Preview: Richland Rams vs. Bald Eagle Area Bald Eagles
Richland has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Bald Eagle Area Bald Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Richland made easy work of Mount Union and carried off a 35-12 victory. Richland pushed the score to 35-6 by the end of the third, a deficit Mount Union cut but never quite recovered from.
Richland got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Grayson Mahla out in front who threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns on only 17 passes. Easton Robertson was in the mix as well, providing Richland with two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Bald Eagle Area had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 34.8 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-13 victory over Forest Hills at home.
Bald Eagle Area's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Kahale Burns, who picked up 163 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Carson Nagle, who threw for 407 yards and five touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes. Gavin Burns did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 35 receiving yards.
Richland has yet to lose a match at home this season, leaving them with a 11-1 record. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 9-3 Penn Cambria and 8-3 Clearfield (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 55.8% over those games). As for Bald Eagle Area, their win bumped their record up to 11-1.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Saturday's game as the pair haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Richland commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 4.9 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Bald Eagle Area struggles in that department as they've been even better at 5.5 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Saturday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
