614 yards for the QB. 307 for the receiver. Two records broken in one game.

JR Harris will be remembered for breaking the Georgia High School Association’s single-game passing record last Friday.

His 614 passing yards in Central of Carrollton’s 56-49 loss to East Paulding even surprised him, but not as much as a teammate’s school record-breaking performance in his varsity debut.

“I probably thought (I had) around 400 (passing yards) at the most, but I was really shocked,” Harris said. “I think I was even more shocked about Jordan having 307.”

Sophomore Jordan Kendrix, who didn’t play the first two games of the season because of eligibility regulations, caught seven passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns. That’s nearly 44 yards (and 0.43 touchdowns) per catch.

It’s also a single-game receiving record for Central, which has played football since 1960.

Harris’ favorite touchdown on Friday — of his six total — came on an 85-yard airstrike to Kendrix, who sped past two defenders and caught a pass that flew 50 yards in the air.

Kendrix said it felt like a redemptive moment after being ruled ineligible for transferring ahead of his first year of high school. The sophomore also said encouragement from his quarterback went a long way in preparing him for the breakout game.

“I remember when I (became eligible), I think it was on Saturday around (midnight), he texted me, and he was like, ‘Let’s work, man. I’m ready,’ and that really meant a lot,” Kendrix said.

Harris has been leading Central’s offense since he was a freshman, the program’s first season under coach Umbrah Brown. Harris entered high school football as a 5-foot-8 backup hoping to fight for playing time behind an incumbent three-year starter and rising senior.

Harris impressed Brown with his quick understanding of the offense, his competitive nature and his skill set. The undersized quarterback won the starting job as a freshman — but he had more winning to do.

Harris had to win his team over, as several upperclassmen didn’t appreciate Harris winning the job. But the same things that impressed Brown eventually moved Harris’ older teammates, too.

“The kid he beat out was a great kid, and it was nothing that that kid had done wrong,” Brown said. “Those seniors that year, there were a lot of things that we had to kind of work through, and JR had to come in and earn their trust.

“But once they saw that the kid was willing to lay his body on the line and do anything it took for the team to win … over time, he earned their trust because he was a winner.”

That year, Harris and the Lions rolled to a 5-0 start. Central’s seniors promptly added Harris to the team’s leadership council, previously only including juniors and seniors.

“I knew that he had earned their trust,” Brown said.

Harris has since led Central to three region titles. The Lions have gone 33-5 the last three years as Harris totaled 8,547 total yards and 107 total touchdowns. Those are the kind of stats that typically precede scholarship offers from major college football teams.

Not Harris, though — the West Georgia commitment stands at 5-foot-9, several inches shorter than the average college quarterback.

“If JR Harris was 6-foot, he’d be able to pick what school he wanted to go to,” Brown said. “But the fact that he’s 5-foot-9 on a good day is kind of why he only had a couple of small schools recruit him.”

Harris has garnered interest from top programs. Quarterback coaches from Cincinnati and Notre Dame have visited him, and Georgia hosted him for a workout.

“Once they met him, they were like, ‘Man, we love this kid, but that criteria cutoff for that position, he’s too small for us,’” Brown said.

That “too small” tag has fueled Harris for years. It’s key to his ability to dominate defenses like he did last Friday.

Harris understands that big college football teams want bigger quarterbacks, but he argues his production should speak for itself.

“I would just say, ‘Do you want to win, or do you want to lose?’ because tape does not lie,” Harris said. “I know stats is not the most important thing, but if you’re going to go off a kid based off his size and not his talent, then I respect it, but honestly, I disagree.