Football Preview: Richland Rams vs. Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers
The Richland Rams will venture away from home to challenge the Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Westmont Hilltop took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Richland, who comes in off a win.
Richland took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They blew past Huntingdon, posting a 50-7 victory at home. Given the Rams' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 171st, while the Bearcats are ranked 405th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grayson Mahla was a one-man wrecking crew for Richland as he threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 passes, and also rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown. Joe Penna was in the mix too, providing Richland with a fumble recovery touchdown touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Westmont Hilltop was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat. They took a 20-10 hit to the loss column at the hands of Bellwood-Antis.
Westmont Hilltop's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Landen Valente, who rushed for 145 yards while picking up 8.5 yards per carry, and Bryce Goodman, who rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown. With that strong performance, Valente is now averaging an impressive 108 rushing yards per game.
Even though they lost, Westmont Hilltop was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 275 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bellwood-Antis only rushed for 173.
Richland's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 1-1. As for Westmont Hilltop, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-2.
Everything came up roses for Richland against Westmont Hilltop in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 35-7 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Richland since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
