Maddox Stewart has been a standout performer throughout his football career at Estero High School, but the Wildcats’ senior officially cemented his name in Lee County's history books on Monday night.
Stewart broke two records in Estero’s 63-8 victory over East Lee County, setting new marks for most single-season passing touchdowns and for most career passing touchdowns. He finished the night with four passing touchdowns and 107 yards on six of eight attempts, putting him at 34 passing touchdowns on the season and 90 passing touchdowns in his career.
“We have this little ‘Hall of Records’ (at Estero) and I just always wanted to be on there,” Stewart said. “Not only have I gotten there at Estero, but (now) I’m starting to get the county ones and it’s huge record, it’s something I’ve set my eyes on for a long time, it means a lot to me.
“The work just never stops, in-season (or) out-of-season, you got to be 24/7. It’s like waking every day, you got to get your work in. A lot of time was spent into it, but it’s been a long process and a lot of people helped me out a long the way”
Stewart moves past Cypress Lake’s Joey Dube-Garrett’s mark of 31 passing touchdowns and Carter Smith’s career record of 87 passing touchdowns for Bishop Verot.
Estero football coach Darren Nelson praised Stewart for his commitment to the Wildcats’ program.
“I guarantee (Stewart has) had many, many offers to go somewhere else prettier and fancier, but he’s as loyal as they come,” Nelson said. “He loves Estero, he’s a Wildcat, ride-and-die type of a guy.
“In terms of his impact, it’s immeasurable. Obviously, the records and the statistics are astronomical, but he’s helped elevate our program, he’s helped take it to a heightened level.”
Stewart needed just two passing touchdowns to break both records entering Monday’s game. He tied the records a minute into the opening quarter, scoring on the third play of the game by finding junior tight end Aiden Soerens for an 11-yard touchdown reception.
The Wildcats got the ball back soon after thanks to a swift interception by the defense, setting up the hosts in the visitors’ half. A bad snap forced Stewart to take a sack on the first play of the following drive before narrowly missing his target on second down.
But the Jaguars couldn’t keep the Wildcats out of the end zone any longer as Stewart found junior wide receiver Hudson King over the middle for a 30-yard touchdown.
“(Stewart) never shied away from (his goals), he wanted to hold all the records in the record book,” Nelson said. “He wanted to break the Lee County record, he set some pretty high expectations and that’s just the kind of kid who he is, (an) extreme competitor.”
Stewart earned the starting role his sophomore year and hit the ground running, connecting on 26 passing touchdowns and averaging 218.6 yards per game. His numbers have improved from there, posting 30 passing touchdowns as a junior and averaging 249.2 yards per game. With one game left in the regular season, Stewart is averaging 291.1 passing yards per game and has 34 passing touchdowns.
The Wildcats did not let up against the Jaguars, scoring six touchdowns in the opening quarter, including Stewart 8-yard touchdown passes to Andrew Parkinson and Cam Campanella.
Stewart may not be done with the record breaking as his 2,620 passing yards on the season have him 484 shy of Smith's county single-season passing mark of 3,104 yards. The Wildcats (6-3) will travel to rival Bonita Springs for their final regular-season game on Friday, Oct. 30.
“It’s a bit of a confidence booster, (these records) just remind you what you’re going for,” Stewart said. “But at the end of the day, the goals aren’t going to win us games, the records not going to win us games, so I just got to stay humble and keep pushing on, keep leading the team and scoring more touchdowns.”
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Estero's Maddox Stewart sets Lee County records for passing touchdowns