Collins Scores Five as Clearfield Drops Richland 41-21

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Phil Myers | October 12, 2024

Brady Collins was held to his lowest yardage output of the year, but he still managed to lead Clearfield to their 8^th victory by scoring 5 touchdowns against the Richland Rams at the Bison Sports Complex on a crisp Friday night.  The Bison are ranked 10^th in the state according to PFN in class 4A.  Richland was ranked 4^th in class 2A by PFN.

Clearfield played a solid football game on both sides of the ball against a well-coached Richland eleven who were missing their starting QB Grayson Mahla who was out with an injury suffered last week.  Clearfield coach Myles Caragein stated, “the defense did a great job and they rose to the challenge tonight.”

Actually, the defense rose to the occasion right off the bat as they opened the scoring when Carter Freeland picked up a fumble and raced 56 yards to the house for the first score of the game.  “Great momentum shift for us,” said Caragein.  Coach Brandon Bailey of Richland said, “It’s not how you want to start out a game with a freshman quarterback.”  It didn’t get any better from there for Richland as Collins scored two second quarter touchdowns to give the Bison a 21-0 lead.

Richland will always battle you to the last and they did not hang their heads.  Instead, the Rams put together a 10-play, 63-yard drive to score with only seconds remaining in the half to cut into Clearfield’s lead.  The touchdown was a Jake Regan to Arnold Mugerwa pass that covered 8 yards on a 4^th down play.

Richland in white right before their first touchdown.

Richland came out in the second half with hopes of cutting the deficit to one score, but the Clearfield defense did not allow that to happen.  Colton Ryan stepped in front of Regan’s pass after the Rams got a first down and had the ball near midfield.

From there Clearfield mounted their own drive that ended with Collins scoring his third TD on a 3-yard run.  The 6-play drive covered 54 yards and gave the Bison a 27-7 advantage.

Collins with his 3rd TD of night and Clearfield now leads Richland 27-7 in the 3rd qtr. @PaFootballNews @Bison__Football @CHS_Bison_FB pic.twitter.com/zQGKUyE2Yk

— Phil Myers Sr. (@Protime_PFN) October 12, 2024

Later in the quarter Richland went for it on fourth down at their own 45 and failed to convert as the Clearfield defense came up big once again.  Nine plays later Collins found the end zone again on a 1-yard plunge.  The Bison lead was now an insurmountable 34-7 late in the third quarter.

Richland answered when Austin Yardnick caught the subsequent kickoff at his 11-yard line and sought some space as he headed up the middle.  He made a move to his right and found more space and clear sailing down the Ram sideline 89 yards in all to draw Richland closer as the last quarter loomed.

Collins scored his 5^th touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the game away. “I knew it would be a tough game.  They beat us last year so I really wanted to win this one” stated Collins.

Brady Collins, Clearfield

Richland’s final touchdown came with 7 ticks remaining.  Regan flipped a 4^th down pass to Gunner Hagens to round out the scoring for the night.

The game was played cleanly for the most part and involved some really hard hits by both sides.  In fact, Collins had a few pretty good licks on Richland ball carriers.  That prompted a question whether he liked offense or defense better.  “I like offense,” he said.  “Both teams hit hard.  They just had a little more in the tank than we did,” said Bailey.  “They have some outstanding football players.  They have an edge to them and they play really hard.  We wish them the best of luck,” he continued.

Collins ended up with 170 yards on 27 carries.  Freeland chipped in 84 yards on 14 totes, and the team gained 315 yards on the ground out of 335 total yards.  Richland was held to 220 total yards.  Regan was 13 for 25 passing for 131 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Next week Clearfield will put their 8-0 unbeaten record on the line against 5-3 Central-Martinsburg at home.  Richland, whose record now is 6-2, will travel to Chestnut Ridge, who is 4-4.

Score by Quarters:

Richland – 0 7 7 7 – 21

Clearfield – 7 14 13 7 – 41

Scoring Summary:

First Quarter:

C – Carter Freeland 56-yard fumble return, (Frushour PAT), 10:24

Second Quarter:

C – Brady Collins 13-yard run, (Frushour PAT), 10:17

C – Collins 3-yard run, (Frushour PAT), 3:35

R – Arnold Mugerwa 8-yard pass from Jake Reagn, (Noah Ritko PAT), :16

Third Quarter:

C – Collins 3-yard run, (PAT No Good), 7:05

C – Collins 1-yard run, (Frushour PAT), 2:03

R – Austin Yarnick 89-yard kickoff return, (Ritko PAT), 1:49

Fourth Quarter:

C – Collins 2-yard run, (Frushour PAT), 10:39

R – Gunner Hagens 1-yard pass from Regan, (Ritko PAT), :07

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