Waynesburg rides trio of weapons to surprising 8-2 record
Waynesburg Central football coach Joe Kuhns thought maybe he was a bit cursed after he stepped in to take over the Raiders last season.
“I got hired at Beth-Center, they moved up from single-A to double-A and then when I get to Waynesburg they moved them from double-A to triple-A,” Kuhns said with a chuckle.
Not many expected the Raiders to excel in that higher classification in 2026.
All they’ve done is go 8-2 with two competitive losses to powerhouses Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward.
“It’s been a pretty fun ride so far,” Kuhns said. “We played right with both of those teams in both games, too.”
Waynesburg finished third behind the Leopards and Warriors in the Interstate Conference and drew the 10th seed in the WPIAL playoffs which put them on the road at seventh-seeded Aliquippa (6-3) on Friday night.
“Nobody else probably expected us to make any noise but we felt pretty confident with the kids we had coming back that we had a chance to have a pretty good season,” Kuhns said.
The Raiders feature an explosive offense led by the senior three-headed monster of quarterback Teagan Crouse, running back Ky-mani Sumpter and wide receiver Jack Riccuiti.
Crouse has thrown for 1,702 yards and 21 touchdowns with just four interceptions while also running for 855 yards. He’s the area’s third-leading scorer with 18 touchdowns for 108 points.
“Teagan, we saw how special that kid was at an early age,” Kuhns said. “He just kept working to get better and better. This is the first time he’s made it through the year healthy. The sky is the limit for him. His only drawback is his size (5-foot-9). If he was six-feet tall people would be beating his door down to recruit him to get into their school. But he gets the most out of himself.”
Sumpter has rushed for 1,191 yards and is the fourth-leading scorer among local players with 17 touchdowns and two two-point conversions for 106 points.
“Ky-mani kind of came from out of nowhere,” Kuhns said. “He just kept improving. At the beginning of the season he was splitting time with Ross Tennant then Ross got hurt and Ky-mani had to step up and be the full-time guy.
“He just grew into the position. He gets stronger as the game goes on. He’s so much fun to watch.”
The opposite of Crouse in stature is the 6-3 Ricciuti.
“We call him Billy Madison because in that scene in that movie where he’s playing dodgeball with the kindergarteners, that’s kind of the matchup thing with Jack all the time,” Kuhns said with a laugh. “He has that physical advantage and knows how to use it.”
Kuhns commended his entire team for its efforts this season.
“The whole group of them are such hard workers and such good kids,” Kuhns said. “I don’t have to worry about them in school.
“It’s one of those groups every once in a while that is just special and no matter what we’re doing we’re having a good time.”