TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Bellefonte defense waits for action to resume during a game vs. Clearfield this season. The Red Raiders face Richland on the road on Friday.

Though Bellefonte football has found momentum and is coming off a big win, it faces a tough in looking to build on it. On top of facing another road test, the Red Raiders also match up against Richland (6-1), one of the top teams in the Laurel Highlands Conference.

The Rams head into Friday repping a three-game win streak in which they outscored their opponents 130-14. Of those wins, the one that sticks out the most is their 33-7 victory over Forest Hills (6-1) on the road, a team that was undefeated at that point and previously routed Bellefonte, 35-0, in Week 2.

As it stands, their only loss came against Bishop McCort (7-0), a team that’s been on a bee line for the Laurel Highlands title.

Bellefonte’s biggest focus defensively will be mitigating the pass, which hasn’t been its defensive strength through 2025. It’s been much more consistent against the run and has allowed strong passing outings against Forest Hills in Week 2 and Penns Valley in Week 5.

For Richland, sophomore quarterback Jacob Regan has been one of the most efficient passers in the Laurel Highlands, posting a completion rate of 71 percent and touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18-to-5 through seven games. He’s two yards short of 1,500 yards, with four games of 200 yards or more. His most dangerous weapons have junior receivers Arnold Mugerwa and Jamere Christian, who have each surpassed 500 yards and five TDs.

Apart from them, Joe McAneny and Grayson Mahla are potent two-way players, McAneny leading the team in sacks (seven) and Mahla tackles (11 per game) while each averaging over 50 rushing yards per game and 6.5 yards per rush. And defensively, the Rams have allowed 20 points just once, giving up an average of just under ten points per game and posting two shutouts.

Therefore, the Red Raiders will have their hands full getting back to .500 on Friday. But they are coming off their most complete win of the season, a controlled, 24-15 victory of 4-3 Philipsburg-Osceola, and have battled tough squads before, falling one score short against 6-1 Bishop Guilfoyle and 5-2 Clearfield.

Junior Quinn Park is coming off a solid debut at starting quarterback and should be expected to play a role if Richland gets its pass game going. Junior running back Kav’en Smith-Kirk remains an x-factor, now having five 100-yard games to his name after last Friday.

Ashten Howell, Landyn Langille and Parker Jodon all have long receptions this season and carry large roles in making up much of the team’s secondary. And Bellefonte’s front seven could certainly make the Rams one-dimensional while applying pressure on Regan.

Win or lose, the Red Raiders remain in a good spot heading in the postseason, ranking second in District 6 Class 4A with a multi-game lead over Greater Johnstown (1-6). Nonetheless, they’ll need to build up some momentum if they hope to match up well against frontrunner and defending champion Juniata (6-1).