What We Saw: Lancaster Pulls Off Shocker At Ridge View

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>COLUMBIA | </strong>Lancaster wasn't supposed to be here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bruins were 1-9 in the regular season, eked into the playoffs on the strength of one region victory and were playing an eight-win Ridge View squad with a ton of firepower.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ahem.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1142778' first='Mikal' last='McCollum']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown']</strong> (pictured, right) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158006' first='Avery' last='Alexander']</strong> (pictured, left) made sure the preconceived notions didn't stick. The trio of Lancaster standouts each took turns shaking up their portion of the Class 4A playoff bracket in a 26-14 win over the Blazers on Friday.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Don't nobody believe in us,” McFadden said after the win. “Even our city didn't believe in us. It brought us together like brothers, and we pulled it through.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Improbable as the victory was, breaking down how it happened makes it seem so much more believable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Obviously, the Bruins' defense was stout. Ridge View was held to 150 yards of offense in the first half, with only a 1-yard touchdown from starting quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='997121' first='Breylon' last='Boyd']</strong> giving the Blazers any points before halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By that point, momentum seemed to be on Lancaster's side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bruins forced the Blazers into a three-and-out to start the third quarter, and then McCollum took the very next snap 64 yards to the house.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After forcing a turnover on downs, McCollum then tacked on his second touchdown of the game from 16 yards out to cap a 36-yard drive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We scored that first [second-half] touchdown, got that stop and came down and scored again,” Brown said. “That was it.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It certainly felt like it, something Ridge View's next two drives accentuated.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bruins recovered a fumble on the first and then Alexander made a perfect read to pick off [player_tooltip player_id='840548' first='Tre' last='Howard'] with 7:39 to go. Four plays later, with Lancaster simply trying to run out some more clock, Brown ripped one off the left side of the line and reached the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When it was all said and done, McCollum finished with 19 carries for 162 yards and two scores. Brown had 15 carries for 126 yards and that final score to go along with 49 passing yards. Alexander had that huge interception late to top off a game that also included all four of Brown's completions for 49 yards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their production accounted for more than 90 percent of the team's offense, and combined with the defensive effort, the upset wasn't just a possibility.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was definitive.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lancaster will move on to a second-round game at Lucy Beckham not just hoping it can do the unthinkable. But knowing it already has once.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RIDGE VIEW YOUTH ALREADY ON DISPLAY</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the end result was not what Ridge View coach Derek Howard wanted, the 2023 season was a bit of a precursor to next fall, when most of the Blazers' top pieces will be back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That list begins with top-flight receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='233146' first='Jordon' last='Gidron']</strong> - who finished Friday's game with seven receptions for 87 yards. Gidron surpassed 700 receiving yards for the season in the loss and will almost assuredly enter next fall as the top receiver in the Class of 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another sophomore who showed off a strong foundation was tailback <strong>Aiden Keeffe</strong>, who had 12 carries for 66 yards. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound running back will help solidify a backfield that has known its quarterback of the future for some time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='840548' first='Tre' last='Howard']</strong> essentially took over the position for the foreseeable future Friday when [player_tooltip player_id='997121' first='Breylon' last='Boyd'] was injured in the third quarter and couldn't return. Howard had already seen valuable snaps throughout the season and earlier in the game. He finished with 134 yards passing and a touchdown pass to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473013' first='Carter' last='Coleman']</strong>, another Blazer with multiple years of eligibility remaining.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->