Century football duo ends season in record-breaking fashion
Century quarterback Ryan Throndset and wide receiver Brandon Soderstrom ended their high school careers Friday night by adding their names to a couple of record books.
In the 53-20 win over Francis Scott Key, Throndset tied a state record with seven touchdown passes while Soderstrom broke a Monocacy Valley Athletic League record for most receptions in a season with 59.
Century coach Jim Holzman said all season you could see the connection between the two, who worked hard in the offseason to improve their individual skills as well as their timing.
“They did a lot of work in 7-on-7s and football camps and Ryan went to the Quarterback Factory,” Holzman said. “They took it on themselves to be better players. Brandon did a lot of work on his speed and he got his 40 down to about a 4.5. He always had really good hands and he and Ryan, they were real good friends and that connection showed on the field this year.”
Soderstom said he and Throndset played against each other until they got to high school.
“Back in middle school, we were kind of enemies,” Soderstrom said with a laugh. “He played on South Carroll and I played on the Sykesville Raiders. In ninth grade and sophomore year with freshmen and JV football, we had a connection there. I was his No. 1 receiver and we built a lot of chemistry together and ever since then, we’ve always been on the same page. His arm, it was perfect for my speed and it’s always seemed to click.”
The two spent a lot of time last spring and summer perfecting their timing on the pass.
“That was a huge part of it," Soderstrom said. “We have our timing down and when he’s pressured, he knows where I’m going to go, he knows how I’m going to adjust my route and that was a big part of our plays this year. When he would roll out and be pressured, I would break off my route I was supposed to run and get open and he always somehow knew what I was going to do.”
This season, Throndset took over for All-Metro quarterback Josh Bordner, now at Boston College, but Holzman said he was ready.
“As the year progressed, Ryan did a real nice job of checking down and hitting the shorter routes and taking what the defense was giving him. He really came into his own. He’s had some big shoes to fill this year, as far as Josh is concerned, but I think he always had confidence in himself. He never doubted his abilities,” Holzman said.
Friday night, Throndset threw his seven touchdown passes in 2 1/2 quarters – and he hit seven different receivers. He tied the record for touchdown passes in a game set by Kennedy’s Melvin Harris in 2006 and tied by Arundel’s Billy Cosh last season.
Soderstrom, usually Throndset’s favorite target, caught one of those touchdowns – and eight other passes to bring his season total to 59, breaking the MVAL record of 58 set by Frederick’s Jalen Gee last season.
Holzman said Throndset was so focused Friday on helping Soderstrom break the MVAL record that he didn’t know how many touchdown passes he had thrown. The coach said both players were quick to share the credit for both records.
“It’s great to have the record, but it’s not all me,” Soderstrom said. “Ryan had to put the ball there for me to get it and the line had to give him time. They’re the whole team's records, not just mine, not just his. I can’t just be one person. Everyone contributed to it, but it’s great to have.”
For the season, Soderstrom caught 13 touchdown passes for 840 yards. Throndset finished with 25 touchdown passes and 2,010 yards passing as the Knights finished 6-4 and just missed the playoffs.
“You never want to not make the playoffs,” Soderstrom said, “but it was a good game to end on. Everyone got in. Everyone was happy. Everyone contributed. It would have been great to be in the playoffs, but if not, you can’t end on a much better note than we ended on.”
