PIAA 2A Quarterfinal Preview: Richland takes on Farrell

Tagged under: District 10, District 6, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

Stone Manges | November 20, 2025

It was a tale of two victories for Farrell and Richland last week in the third round of the 2A playoffs.

Fresh off their District 10 championship victory, Farrell had a convincing win last Friday. The Steelers skated past the District 9 champion Karns City, 48–20, behind great defensive play and solid quarterback performance. Dorean Cain had three interceptions against the Gremlins, and Juelz Johnson added an 80-yard kick return touchdown along with three other scores in a game that was never in question.

Richland, on the other hand, had to battle swirling wind and rain on Saturday at Mansion Park in Altoona as they outlasted Bishop McCort-Carroll to become District 6 champions. Both the Crushers and the Rams struggled offensively until the fourth quarter, but the difference ultimately was Arnold Mugerwa with his two touchdowns. The junior standout had a pick-six and a late touchdown snag to propel the Rams to their first district title since 2021.

Throughout the season, both Farrell and Richland have been led by a strong aerial attack paired with a powerful running game.

For the Steelers, junior quarterback Aaron Pegues has over 1,700 passing yards this season along with 18 touchdowns, and senior running back Juju Johnson has scampered for 1,843 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. The veteran receiving corps for Farrell is also a major reason for their dominant success this season. Dorean Cain, Jamauri Jones, and Jadon King-Vincet all have over 250 receiving yards and provide Pegues with plenty of options on gameday.

Richland is led by sophomore Jake Regan, who is in his first full season at the helm of the Ram offense. Regan has thrown for an outstanding 2,606 yards and 31 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 66%. With the elite wide receiver duo of Arnold Mugerwa and Jamere Christian, accompanied with a powerful rushing attack from junior Grayson Mahla—who is inching closer to 1,000 yards—it’s easy to see why Richland presents such a unique offensive challenge.

Both of these efficient offenses will square up against defensive units that are stout and love to take the football away. Richland and Farrell both average over two takeaways per game, more than 1.5 sacks per game, and over six tackles for loss per game.

These teams are no strangers to playing state playoff games deep into November either. Both Richland and Farrell have appeared in the state tournament six times since 2018. The only difference is that the Steelers have had slightly more success. Farrell has reached the semifinals or further three times in the last seven years and won state championships in 2018 and 2019. While Richland has made the same number of appearances, the Rams have reached the semifinals only once, in 2019, when they fell to Southern Columbia—the first of three straight losses to the Tigers. This year marks Richland’s first trip to the state quarterfinals since 2021, with a chance at the semifinals on the line.

So the question becomes this: Which of these two squads will earn the right to take on the WPIAL champion next weekend and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner knowing they are just one win away from a trip to Cumberland Valley?

We’ll find out this Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Armstrong High School.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews