New Palestine junior Charlie Spegal has 53 touchdowns, needs 20 more to break mark set in 2017.
Video: Charlie Spegal having historic season The New Palestine junior running back is on pace to break the national touchdown record.
Spegal had four touchdowns in a 28-17 win over Zionsville in the second round of the Indiana Class 5A state playoffs. The win lifted New Palestine to 10-0 on the season and makes the Dragons the only undefeated team in the Class 5A playoffs. New Palestine is also ranked No. 1 in Class 5A by MaxPreps and No. 3 in the state of Indiana.
Spegal has 53 touchdowns on the season, good for an average of 5.3 per game. Spegal could potentially play four more games in the postseason. He's scored at least six touchdowns in a game six times this year and has three games in which he scored seven touchdowns. His low is two touchdowns in a 31-9 win over Center Grove.
A total of eight different players have held the national touchdown record since 1920. John Zinser of Peoria (Ill.) scored 43 touchdowns, which is believed to be the national record for that time.
Charlie Spegal, New Palestine
Photo by Brenda Adams-Turk
Cully Berndt of Ohio powerhouse Toledo Waite broke the record a year later with 51 touchdowns a mark that lasted until 1934 when Dick Todd of Crowell (Texas) moved the record to 53 touchdowns.
Another Texan, Ken Hall of Sugarland, broke the record 19 years later with 57 touchdowns. That record stood for 35 years until Brett Law of Sheridan (Ind.) zoomed past the record with 66 touchdowns.
Law's record went unchallenged for 17 years until T.A. McClendon of Albemarle (N.C.) scored 71 in 2001. Allen upped the record to 72 touchdowns in 2017.
Spegal will have a tougher time breaking the single-season scoring record of 453 points, set by Law in 1988. Spegal has 320 points with just one two-point conversion. Law had 57 conversion points to go with his 66 touchdowns.
Even fewer players have held the scoring record since 1920. Zinser had 286 points in 1920 with Berndt scoring 333 in 1921. That record lasted one year as Albert "Sleepy" Glenn of Elkins (W.Va.) scored 359 in 1922, according to prep historian Doug Huff.
Glenn's mark lasted 31 years until Hall scored 395 in 1953. Law broke Hall's record 35 years later.
Law has been challenged twice for the point record. Joseph Sadler of Devine (Texas) came within two points with 451 points in 2011. Josh Smith of Attica (Ind.) had 459 points in 2000.
