Dec 10, 2024 By Rob Burchianti 3 min read

The contest was no contest.

California’s Lee Qualk is the 2024 Herald-Standard Touchdown Club champion and claimed the title in resounding fashion.

Qualk, who ran for 2,145 yards and was the WPIAL regular season rushing leader, rang up 232 points to finish 100 points ahead of second-place Deakyn Dehoet of Jefferson-Morgan who had 132.

Qualk helped lead the Trojans to a second-place finish in the Class A Tri-County South and to a first-round playoff victory. California was the only local team to advance to the district quarterfinals.

The senior’s points came on 36 touchdowns and eight two-point conversions.

Qualk is the fourth California player to place first in the H-S Touchdown Club, following Dakota Conway (2010), Jelani Stafford (2017) and Jaeden Zuzak (2020). He’s also the sixth player coached by Ed Woods to claim the scoring title. Woods was the coach at Beth-Center when Joshua Lockett won the TD Club in 2008 and Anthony Welsh claimed the crown for three years in a row from 2013 to 2015. Woods also was the Trojans coach when Zuzak won.

Four players scored over 100 points this season. Following Quak and Dehoet were Jarett Garn of Mount Pleasant and Jake Stephenson of Waynesburg Central who both tied for third with 120 points.

Garn was one of the most versatile scorers in the area with 13 touchdowns, three field goals and 27 extra points for the Vikings.

Dehoet’s teammate Houston Guesman was fifth with 92 points.

Stephenson and Guesman both were 1,000-1,000 players with over 1,000 yard passing and rushing.

Rounding out the top 10 were Frazier’s Derek Diamond (88) in sixth, Belle Vernon’s Kole Doppelheuer (86) in seventh, Albert Gallatin’s Adam Pegg (68) in eighth and J-M’s John Gilbert and Southmoreland’s Elliot Premus (66) tied for ninth.

The top five in touchdowns were Qualk, Dehoet (21), Stephenson (20), Doppelheuer (14) and Guesman (14).

Diamond easily topped the field in two-point conversions with 14, finishing ahead of Qualk. Gilbert and California’s Vinny Manzella had six apiece and Beth-Center’s Santino Revi was fifth with five.

The field goal leader with five was Garn who converted kicks from 45, 39, 37, 35 and 23 yards. Southmoreland’s Jake Kaylor was second with four, including a 50-yarder, and Laurel Highlands’ Tanner Bruzda was third with three. Belle Vernon’s Preston Rathway, Connellsville’s Derek Routzahn and California’s Christian Ross each made two field goals.

Ross was the only player in the contest with a touchdown (2), field goal (2), extra point (6) and two-point conversion (1). Both his TDs came on fumble returns (16 and 20 yards), the only local player to do so.

Kaylor was tops in extra points with 32 and was followed by Waynesburg Central’s Dalton Taylor (32), Jefferson-Morgan’s Logan Veck (29), Garn (27), Rathway (26), Albert Gallatin’s Sam Evans (25) and Uniontown’s David Ranitu (22).

Dehoet was the leader in kickoff returns for scores with three, going 99 yards twice and 85 once. He also had the longest punt return for a score at 74 yards.

Mount Pleasant’s Garrett Eiicher had two kickoff returns for scores.

Southmoreland’s Make Darnell was the only local player to run a pair of punts back for touchdowns, going 56 and 52 yards.

Uniontown’s Notorious Grooms was the lone player to record a pair of pick-sixes. Grooms had interception returns of 48 and 70 yards for scores. California’s Adin Keyes had the longest interception return with a 94-yarder.

Laurel Highlands’ Mason Smith had the longest fumble return for a score, going 39 yards.