face, having averaged 23 yards per catch with five scores through the team's first six games this year.
Like Morrison, Calhoun's Cole Speer is a touchdown waiting to happen. Despite a hand injury sustained in the first half of the Yellow Jackets' season opener that limited the University of Georgia-committed receiver in the first three games, Speer has 499 yards on just 19 catches (26.2 yards per catch), including seven touchdowns.
Speer, who was clocked at faster than 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash this past summer, has touchdown catches of 78, 53, 45, 43, 36 and 35 yards, and he has also scored on an 85-yard kickoff return and a 70-yard punt return for the perennial Georgia power. Some of the touchdown catches have come on screen plays, with others on go routes.
"Cole just has the ability to break the big one," Calhoun coach Clay Stephenson said. "Our guys know if they block for him, he can go the distance, and he's great at reading those blocks. He's also tough to tackle."
The same can be said for Dalton senior Karim Page (6-1, 170), who also has sub-4.5 speed. Page, who has several offers from college football programs, has 510 receiving yards and six touchdowns for the GHSA Class AAAAAA Catamounts, including 325 yards in the past three games. Page's specialty is using his leaping ability to win jump balls, highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown grab against South Paulding in which he went between two defenders to grab and score.
Perhaps the biggest surprise among the area's Georgia receivers is North Murray's Jadyn Rice, a polished route runner who has 762 yards on 42 catches, with nine going for touchdowns. Rice was used in the slot before No. 1 wideout Michael McDade was lost to a season-ending injury last month, but Rice has since become the team's top playmaker, accumulating 330 yards and five touchdowns in the past two weeks.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis. Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.