Aug 27, 2025 By Rob Burchianti 3 min read

Deakyn DeHoet seemed to be the favorite for the 2025 Herald-Standard Touchdown Club contest heading into the 2025 high school football season.

The Jefferson-Morgan senior had rung up 132 points a year ago in finishing second to California’s Lee Qualk which was 44 more than the next highest returning player, that being Derek Diamond of Frazier (88 points).

DeHoet didn’t disappoint during Week Zero, scoring four touchdowns in the Rockets’ 42-7 victory over Chartiers-Houston to take the early lead in this year’s TD Club race. The versatile speedster found the end zone on runs of 2, 62 and 10 yards and pulled in a 71-yard TD pass from Triton Farabee.

Diamond is right near the top as well, powering his way to 20 points on touchdown runs of 9, 6 and 8 yards while also rushing for a 2-point conversion in the Commodores’ 43-40 win over Summit Academy. Diamond led all players a year ago with 14 2-point conversions, more than twice as many as the next player. His final TD in the fourth quarter turned out to be the game-winning score on Friday.

Waynesburg Central’s Teagan Crouse, Albert Gallatin’s Tee Guesman and Connellsville’s Linkon Keller are tied for third place after each scored three touchdowns for 18 points, all in winning efforts.

Crouse ran for TDs on his team’s first three possessions, going 13, 27 and 9 yards, and also threw a pair of touchdown passes in the Raiders’ 50-6 win over West Greene. Albert Gallatin’s Tee Guesman ran 48, 3 and 15 yards for TDs in a 48-33 win at Greensburg Salem.

Connellsville’s Linkon Keller was instrumental in his team’s second-half uprising at Latrobe, scoring in a variety of ways in a 28-13 win. Keller’s 55-yard interception return in the third quarter put the Falcons in front to stay and he added an 18-yard run and a 72-yard punt return in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

California’s Malachi Peak and AG’s Adam Pegg each ran for two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion for 14 points in victories. Both of Peak’s TDs came on 1-yard plunges in the Trojans’ 44-14 win at Serra Catholic while Adam’s touchdowns were from 5 and 10 yards out.

There are seven players tied for eighth place after each scored two touchdowns for 12 points. They are Beth-Cener’s Enzo Brown, Frazier’s Chase Fulmer, Laurel Highlands’ Gio Guerriere, Southmoreland’s Gabe Kubasky, Mount Pleasant’s Stephen Predajna, Waynesburg’s Ross Tennant and J-M’s John Woodward.

Both of Kubasky’s scores came on passes from Dawson Wolfe, Tennant had a rushing TD and a receiving TD and one of Fulmer’s touchdowns came on an 85-yard kickoff return. The rest of the group’s scores all came on the ground.

There were seven returns for touchdowns in Week Zero, including four on kickoffs with LH’s Nick Crouch (88 yards), California’s Alan Dennis (86) and Beth-Center’s Cyncere Cruse joining Fulmer. Beside’s Keller’s pick six and punt return there was one fumble returned to the house with the Colonials’ Tremayne Spillman going 48 yards into the end zone.

There were no field goals in Week Zero but Waynesburg’s Nate Ricciuti converted all six of his extra-point attempts.