The Mount Union Trojans are on the road again on Friday and play against the Richland Rams at 7:00 p.m. on November 10th. Mount Union will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Rankings (they are ranked 284th, while Richland is ranked 89th).
Mount Union had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They came out on top in a nail-biter against United Valley co-op [Blacklick Valley/United] on Friday and snuck past 25-22.
Mount Union can attribute much of their success to Josh Ryan, who rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns, and Bryce Danish, who rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.0 yards per carry. Danish was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 55 yards.
Mount Union's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB seven times. The heavy lifting was done by Hunter Steel and Davin Yocum who racked up five sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Richland stacked a sixth blowout onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They claimed a resounding 45-7 win over Penns Valley Area at home. The win was just what Richland needed coming off of a 43-15 defeat in their prior matchup.
Richland got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Grayson Mahla out in front who rushed for 30 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 165 yards and a touchdown. Richland also got a significant boost from Easton Robertson, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 102 yards.
Mount Union's victory bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Richland, they pushed their record up to 10-1 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as the pair haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Mount Union commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 5.7 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Richland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.9 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
