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Ramming it through: Richland football overcomes Bishop Guilfoyle’s lead to post LHAC win

By John Hartsock 6 min read

Richland coach Brandon Bailey characterized his team's Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference showdown with Bishop Guilfoyle Academy Saturday night at Mansion Park as a heavyweight fight.

Both teams scrapped and clawed until the final whistle, but Richland had a few more punches in its arsenal.

With sophomore quarterback Jacob Regan completing 11 of 20 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, and junior back Grayson Mahla rushing for two touchdowns, Richland overcame a 10-7 halftime deficit and went on to grind out a 28-18 victory.

"We have a ton of respect for (BG coach) Justin Wheeler and the BG program,'' said Bailey, whose team improved to 2-0 overall and in the conference. "I told our guys at halftime that we were in a heavyweight fight, but that it was a pretty even fight.

"I think we put forth a great effort in all three phases of the game tonight. Offensively, we played with precision, and defensively, to hold an outstanding football team like BG to 18 points is very good.''

Momentum changed hands often in the second half, with Mahla and senior back Joe McAneny scoring on 1-yard third-quarter touchdown runs to put Richland up, 21-10 after three periods.

BG struck quickly to open the fourth quarter, as Wheeler's son, sophomore quarterback Justin Wheeler, connected with senior wideout Tyson Lestochi on a 49-yard touchdown pass. Connor Okonak's 2-point conversion toss to senior standout Jake Kissell pulled the Marauders to within 21-18 with 11:24 left in the game.

However, Richland responded with an 80-yard, 12-play scoring drive to put a padlock on its win.

Mahla capped off the drive with a 3-yard run off a direct snap with 4:57 left, giving Richland its final margin of victory.

"We went into the second half with a chip on our shoulder,'' Mahla said. "We knew that we could win this game, and we knew what we had to do to get it done.''

Mahla also recovered a fumble and made a big interception from his linebacker spot on defense.

"By making those big plays, I try to help my team as much as I can,'' Mahla said.

BG got a 1-yard touchdown run from senior standout Jake Kissell in the first quarter and a 20-yard field goal from Carter Boland early in the second quarter. The Marauders fought hard all night long, but were hurt by four turnovers -- two of which occurred on fumbles and two on interceptions.

"Overall, I loved our effort tonight,'' Coach Wheeler said. "I loved the way we fought. We battled to the end. Richland made the plays that it needed to make. We have weapons on offense, and people saw tonight that we could move the ball. We just have to limit our mistakes.''

"This hurts, but it's (only) a Week 2 hurt. Every goal that we have for the season is still on the table.''

Play of the game: Even though it was in BG's losing effort, none was better than the touchdown connection between sophomore quarterback Justin Wheeler and Lestochi, who slipped a tackle near the Richland 25 on his way to the end zone.

Drive of the game: Richland's 80-yard march to the end zone that ate up over six minutes of the fourth-quarter clock turned the game in the Rams' favor for good. A 15-yard pass from Regan to junior wideout Jamere Christian and 10-yard runs by Regan and McAneny all produced first downs during the drive.

Players of the game: Regan -- who hit sophomore wideout Alex Bond with a 26-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter to pull Richland into a 7-7 tie -- had a big night passing the ball, and Mahla was a strong contributor on both sides of the football. His third-quarter interception helped Richland flip the field and eventually score its third touchdown of the game.

Unsung hero: Quarterback Justin Wheeler threw for 167 yards and a touchdown, and demonstrated fine field presence in his second varsity start. "I thought that he was seeing the field really well,'' Coach Wheeler said of his son. "He uses his legs pretty well and he's throwing the ball much better. I believe that he has a bright future.''

Most vital statistic: BG committed four turnovers, and Richland didn't have any.

Rematch in store? The two teams could very well meet again in the conference championship game at the end of the regular season. "Hats off to BG, we have so much respect for those guys,'' Bailey said. "There's certainly a chance that we could see each other again in Week 10.''

Notable: Christian had an interception for Richland, and Nate Pugh recovered a third-quarter fumble at the BG 1 after quarterback Wheeler took a resounding blindside hit from Brayden Knepper in the end zone. That set up Mahla's 1-yard TD run ... Senior fullback-linebacker standout Taurean Consiglio, who has been nursing a shoulder/arm injury, returned to BG's offensive huddle for the first time this season Saturday and rushed for 36 yards on four carries while catching a pair of passes totaling 17 yards.

Records: Richland (2-0); Bishop Guilfoyle (1-1).

Next week: Bishop Guilfoyle visits Bellefonte; Richland hosts Westmont Hilltop.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Richland 7 0 14 7--28

Bishop Guilfoyle 7 3 0 8--18

First Quarter

BG--Kissell 1 run (Boland kick), 4:11.

R--Bond 26 pass from Regan (Timcik kick), 0:27.

Second Quarter

BG--Boland 20 FG, 11:07.

Third Quarter

R--Mahla 1 run (Timcik kick), 6:12.

R--McAneny 1 run (Timcik kick), 0:43.

Fourth Quarter

BG--Lestochi 49 pass from Wheeler (Okonak pass from Kissell), 11:24.

R--Mahla 3 run (Timcik kick), 4:57.

TEAM STATISTICS R BG

First downs 17 15

Total yards 335 286

Rushes-yards 41-153 26-119

Yards passing 182 167

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 11-20-0 8-18-2

Punts/avg. 3-38 1-34

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2

Penalties-yards 6-60 4-26

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Richland, McAneny 15-88, Mahla 12-55, Regan 14-10. Bishop Guilfoyle, Kissell 11-54, Consiglio 4-36, Wheeler 9-14, Gioiosa 1-11, Lestochi 1-4.

PASSING--Richland, Regan 11-20-0-182. Bishop Guilfoyle, Wheeler 8-16-2-167, Kissell 0-2-0-0.

RECEIVING--Richland, Christian 4-46, Muguerwa 3-66, Bond 1-26, Feichtel 1-20, McAneny 1-18, Knepper 1-6. Bishop Guilfoyle, Lestochi 3-74, Kissell 2-62, Consiglio 2-17, Gioiosa 1-14.

Starting at /week.