The 2015 prep football season saw most of the eye-opening statistics posted by quarterbacks come from the ranks of Class AA.
When it came time for the West Virginia Sports Writers Association to decide who was going to be the second recipient of the J.R. House Award as the state's top signal-caller, however, the stat that seemed most important was "Wins."
Capital senior Tyrhee Pratt, who helped lead the Cougars to the 2014 Class AAA state championship then took the team's offense largely on his own shoulders in the 2015 playoffs to return to the Super Six, was given the nod.
"People keep telling me what a good job I'm doing and now my kids keep winning things and proving that it's them doing it," Capital coach Jon Carpenter said, referring to 2014 Kennedy Award winner Kashuan Haley along with Pratt's win of the House Award.
Capital had gone 24 years without a Kennedy Award winner before Haley won it and the Curt Warner Award as the state's top running back last year. Pratt is, therefore, the second skill-position player to win an individual statewide award in school history.
His timing was right for winning honors, that's for sure.
Pratt finished the season with 2,187 yards and 19 touchdowns on 137 of 235 passing with eight interceptions. He ran 158 times for 919 yards and 16 touchdowns.
It wasn't that his numbers were overwhelming, but rather when he put on overwhelming performances that told the best story of Pratt's season.
Facing a 24-14 second-half deficit against Martinsburg in the Class AAA quarterfinals, Pratt responded impressively when Capital lost its season-leading rusher, Silas Nazario, to an ankle injury. Pratt carried 26 times in the game for 195 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 182 yards and a score as Capital roared back to win 35-30.
A week later in the semifinals against top-seeded and unbeaten Cabell Midland, Pratt nearly repeated the performance. He ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, threw for 183 yards and two scores and Capital avenged a regular-season defeat with a convincing 35-13 win.
"There's games he could have thrown 500 yards in, but we're not like that," Carpenter said. "That's not the way he operates, either. He'd rather do what we need to get a win."
Pratt did plenty of that in his career. He set the Mountain State Athletic Conference mark for career wins by a starting quarterback with 41. He bested the old record of 39, set by Parkersburg's Marc Kimes in 2001. He finished four wins shy of the state record of 45, set by Magnolia's Justin Fox in 2010.
Pratt has committed to play football at West Virginia. He was chosen as the winner of the House Award over Fairmont Senior's Dominic Smith, Wheeling Park's Cross Wilkinson, East Hardy's Corey McDonald, 2014 winner Kentre Grier of South Charleston and Hunter Wright of Liberty (Raleigh).