HAMLET — The Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy football team played 39 minutes of solid football Thursday, but would suffer its first loss of the season after allowing a game-winning touchdown in the final 31.6 seconds of the game.
Finishing a home-and-home regular-season series against Pinecrest High School, the freshman Raiders would see their perfect record snapped in a 14-7 loss to the Patriots. A week prior, Richmond and head coach Taivon Jones earned a 14-13 road win over Pinecrest.
Things got off to a fast start for the Raiders on Pinecrest’s opening drive of the game. A fumble on the Patriots’ first play from scrimmage saw defensive lineman Sebastian Fullwood scoop up a bouncing ball and return it deep to the opponent’s 15-yard line before behind tackled from behind.
With former freshman quarterback Emoni McBride called up to the junior varsity team, fellow freshman Emmanuel Gilliam got the start under center for the Raiders. A couple of plays after Fullwood’s fumble recovery, Gilliam handed the ball off to running back Brandon Askins, who broke loose up the middle of the field for a 15-yard score.
Place kicker Irwin Campos split the uprights to give Richmond a 7-0 lead with 8:12 left in the first quarter. That tally would hold until the halftime break.
The Richmond defensive line had a strong first half, seeing Fullwood and fellow defensive lineman Tyson Holloway each record three sacks against the Patriots’ quarterback. Several other Richmond players recorded tackles for loss to keep Pinecrest off the board.
Pinecrest entered the scoring column with 5:32 left in the third quarter, but failed to score on the two-point conversion attempt, still preserving a 7-6 Richmond lead.
Jones’ defense came through with a big stop in the fourth quarter, stunting the Patriots inside the red zone. Pinecrest moved the ball to Richmond’s 14-yard line, but the Raiders stopped the Patriots on fourth-and-four with 4:50 left in regulation.
The Raider offense stalled and couldn’t add any insurance points on the ensuing drive, giving the Patriots a final chance with 1:39 to go. A big 20-yard run by Pinecrest’s quarterback moved the ball to the Richmond 35-yard line.
With the clock winding inside the final minute, two short runs by Pinecrest put the Patriots at the Richmond two-yard line. A quarterback burst saw the ball cross the goal line and a run to the right on the two-point conversion gave Pinecrest a 14-7 lead with 31.6 seconds left.
The Raiders attempted an onside kick, but saw the ball recovered by the Patriots. Richmond now sits with a 3-1 overall record.
Jones and the freshman Raiders will conclude regular-season play on Thursday when they travel to Northwood High School (Pittsboro, N.C.). Kickoff against the Chargers is set for 6:30 p.m.
