High School

5-star Alabama commit makes long TD throw in high school football showdown

Duncanville (Texas) quarterback Keelon Russel finds Ayson Theus late against St. Frances Academy (Maryland)

Andy Buhler

Keelon Russell celebrates scoring a touchdown in the UIL 6A D1 state championship game last season at AT&T Stadium.
Keelon Russell celebrates scoring a touchdown in the UIL 6A D1 state championship game last season at AT&T Stadium. / Photo: Tommy Hays

Alabama's 5-star 2025 quarterback commit made a game-changing throw on Saturday.

Keelon Russell dropped back, dipped and dove to evade a collapsing pocket and launched a 60-yard touchdown pass to Ayson Theus in a go-ahead effort late in a nationally ranked showdown.

The touchdown put Duncanville, the nation's No. 4 team, up over No. 22 St. Frances Academy (Maryland) with 23 seconds left in the third quarter of the out-of-state matchup.

Russell, the top-rated quarterback in Texas, is a three-year starter and has helped Duncanville to consecutive 6A Division I state championships.

In the first half against St. Frances, he completed 11 of 12 passes. It was his third touchdown of the game, second TD pass. His first also went to Theus, a 5-yard reception.

As a junior, he threw for 3,483 yards and 38 touchdowns on a 72 percent completion clip. As a sophomore he threw for 22 touchdowns and 2,377 yards.

Now, the Panthers' dynamic offense is orchestrated by a Russell in developed form.

Theus, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound junior, is a three-star prospect with offers from Auburn, Nebraska, Baylor and Arizona State, among others.

He shares a receiver corps with Dakorien Moore, the nation's No. 2 wideout and an Oregon commit.

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More Texas high school football Week 3:

  • Top 100 Texas high school football players: PART 1 | PART 2

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SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before.For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

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Andy Buhler
ANDY BUHLER

Andy Buhler is a Portland, Oregon-based sportswriter with more than nine years of experience covering high school sports across the country. He's covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason, served on state tournament seeding committees and launched the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a journalism degree from Gonzaga.

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