Butka one of several Bulldogs among Touchdown Club leaders
Beth-Center placed three football players among the top six scorers in the first week of the high school football season. Ryan Butka scored two touchdowns and also ran in a two-point conversion, in the Bulldogs’ 55-13 win over Carmichaels, to give him 14 points and the early lead in the Herald-Standard Touchdown Club scoring race.
Butka’s total is two points better than Frazier’s Joe Kulikoski, Waynesburg Central’s Troy Cree and his B-C teammate Chris Stay. Those three players are tied for second with 12 points, each scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Steve Hvizda, another Beth-Center player, scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion for eight points. Geibel Catholic’s Mick Betler also scored a touchdown and two-pointer to tie Hvizda for fifth place.
Fifteen players scored a touchdown to create a logjam in seventh place.
Five area teams were shut out in their first games, including California and Donte Valentino, who finished second to Geisel last season with 108 points.
All area players are battling to unseat defending champion Ryan Geisel of Mapletown. Geisel, a freshman at Waynesburg College, won the first Herald-Standard Touchdown Club award by scoring 156 points for the Maples last season.
The award will honor the football player from within the Herald-Standard circulation area who scores the most points during the season.
The Touchdown Club plaque hangs in the trophy case at Mapletown High School and will remain with the Maples until it is presented to this year’s winner.
The winner also will receive a plaque to keep, as did Geisel.