Honestly, if you were hanging out around Gretna, Nebraska, between 2019 and 2022, you probably heard the name Zane Flores before you ever saw him play. It was basically a local legend in the making. While most people outside the Midwest are just now catching onto his talent as he moves through the college ranks, his time at Gretna High School remains one of the most statistically absurd stretches of football the state has ever seen.
He wasn't just a "good" high school quarterback. He was the kind of player who made opposing defensive coordinators want to quit their day jobs.
The Numbers That Broke the Record Books
Let's talk about the sheer volume of production. Zane Flores didn't just play; he dominated the air. By the time he walked across that graduation stage in December 2022, he had rewritten the Nebraska Class A history books. We are talking about 9,163 career passing yards. That is almost six miles of turf covered by a single guy’s arm.
He threw 82 touchdowns. Read that again. 82.
Most high school kids are happy to get 15 in a season. Zane was out there playing a different game. His senior year alone was a masterclass in efficiency, where he completed over 65% of his passes for 3,117 yards and 31 touchdowns.
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But it wasn't just about the arm.
Zane had this sneaky mobility that people forgot about until he was standing in the end zone. He racked up 29 rushing touchdowns over his career. He was basically a human cheat code in a green and white jersey.
Why Everyone Wanted Him (And Why He Said No to Nebraska)
You have to understand the pressure of being an elite recruit in Nebraska. It’s a one-team state. Everyone expects the local hero to head to Lincoln and put on the red and white.
Nebraska pursued him hard. They were literally trying to flip him while he was packing his bags for Oklahoma State. But Zane stuck to his guns. He committed to the Cowboys and Coach Mike Gundy in April of his junior year and never looked back.
He was a high three-star recruit, ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the entire state. People saw his 6'3", 200-pound frame and his 4.74 forty-yard dash and saw a Power 4 starter. He wasn't just a "system" guy. He was an Elite 11 finalist—meaning he was officially one of the top 11 high school quarterbacks in the entire country.
What Made Him Different at Gretna High School
It wasn't just the stats. It was the "it" factor.
In 2021, he led the Gretna Dragons to a Class A state title. Then, in 2022, he took them right back to the championship game. Even though they lost a heartbreaker to Omaha Westside (43-41), Zane went down swinging. He threw for 414 yards in that final game.
Think about that. The biggest game of his life, and he puts up over 400 yards.
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He was also a nerd—in the best way. The guy carried a 3.97 GPA. He wasn't just a "jock" who coasted; he was an early enrollee who graduated high school in December just so he could get a head start on spring ball in Stillwater.
The Real Legacy He Left Behind
If you ask the people in Gretna about Zane, they don't just talk about the 9,000 yards. They talk about the kid who volunteered as a referee for fourth-grade flag football every Sunday during his own season. They talk about the guy who organized track camps for little kids.
He was the 2022-2023 Gatorade Nebraska Football Player of the Year for a reason.
It's easy to look at his college journey now—the medical redshirt, the injuries at Oklahoma State, and his recent 2026 transfer to Iowa State—and forget how high the ceiling was when he left Gretna. But the tape doesn't lie. His high school career was the blueprint for what a modern, mobile, high-IQ quarterback should look like.
Actionable Insights for Scouting and Player Development
If you're tracking players like Zane Flores, keep these specific markers in mind:
- Production over Projection: Don't just look at height; look at career completions. Zane’s 724 career completions showed he could handle volume.
- Multi-Sport Background: Zane wasn't just football; he was a track athlete (long jump and triple jump). This explosive lower-body strength is why he was so good at escaping the pocket.
- Academic Discipline: A 3.97 GPA usually translates to a player who can learn a complex college playbook faster than their peers.
- Performance Under Pressure: Look for the state championship stats. Players who peak in the playoffs, like Zane’s 414-yard performance, are the ones who translate to the next level.
The "Gretna Legend" might be in Ames now, but the records he left behind in Nebraska probably won't be touched for a very long time.