Pioneers’ Jackson extends TD Club lead
West Greene鈥檚 Benjamin Jackson is putting in a strong bid to become only the second player to repeat as the 缅北禁地 Touchdown Club champion.
The Pioneers鈥� senior added five more touchdowns and 158 yards rushing in Week One in an 82-14 romp over Bentworth to put his total at 66 points, giving him a 26-point lead in the early going.
California鈥檚 Cochise Ryan put up three touchdowns and a two-point conversion run for the second week in a row to overtake Southmoreland鈥檚 Colt Harper for second place at 40 points overall after a 42-7 win at Monessen.
Ryan lauded the Trojans鈥� front line for his 20-point game.
鈥淚 give credit to the offensive line as they opened holes for me on the ground and gave me time to throw the ball,鈥� Ryan said.
Harper added two more touchdowns in the Scotties鈥� 56-12 win over Frazier but still fell into fourth place at 32 points.
Mount Pleasant鈥檚 Jake Johnson moved into third after a four-TD effort in the Vikings鈥� 48-34 win at Hopefull to give him 36 overall points.
Like Ryan, Mapletown freshman Landon Stevenson tallied three touchdowns and a two-point conversion in a 38-34 loss at Trinity Christian, pulling him into a tie for fourth place with Harper at 32 overall points.
Alone in sixth place is West Greene鈥檚 Kolin Walker who scored three TDs, including one on a fumble return, for 20 points, giving him 26 overall.
Tied for seventh are two players who squared off at Coaches Field on Friday night in Carmichaels鈥� 34-25 win over Beth-Center. The Bulldogs鈥� Devin Dingle notched a pair of touchdowns for the second week in a row to give him 24 points, while the Mikes鈥� Kevin Kelly ran in four TDs, including three in the second half to give the hosts the victory, in their opener.
Belle Vernon鈥檚 Larry Callaway was another of eight different players with three or more touchdowns in Week One as he had a trio of scores in the Leopards鈥� opener at Ambridge, a 57-0 victory. He added a two-point run for 20 points.
Southmoreland鈥檚 Riley Comforti had three TDs on two receptions and a 90-yard kickoff return to put him in a tie for 10th place at 18 points.
Five other players are also at 18 points, each with three touchdowns, including Bentworth鈥檚 Owen Petrisek, who scored both of the Bearcats鈥� TDs against West Greene, one of those on a 70-yard kickoff return.
The other four at 18 points are Brownsville鈥檚 Danny Grant, California鈥檚 Lucas Qualk and Mapletown鈥檚 Zach Greene, who scored one TD apiece on Friday, and Connellsville鈥檚 Ky鈥檙on Craggette.
The only player to repeat as the TD Club champion is Beth-Center鈥檚 Anthony Welsh, who did it twice, winning the crown three straight years from 2013 to 2015.