Two-way threats
Frazier’s Secrest, Southmoreland’s Wolfe impact TD Club standings
Lori C. Padilla
Some quarterbacks are dangerous runners and some are superb at throwing the football.
Those that can do both are the ones that keep defensive coordinators up at night.
Frazier’s Brady Secrest and Southmoreland’s Dawson Wolfe were two that gave defenses nightmares on Friday night.
Secrest completed 12 of 21 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns – all to Austin Stewart of 46, 20 and 18 yards – and added 182 yards and TD runs of 8, 1 and 97 yards on the ground in the Commodores’ 46-7 win over visiting Jefferson-Morgan.
That’s 444 yards of offense while accounting for six scores by the Frazier senior.
Wolfe did most of his damage on the ground with touchdown runs of 10, 2, 1 and 26 yards while rushing for 124 yards, but he also connected on 10 of 15 passes for 114 yards in lifting the Scotties to a 42-34 shootout victory at Greensburg Salem.
Wolfe’s 24 points bumped him from fifth to third place in the Herald-Standard Touchdown Club standings of the area’s leading scorers through Week Four.
Secrest’s 18 points pushed him into a tie for 11th place with another versatile quarterback in West Greene’s Joel Rizor, who had touchdown runs of 13, 4 and 3 yards in rushing for 163 yards while chipping in with 90 passing yards in the Pioneers’ 37-26 win at Mapletown.
That game also included the highest-scoring player of the week in the Maples’ Carson Vanata, who had 21 carries for 226 yards, including TD runs of 79 and 40 yards, and also brought back a pair of kickoffs for scores of 71 and 65 yards, adding in a two-point conversion run as well in totaling 26 points. Vanata catapulted up to seventh place overall with 38 points.
The two players at the top of the standings are both from Beth-Center.
The undefeated Bulldogs got 20 points from Enzo Brown, who moved into second place with 62 points, and 12 from DeSean Whipkey, who maintained the top spot with 68 points.
Not surprisingly, Beth-Center is the area’s highest scoring team with 190 points, averaging 47.5 per game while getting off to a 4-0 start.
Brown had touchdown runs of 1 and 67 yards, pulled in a two-point conversion pass and took an interception back 31 yards for a score in B-C’s 61-14 win at Avella. Whipkey scored on runs of 1 and 10 yards. Brody Bebout also had a pick-six for the Bulldogs, taking it back 47 yards.
Rounding out the top five of the TD Club standings are Connellsville’s Linkon Keller in fourth with 53 points and Waynesburg Central’s Ky-mani Sumpter with 44 points.
Keller scored the clinching touchdown on a late 12-yard run in the Falcons’ 25-13 win over visiting Uniontown and also opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Sumpter had 25 carries for 244 yards with touchdown runs of 28 and 90 yards and added a 5-yard TD reception for 18 points in the Raiders’ gallant effort during a 38-33 loss at Elizabeth Forward.
Uniontown’s Marcus Evans hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Hinzy in the Red Raiders’ 25-13 loss at Connellsville and is now in sixth place with 42 points.
Hinzy is the area’s leader in touchdown passes with nine through Week Four.
Rounding out the top 10 are a trio of players – California quarterback Brandon Meier, Waynesburg quarterback Teagan Crouse and Mount Pleasant running back Tristan Wtorkiewicz – tied for eighth place with 36 points. Like Secrest and Wolfe, Meier and Crouse are also lethal two-way threats.
Meier had a touchdown run and a pair of two-point conversion bursts in scoring 10 points in a 46-8 win over Carmichaels at Trojan Stadium. Crouse had touchdown runs of 1 and 10 yards to go along with his scoring toss to Sumpter.
Wtorkiewicz scored on a pair of short runs in the Vikings’ 31-20 win over visiting Derry.
Luca Ghilani put up 18 points in Belle Vernon’s 35-0 victory over Derry, scoring on a 39-yard fumble return while also catching touchdown passes of 12 and 10 yards. He moved into a tie for 15th place at 24 points.
California’s Alan Dennis scored on runs of 3 and 47 yards and added a pair of two-point conversions, one on a run and the other on a reception, in scoring 16 points and is also at 24 points.
West Greene featured a three-pronged ground attack against Mapletown. Joining Rizor in running for over 100 yards with Bret Scott with 125, including a 71-yard touchdown. Teammate Gavin Roberts ended up with 97 yards and scored on a 65-yard run.
Complete Touchdown Club standings can be found at heraldstandard.com.