Richland is 0-4 against Ryan since November of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Royals will take on the Raiders at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Richland is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 70-37 win over El Dorado. Given the Royals' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 86th, while the Aztecs are ranked 222nd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jayshon Gibson had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 321 yards and seven touchdowns while picking up 20.1 yards per carry, and also catching one TD. His longest rush was for an incredible 83 yards. Another player making a difference was Brett Kates, who threw for 176 yards and a pair of TDs.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Richland was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 425 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Ryan won against Chisholm Trail two weeks ago with 59 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Raiders breezed past Abilene to the tune of 59-0. Winning may never get old, but the Raiders sure are getting used to it with their seventh in a row.
Richland better keep an eye on Quin Henigan. He was instrumental in Ryan's win, throwing for 316 yards and six touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes, and also rushing for 35 yards. Those 316 passing yards gave Henigan a new career-high. Jose Melendez did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 148 receiving yards.
One reason for the win was Ryan's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. Leading the way was Kha'Ron Freeman-Wade with two. Jaxson Dozier was another major factor on D, forcing one fumble and making ten total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Richland's record now sits at 9-3. As for Ryan, their record is now 11-1.
| Rushing Yards | 2,241 |
| Rushing Touchdowns | 40 |
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Gibson and Tre'Vaughn Reynolds. Gibson just won't slow down this season and has run in 40 touchdowns while averaging 186.8 rushing yards per game. Reynolds has been a dominant force too and has run in 9 touchdowns while averaging 88 rushing yards per game.
Richland couldn't quite get it done against Ryan in their previous meeting back in October as they fell 30-21. Can the Royals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
