Richland Advances To D6 2A Championship On Last Play Vs Bellwood-Antis

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

Baron Dionis | November 13, 2026

The Richland Rams advanced to the District 6 2A Championship in dramatic fashion by taking down the Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils 20-19 at Herlinger Field.

After surrendering the go-ahead touchdown with a little over a minute to go in the game, Richland regained the lead with 20 seconds to go. Then Bellwood got down field and attempted a 34 yard field goal, but Dominic Shank blocked it, sending the Rams to the next round.

“So many great plays that I’ve seen tonight and a gutsy performance by the Richland kids,” Richland coach Brandon Bailey said. “Coach Lovrich and his kids played quite an amazing game. So many ups and downs at the end of this fourth quarter.”

“They made plays in the fourth quarter and we made plays, but we just made the last one.”

Bellwood had all the momentum in the second half, controlling the ball for around 20 minutes, but two big plays from Arnold Mugerwa and Shank sealed the deal.

“Everybody knows they’re a really good football team,” Bellwood coach Nick Lovrich said. “They got some playmakers and they made some big plays tonight. I am extremely proud of the way our young men fought tonight. Our community should be very proud of the effort they put into everything they do.”

Richland wasted no time jumping out in front as on the third play of the game Jacob Regan threw it deep for Alex Bond and he hauled it in, taking it 73 yards for the score.

After exchanging punts, the Blue Devils started to move the ball down the field. Then two Bellwood penalties set them back with a long fourth down and they fumbled, giving the ball right back.

Richland turned it over on downs and Bellwood got a quick first down, but fumbled it right back to the Rams.

They capitalized fast, letting Regan throw it up for Jamere Christian, who caught a remarkable 35 yard touchdown over a defender.

Following that touchdown, Bellwood got their offense going, moving right down the field, allowing Bradyn Partner to score from 27 yards out. The Blue Devils followed that score with a big defensive stand and immediately got a big 34 yard play, but fumbled it right back to the Rams.

Despite losing three first fumbles, the Blue Devils came out of the second half strong. Alex McCartney marched Bellwood down the field and scored from three yards out, but a bad snap on the extra point kept Richland in front by one point.

A quick three-and-out gave the Blue Devils an opportunity to take their first lead of the game. They chewed 10 minutes off the clock, setting themselves up at fourth-and-goal from the Rams two yard line. McCartney got the handoff, but the Richland defensive line stopped him in the backfield.

Richland punted again and Bellwood once again marched the ball down field with their run game. McCartney put the Blue Devils in the red zone, setting up an eight yard touchdown run for Partner. They failed the two point try, making it a 19-14 game with just over a minute to go.

After two incompletions to start the drive, Regan threw a deep ball up for Mugerwa and he hauled it in for 57 yards, setting the Rams up in the red zone. Regan found Jackson Feichtel a couple plays later to regain Richland’s lead. They also failed the two-point try, keeping it at 20-19.

Bellwood took the kickoff to their own 45-yard line with 20 seconds to work with. Partner threw a jump ball up for Jeffrey Waite and he came down with it for a 38 yard gain, putting the Blue Devils on the 17 yard line with 11 seconds to go. After spiking the ball, there was time for one more play.

The Blue Devils trotted on the field goal unit for the 34 yard attempt, but Shank snuck through the offensive line to block it, sealing the victory for the Rams.

“Arnold [Mugerwa] came in strong off the edge, so he opened a gap for me, and I took my shot,” Shank stated. “I knew that was a do or die situation, so I gave 130%.”

That blocked kick sends Richland to the championship game next week against the undefeated Mount Union Trojans.