KITTANNING, Pa. – Down three touchdowns to state top-ranked Farrell in a PIAA Class 2A quarterfinal, Richland flipped the momentum on a damp and foggy night on Armstrong Junior-Senior High School’s field.
The District 6 champions had closed to within six points on back-to-back touchdowns in the second and third quarters, then stopped the Steelers on a fourth-and-1 to take over with great field position.
Then, Farrell (12-2) forced its second fumble of the night and regained its figurative footing.
The Steelers tallied the final 12 points to defeat the Rams 32-14.
PHOTO GALLERY | Richland vs. Farrell
“We had them on the ropes,” Richland coach Brandon Bailey said after his team’s nine-game winning streak ended. “We always talk the coach-speak – ‘What are the keys of the game? Win the turnover battle.’ They were able to do that tonight, especially when we had them on the ropes.
“I thought we were going to punch one in and go up,” the coach said after his team finished a 12-2 season that included the program’s first district crown since 2021 and a No. 6 ranking in the state this week.
“Credit to Farrell. They have a good defense and they made those things happen.”
Farrell senior running back and Nebraska commit Juelz Johnson also made plenty of things happen.
Johnson carried 27 times for 185 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He also grabbed a 50-yard, catch-and-run touchdown on a pass by junior quarterback Aaron Pegues in the second half.
“It’s hard to replicate on the scout team,” Bailey said of Johnson. “He’s a special football player. He made plays for them all night long.”
The five touchdowns enabled Johnson to break the Farrell career touchdown record, with 79.
“He’s a hard-nosed tough kid,” Steelers coach Anthony Pegues said. “He’s very athletic. He does so many different things. You could see he’s a Division I kid. He’s a special kid.
“I believe he’s the player of the year in 2A. He could be the player of the year in a lot of divisions.”
Farrell will face the winner of Saturday’s District 7-2A title game at Acrisure Stadium between Seton-LaSalle (11-1) and Steel Valley (9-3).
“Props to them,” said Richland junior athlete Grayson Mahla, who ran for both of the Rams’ TDs and surpassed 1,000 rushing yards this season. “They’re well-coached. They played hard – a good football team. We have to play better.
“At the end of the game, I told the guys remember this bitter feeling of losing. Nobody likes it, but it’s that motivating factor that keeps you going and gets you ready for the next season.”
Farrell outgained Richland 287-49 on the ground en route to its seventh straight victory.
Mahla had a Rams-high 34 rushing yards.
Richland sophomore quarterback Jacob Regan completed 14 of 22 passes for 121 yards. Farrell’s Pegues only threw four passes, with three completions for 81 yards, including the 50-yard score.
“I told everyone how much we love them and care about them, and how proud we are of them of getting back and winning a district title,” Bailey said. “Our school, if you win a district title, your picture is on the wall forever. The year 2025, everyone that’s on this team is a part of that.
“We have a great nucleus of underclassmen that’s coming back, but tonight’s about a celebration of the 2025 season.”
The Steelers recovered a fumble at the Richland 20-yard line on the Rams’ second play from scrimmage. Johnson made the turnover count, scoring on a 7-yard run three plays later for a 6-0 lead.
His 5-yard TD run and conversion dash only 43 seconds into the second quarter gave the Steelers a 14-0 lead.
The margin increased to 20-0 after Johnson’s third TD from 11 yards out 7:14 before halftime.
“We’ve been in this situation before,” Mahla said. “We were down against McCort(-Carroll Catholic, in Week 4). We were down against BG (Bishop Guilfoyle, in Week 2). We knew it’s the final eight teams in the state and everybody is going to be good.
“We knew we couldn’t quit. We had to come out and keep playing ball, making them snap again and again.”
After being limited to one first down through 17 minutes (that one coming on a Farrell penalty), Richland’s offense came to life during a 15-play, 65-yard march that included five first downs – two third-down conversions and one successful Regan fourth-down pass to Jamere Christian at the 3-yard line.
Mahla scored on a 1-yard run out of the wildcat, and Mitchel Timcik’s extra-point kick pulled the Rams within 20-7 with 16 seconds on the second-quarter clock.
“It was really gritty,” Bailey said. “We were down 20-0, and we were on the ropes. We talked about, ‘Keep battling. We’re good enough.’ It was a real team effort on that drive, and a lot of guys got involved and we were able to get into the end zone.”
Richland received the third-quarter kickoff and built on the momentum. The Rams moved 68 yards in nine plays, with Mahla scoring his second TD of the game on a 3-yard run that made it 20-14 at 7:26.
Jackson Feichtel had two big catches of six and 26 yards, and Arnold Mugerwa had receptions of 14 and six yards during the march.
On the next possession, the Rams stopped Farrell on a fourth-and-1. Richland’s Brodie Hollis and Nate Pugh tackled Jason Marshall for a 2-yard loss at the Steelers 42-yard line with 5:14 on the clock.
“We knew we were getting the ball in the second half,” Bailey said. “We were able to get into the end zone again and get it close. We just weren’t able to finish it off.”
Richland had momentum, but the Steelers forced a fumble that was recovered by Dorean Cain at the Farrell 22-yard line.
Quarterback Pegues and Johnson teamed on their 50-yard scoring pass, and the Steelers led 26-14 with 1:02 left in the third quarter.
“It’s one of those games. In playoffs, it’s about a game of momentum,” Coach Pegues said. “We jumped out early. If they don’t get that score before the half, we probably could have put it away earlier.
“They got the score and got some momentum. Got another score and made it close. I told my guys to just relax, hunker down. I felt like we were more physical, and we decided to run the ball at them in the second half.”
Johnson added his fifth touchdown, and fourth on the ground, a 3-yard run with 6:39 left that put the Steelers up 32-14.
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
