Waynesburg’s Crouse seizes early Touchdown Club lead
Teagan Crouse is the early player to beat in the 缅北禁地 Touchdown Club race for the 2026 high school football season.
Crouse ignited a six-touchdown explosion for Waynesburg Central in a 43-0 victory over West Greene in Week One by accounting for five of those scores, including runs of 6, 48 and 9 yards to give him 18 points and the top spot in the standings heading into Week Two.
Crouse also threw a pair of TD passes to Jack Ricciuti of 48 and 9 yards. Ricciuti’s 12 points put him in a seven-way tie for fourth place.
Connellsville’s Linkon Keller and Beth-Center’s DeSeaon Whipkey both put up two touchdowns and a two-point conversion in their teams’ wins and that duo is tied for second with 14 points.
Keller’s TDs came on two huge passes from Jeffrey Nicholson of 84 and 80 yards with the latter being the deciding score in the Falcons’ 21-15 win over Southmoreland in the inaugural “Battle of 119.”
Whipkey was the lone player in Week One to score a touchdown on a catch (46-yard pass from Chase Bebout) and a run (35-yard run).
Enzo Brown of Beth-Center had the first pick-six of the season, returning an interception 40 yards in the Bulldogs’ 34-6 win over Brentwood, and also caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in scoring 12 points.
Laurel Highlands’ Jonah Coleman had the first fumble recovery for a TD, gathering up a loose ball in the end zone in the Mustangs’ 24-17 overtime loss to Mount Pleasant. Coleman added a 5-yard touchdown catch to also score 12 points.
Also among those tied for fourth place with 12 points are California’s Chase Shemansky (receptions of 16 and 10 yards), California’s Brandon Meier (runs of 50 and 2 yards), Carmichaels’ KC Shook (runs of 80 and 10 yards) and Uniontown’s Mike Thomas (runs of 7 and 47 yards).
Uniontown’s Gavin Radford had the first punt return for a score, going 30 yards in the Red Raiders’ 47-0 win over Brownsville.
There were three field goals in Week One, the longest being a 36-yarder by Waynesburg’s Nate Ricciuti. Mount Pleasant’s Tyke Snyder (31 yards) and LH’s Jackson Nairn (25 yards) also nailed field goals.
(See complete Touchdown Club standings at heraldstandard.com)