SM-TN Sports

Riding the momentum of their second half performance from Week 1, Richland dealt Collinwood a 26-10 defeat in the Raiders’ home opener Thursday.

Trailing 8-6 midway through the second quarter, Richland quarterback Sam Edwards dropped back on 4th-and-long, heaving a pass to the end zone that found receiver Ethan Erhardt 24 yards away for a touchdown to give his team a 13-8 advantage.

Raiders’ coach Nick Patterson said he had no reservations calling the play in that situation.

“We felt like it would be a good play,” he said. “It looked good all week (in practice), and it was well executed by both players.”

Richland then relied on its stout defense and dominant rushing attack to put the game away. Austin Seals led the Raiders with 193 yards on 17 carries, while Edwards eclipsed the century mark on the ground as well, going for 103 yards.

Defensively, Jack Norman picked off three Collinwood passes, including the Trojans’ final attempt with 59 seconds remaining to put the game away.

Richland evened its record at 1-1, following a 35-19 Week 1 loss at Rogers (Ala.).

“We played better this week, but we still have a long way to go,” Patterson said.