CORNELIUS, N.C. — The No. 1 seeded Richmond Senior High School Raiders now know who they will be playing in the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4AA state playoffs.
While the Raiders were enjoying their Friday night off thanks to a first-round bye, No. 8 Hough High School and No. 9 Olympic High School met in the first round at the Huskies’ stadium.
No. 8 Hough would shutout the Trojans, securing a meeting with the Raiders next Friday in Rockingham. Due to having the No. 1 seed in the West bracket, Richmond has home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The meeting between Richmond and Hough will mark the first time the two programs have met on the football field, including the regular or postseason.
Head coach Matthew Jenkins’ Huskies (8-4) used two rushing scores and two touchdown passes to blank the Trojans 28-0. The Huskies used four different players to score, beginning with senior quarterback Darius Ocean rushing in from seven yards out with four minutes left in the second quarter.
The 7-0 lead held until the opening minutes of the third quarter when junior running back Evan Pryor scampered in from 57 yards. Cole Maynard’s point after attempt made it 14-0. Hough’s third score came when senior wide receiver Devin Chandler hauled in a 23-yard pass from freshman Tad Hudson.
Putting a cap on the playoff opener, Hudson again found the end zone through the air, this time connecting with senior receiver Matthew Barnhardt on a 28-yard hook up with under five minutes to play in regulation.
Hough finished the regular season second in the I-Meck Conference with a 6-1 record, just one game behind conference title winner and No. 2 seeded Mallard Creek High School. On the road this season, the Huskies have a 3-2 record, beating Mooresville, North Mecklenburg and Providence high schools.
With the bye they received following a perfect 11-0 regular season, the Raiders will be advancing to their 35th second-round playoff game in the program’s 47-year history. Richmond has made the playoffs in 42 of those 47 years.
It will also be the Raiders’ 119th all-time playoff game, as they’ve posted an 85-33 record in the postseason. A win over Hough would make it Richmond’s first 12-win season since 2010 (12-2).
ROSports will provide full coverage and analysis on the No. 8 Hough-No. 1 Richmond matchup later this week with comments from head coach Bryan Till.
