ROCKINGHAM — Not often is the case that a football game is won when a team commits more turnovers than it creates.
But for the Richmond Senior High School junior varsity football team Thursday, those odds worked out to help clinch its second straight win.
Continuing their non-conference schedule, the JV Raiders overcame four turnovers on offense to earn a 20-15 victory over Cardinal Gibbons High School.
A helping hand in the win was Richmond’s defense, which head coach Patrick Hope applauded in his postgame speech as being “outstanding.”
The JV Raiders collected three interceptions in the win, using two of them to find the end zone. The third pick helped ice the game in the final minutes of regulation.
“Cardinal Gibbons is a well-coached football team and we knew we would have to play with physical and mental toughness to win,” Hope said. “Despite being put in tough spots, the defense had a stingy demeanor, turning them away on several drives and scoring defensive TDs for the second straight week.
“Offensively, we showed flashes of success in both running and passing the ball,” he added. “It was just an off night in ball security, which slowed down our momentum. It is rare to win a football game with more giveaways than takeaways, but our willingness to play the next play no matter what gave us the edge to win.”
A scoreless first quarter yielded a productive second quarter for both the JV Crusaders and JV Raiders. Cardinal Gibbons took an 8-0 lead after a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion.
Freshman running back Ty Covington got Richmond on the board to start the team’s 20-point second quarter. His rushing touchdown added six points and Richmond trailed 8-6 after the missed extra point attempt.
Sophomore linebackers Kaleb Brown and Keith Cummings shifted the game’s momentum in Richmond’s favor for good.
On consecutive drives, Brown and Cummings intercepted a pass and returned the ball more than 50 yards to the end zone for a pair of pick-sixes.
Freshman Donovan Jones successfully crossed the goal line on one of the two two-point conversion attempts to give Richmond a commanding 20-8 lead at halftime.
The JV Crusaders (1-2) closed their deficit with a short rushing score early in the fourth quarter. With the PAT, Richmond still led by five points.
Turning up the pressure in the closing stanza, Brown recovered an onside kick attempt following the JV Crusaders’ final score.
Later, following a fumble by its offense, Richmond used a sack by sophomore Elijah Ingram and a pass break-up by freshman CJ Covington on third and fourth downs to force a turnover.
Brown collected a quarterback sack a series later on third down with the JV Crusaders driving at the Richmond 30-yard line. That stop proved to be a pivotal play.
Going for the fourth-down conversion, Cardinal Gibbons committed its third turnover of the game.
Sealing the victory, CJ Covington jumped the route and made a leaping interception in the red zone with 2:57 left on the clock.
Ty Covington, who was side-by-side with CJ Covington on the pick, took a handoff from sophomore quarterback Collin Hill a few players later to move the sticks on third down.
That first down allowed Hill to take a few knees in victory formation and secure the win.
Ingram had two sacks in the game and sophomore defensive lineman Jamaury Jones recorded three tackles-for-loss.
The JV Raiders (2-1) head west to Charlotte next Thursday to close out their non-conference schedule at Myers Park High School (0-1). Kickoff will get underway at 6 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Head coach Patrick Hope and assistant coach Joey English contributed scoring and defensive details to this article.
The Richmond Observer will update this article when more information is available.
