With sophomore quarterback Jake Regan throwing for 207 yards and three touchdowns, and running 10 yards for another score, second-seeded Richland racked up a 35-0 third-quarter lead en route to a 35-13 mercy-rule victory over the sixth-seeded Blue Devils in a District 6 Class 2A semifinal-round playoff matchup under rainy conditions at Herlinger Field.

“Richland is a good football team,” said Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich, whose team closed a 7-5 season. “They have an excellent quarterback, a good running back, and two very fine receivers. They made some big plays tonight. Our players never gave up and kept fighting, but we just ran into a buzz-saw.”

Richland (11-1) earned a berth in the District 6 Class 2A championship game for the third year in a row.

The Rams will play top-seeded and unbeaten Bishop McCort-Carroll (12-0) for the district title next Saturday at Altoona’s Mansion Park. McCort-Carroll — which dealt Richland its only loss of the season, 31-12, back on Sept. 11 — advanced to the district final with a 33-0 semifinal win over Marion Center Friday night.

Photo for the Mirror by Roger Kerekes A pass intended for Bellwood’s Jeffrey Waite (left) is defended by Richland’s Jamere Christian (3) and Alex Bond on Friday.

Richland coach Brandon Bailey said that his team has been playing on a different level since the September loss to McCort.

“Our kids were embarrassed that night, and that rarely happens to our program,” Bailey said. “Since losing that game, our kids have been laser focused, and now we’re 11-1 and we’re going to another district championship game.”

Arnold Mugerwa, a 6-foot-3 junior receiver who possesses the speed, ball skills, and physicality that have made him a prized NCAA Division I recruit, caught a pair of touchdown passes from Regan Friday. Mugerwa took a screen pass on the left flat and dashed 62 yards to the end zone with 3:21 remaining in the first half to stake Richland to a 28-0 lead.

Mugerwa also pulled in a 9-yard scoring pass from Regan midway through the third quarter to give Richland a 35-0 lead and kick the mercy-rule clock into effect for the remainder of the game.

“We didn’t play our best game the first time we played (McCort-Carroll),” Mugerwa said. “We’re getting a second chance against them now in the district championship game, and hoping to make the most of it.”

Photo for the Mirror by Roger Kerekes B-A’s Jackson Dorminy (right) breaks up a pass intended for Arnold Mugerwa.

Plays of the game: Three stood out for Richland, and they all occurred through the air. Mugerwa’s 62-yard scoring play was a highlight, as was Regan’s 46-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Alex Bond down the right sideline early in the second quarter. Regan also hit junior wideout Jamere Christian with a 34-yard pass to highlight Richland’s 80-yard scoring drive on its opening possession that was capped off by senior back Brayden Knepper’s 2-yard TD run.

Player of the game: Regan earned top honors with his 207 passing yards that included the two TD throws to Mugerwa and the other to Bond. Regan also called his own number and ran 10 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. “Jake’s a field general out there for us,” Bailey said. “He’s able to get everybody lined up properly, and it helps that he has two excellent receivers in Arnold and Jamere.”

Unsung hero: Junior back Grayson Mahla rushed for 138 yards on 14 carries to keep the Bellwood defense guessing.

Most vital statistic: Richland dominated the first half, with its defense limiting Bellwood to just 69 total yards — all on the ground. Meanwhile, Richland’s offense rolled up 309 total yards in the first half.

“This was one of the better first halves of football that we’ve played,” Bailey said. “The kids were ultra focused, and they played awesome.”

Saluting the seniors: Lovrich had high words of praise for the nine seniors on his team. “The seniors will be hard to replace. They’re all great young men who sacrificed a lot for our football program, and I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished.”

Notable: Junior back Alex McCartney rushed for 99 yards on 19 carries and accounted for Bellwood’s first touchdown with a 5-yard fourth-quarter run … Junior quarterback Bradyn Partner scored the Blue Devils’ other touchdown on a 1-yard burst with 2:19 left in the game. … Richland lost to Bald Eagle Area in the 2023 district championship game and was beaten by Cambria Heights there last year. Next week will mark the Rams’ fifth appearance in the district title game in eight seasons. … Neither team committed a turnover Friday despite the very adverse weather conditions.

Records: Bellwood-Antis (7-5); Richland (11-1).

Next week: Bellwood-Antis’ season is complete. Richland advances to the district championship game next Saturday against McCort-Carroll at Mansion Park.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bellwood-Antis 0 0 0 13–13

Richland 14 14 7 0–35

First Quarter

R–Knepper 2 run (Timcik kick), 7:58.

R–Regan 10 run (Timcik kick), 2:32.

Second Quarter

R–Bond 46 pass from Regan (kick failed), 4:34.

R–Mugerwa 62 pass from Regan (Christian pass from Regan), 3:21.

Third Quarter

R–Mugerwa 9 pass from Regan (Timcik kick), 6:22.

Fourth Quarter

BA–McCartney 5 run (Smearman kick), 11:54.

BA–Partner 1 run (kick failed), 2:19.

TEAM STATISTICS BA R

First downs 13 15

Total yards 195 374

Rushes-yards 45-177 28-181

Yards passing 18 207

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 1-7-0 9-18-0

Punts/avg. 3-35.3 1-33

Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 5-40 4-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Bellwood-Antis, McCartney 19-99, Plummer 20-70, Partner 3-13, Gibbons 2-(minus 5). Richland, Mahla 14-138, Regan 6-22, Knepper 3-19, Mugerwa 2-8, Hipp 1-0, Smith 1-(minus 2), Yeager 1-(minus 4).

PASSING–Bellwood-Antis, Partner 1-6-0-18, McCartney 0-1-0-0. Richland, Regan 9-18-0-207.

RECEIVING–Bellwood-Antis, Gibbons 1-18. Richland, Mugerwa 3-81, Christian 3-46, Bond 1-46, Mahla 1-30, Feichtel 1-4.