HAMLET — It may have taken it a little longer than he wanted, but Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy head football coach Taivon Jones saw his freshman Raiders earn a win on Wednesday.
The ninth-grade Raiders opened their season at home against Cardinal Gibbons High School after two weeks of seeing games canceled against Clayton High School. After trailing by two possessions early on, the Raiders would score 26 unanswered points to earn a 32-26 win.
Jones, who is in his first season as the team’s head coach, wasn’t shy about not knowing what to expect in the Raiders’ first game. But he was pleasantly surprised once his team found its footing.
“The guys were nervous today, especially since it was our first game of the year,” Jones said. “It was Cardinal Gibbons’ third game, but we got ourselves together and played really well.
“Our offense was shaky early on, but once we got it rolling, we looked a lot better than I anticipated for the first game,” he added. “The offensive line performed 10 times better than expected. They really picked things up and protected Emoni (McBride).”
The Crusaders would jump out to a 13-0 lead with 1:02 remaining in the first quarter after passing scores of 20 yards and 31 yards, respectively. But a play just 10 seconds after their second touchdown would spark the Raiders’ comeback.
Jamarion Bryant scored Richmond’s first points of the season when he returned the ball 75 yards on the ensuing kickoff. He scooped the ball off the ground at his own 25-yard line before running up the middle of the field and into the end zone past several Crusader tacklers.
Irwin Campos’ PAT was blocked, but the Raiders cut the deficit to 13-6 with 52.3 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Richmond defense would force a punt, an interception and stop the Crusaders inside the five-yard line on Cardinal Gibbons’ final three drives in the half. Frazion Steele would be responsible for the interception, snagging it inside the red zone and halting the visitor’s drive.
McBride, Richmond’s quarterback, would close the gap on Richmond’s next drive after Bryant’s run. The Raiders drove the ball 75 yards on eight plays, seeing McBride muscle his way in from two yards out on a keeper with 5:59 left in the second quarter.
Running backs Brandon Askins and Tay Spencer split reps on the drive, with Askins picking up 22 yards on three carries. Wide receiver CeeCee Wall also snagged a 22-yard reception from McBride to put the Raiders in the red zone. At the half, Richmond trailed Cardinal Gibbons 13-12.
To open the third quarter, McBride and Wall would connect again, this time on the Raiders’ fifth play of the drive. On first down at the Crusaders’ 31-yard line, McBride aired a pass that hit Wall in stride in the back corner of the end zone.
With 7:17 left in the third stanza, McBride rolled right and hit Steele for the two-point conversion to give Richmond a 20-13 lead.
With the Cardinal Gibbons offense on its heels, Richmond’s Jerry Cogg would pick off the team’s second pass of the game two plays into the next Crusaders series. He caught the ball at Cardinal Gibbons’ 42-yard line and returned it to the 29-yard line.
A defensive pass interference call moved the Raiders to the 14-yard line, and two plays later, McBride threw his second touchdown pass of the afternoon, this time to Bryant. The hook up came on fourth-and-nine and gave Richmond a 26-13 lead with 3:35 left in the third.
The Crusaders responded with a rushing score just over two minutes later, but Askins would cap the Raiders’ scoring a couple drives into the fourth quarter. Starting at their own 40-yard line, the Raiders moved the ball to the Crusaders’ 30-yard line in five plays.
That’s when Askins took a handoff and turned the right side of the offensive line to race 30 yards to the house with 2:13 left in the game. Cardinal Gibbons scored on a 36-yard passing play with 1:25 on the clock, but a couple of runs by Richmond milked the clock to secure the win.
McBride finished the afternoon with two passing TDs and a rushing score in his high school debut. Bryant added a receiving score and a kickoff return, while Wall had the other touchdown catch. Askins ended the night with one rushing score.
“Jamarion’s kickoff return let everyone know we were ready to play,” Jones said. “I was proud of Frazion and Jerry for making those interceptions. Everyone on the team played hard and fought through some fatigue.”
The freshman Raiders (1-0) will head to Cardinal Gibbons (1-2) next Thursday to play the Crusaders in a rematch. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
