East Orange senior Joshua Richards will continue his football career at the University of Maryland.
EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange Campus High School senior wide receiver Joshua Richards signed a letter of intent accepting a full football scholarship to the University of Maryland on Wednesday, Dec. 21, during national signing day.
Richards, a 6-foot-4, 180-pounder, had 45 receptions for 755 yards and seven touchdowns, and collected 87 tackles and five interceptions as a defensive back this season for the EOCHS Jaguars, who finished 4-6. Richards was named to the Star-Ledger all-state second team defense this season.
In his junior season in 2021, Richards helped the Jaguars capture the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state championship and the North, Group 5 state regional championship to cap a 13-0 campaign. The Jaguars defeated Clifton 30-24 in triple overtime in the regional championship game at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium. Richards was huge in that regional final. He caught a 4-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 17-17 and send it to overtime. In the second overtime, Richards caught a 14-yard touchdown pass to give the Jaguars a 24-17 lead before Clifton answered with a touchdown to tie the game and send it to the third overtime. In the third overtime, then-senior Ahmad Nalls returned a fumble 101 yards to end the game.
In his junior and senior seasons, Richards caught 76 passes for 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Photos Courtesy of Michael L. Baldwin Sr. and Kerry E. Porter
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