WINSTON-SALEM — It was a tale of two halves between the Richmond Raiders and Mount Tabor Spartans on Friday, but the Raiders emerged with a season-opening win against the defending 3AA state champions.
Channeling its first-game energy into eight touchdowns, and scoring in all three phases of the game, Richmond and head coach Bryan Till held off a productive second half by the Spartans to win 56-41.
From their opening drive and for much of the first half, the Raiders controlled the tempo against Mount Tabor, which proved substantial in earning the non-conference win.
The meeting between the two 4A heavyweights featured a 42-point first half by Richmond and a defensive effort that held off a comeback attempt by Mount Tabor in the final two quarters.
Despite being outscored 34-14 in the second half, Richmond used a late forced fumble by senior linebacker Mikey Baldwin and a 55-yard return by senior linebacker Ke’Sean Ingram to help thwart the Spartans’ chance at a win.
Richmond also sustained a nine-play, 44-yard final drive that took 4:56 off the clock to seal the deal.
Senior LB Ke’Sean Ingram (39) nears the goal line on his fumble recovery score. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
“You could see in the second half two good football teams, nobody (was) giving up,” Till said. “Guys continued to try and make plays, and I’m really impressed with those kids and how they did.
“Guys stepped in and (showed) the will to win,” he continued. “The guys were all jacked up and they really focused it in. We saw that energy over and over again.”
Richmond scored on its first drive, a seven-play, 73-yard effort that ended with senior running back Nasir Crumpton pushing in from a yard out. On the play prior, Crumpton broke loose for a 36-yard run to set up the score.
Senior kicker Alex Medina, who went a perfect 8-for-8 on PATs, tacked on his first one to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead with 8:18 left in the opening quarter.
The Spartans scored on their second drive, a 52-yard catch and run from quarterback Semaj Reaves-Smith to Lance Patterson. The PAT was good, knotting the game 7-7 with 55 seconds to go in the first.
The Raiders’ offense responded with a four-play, 71-yard touchdown drive on the ensuing march. It marked the first of three consecutive drives spanning the remainder of the first half that Richmond found the end zone.
Senior quarterback Kellan Hood made a 58-yard gain on the ground on the third play of the drive, and followed with an 11-yard scamper up the middle for a touchdown, one of Richmond’s three rushing scores.
Two plays into Mount Tabor’s next drive, senior linebacker Gabe Altman intercepted a Reaves-Smith pass and gave Richmond possession at the Mount Tabor 32-yard line.
Senior LB Gabe Altman (6) celebrates with coach Chris Campolieta following his interception. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Just three plays later, Hood connected with senior wide receiver Cason Douglas for a 31-yard catch and run touchdown. Douglas hauled in the pass at the 18-yard line and shed a tackle before sprinting into the end zone.
With 9:16 left in the second quarter, Richmond led 21-7.
After forcing the Spartans to a three-and-out, Richmond used a short field to find pay dirt on a six-play, 44-yard drive. Hood completed passes to senior wide receivers Chris Ellerbe (19 yards) and Javares Stanback (10 yards) to move inside the red zone.
Three plays later, junior running back Taye Spencer became the third Raider rusher to score, punching it in from seven yards out.
On the next play from scrimmage, senior cornerback Jaleak Gates stripped the ball from running back Noah Marshall and recovered the fumble. Gates turned the jets on and raced 17 yards to the house for a defensive score.
Senior CB Jaleak Gates (1) is surrounded by teammates after he scored on a fumble recovery. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Richmond’s final score of the half came on its next drive when Hood rolled to his right on a busted play and threw a strike to Ellerbe, who caught the ball at the 13 yard line.
Dodging a handful of Spartan defenders, Ellerbe trotted into the end zone to complete the 39-yard touchdown. At the break, Richmond led 42-7.
Senior WR Chris Ellerbe (3) crosses the goal line in Friday’s win. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Marshall, who scored a game-high three rushing touchdowns, started the third quarter with a 69-yard rushing score to cut Mount Tabor’s deficit to 42-14.
Douglas wasted no time adding to Richmond’s lead, returning the ensuing kickoff 86 yards to the house. Catching the ball at the 14-yard line, Douglas broke a series of tackles in the middle of the field before bursting down the right sideline.
The Spartans would make the third quarter their own, scoring on three of their next four possessions. Marshall scored on a 25-yard run, and Patterson caught his second touchdown of the game, an 80-yard scoring play.
Baldwin and Ingram combined to force the fumble and score for the Raiders on the next Mount Tabor drive to maintain a 56-28 lead at the end of the third.
The Spartans started the fourth quarter with a 52-yard touchdown dash from Marshall, who was the game’s leading rusher with 162 yards on 18 carries.
Scoring the final touchdown of the night with 5:12 left in regulation was wide receiver Jamarien Peterkin, who hauled in a 76-yard pass from Reaves-Smith.
Senior defensive end J.D. Lampley blocked the extra point attempt by Eliott Trinh.
The final Richmond drive that wound the clock inside of 15 seconds resulted in a turnover on downs.
“Moving guys around, those guys got a chance to make plays in whatever phase they got an opportunity,” Till commented. “Cason Douglas had a huge night, really a great fighter tonight who played extremely hard.”
When asked what he was most impressed with, Till said the team’s “will to win” and that the Raiders’ “effort as the game went and continued to fight wasn’t really a question.”
Mount Tabor (0-1) finished the game with 478 yards of total offense, compared to Richmond’s 412 yards of total offense. Richmond added 273 yards on the ground, while the Spartans collected 318 yards through the air.
Hood went 7-of-10 passing for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading the Raiders with 129 rushing yards on 13 attempts and one score.
Senior QB Kellan Hood (7) moves around a defender on one of his 13 rushing attempts. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Spencer added a touchdown on 63 yards and 13 attempts, junior Brandon Askins finished with 41 yards on nine touches and Crumpton capped the rushing attack with 40 yards and a score on five carries.
Ellerbe led the Raiders with 58 receiving yards on two catches and Douglas added 53 yards on two receptions.
Reaves-Smith went 13-for-23 with 318 passing yards and three touchdowns. Patterson led the Spartans with 155 yards on seven catches and Peterkin notched 116 yards on two grabs.
With the win, Richmond improved to 3-0 all time against Mount Tabor, including postseason wins in 1998 and 2004.
Richmond (1-0) will continue its four-game non-conference schedule to start the season next Saturday against David W. Butler High School (0-1).
The game will be played at Memorial Stadium and begin at 7:30 p.m.
VIDEO INTERVIEWS — Click the links below to hear from players and coaches following Friday’s win.
Senior wide receiver Cason Douglas
Senior quarterback Kellan Hood
Offensive coordinator Brad Denson
The Richmond Observer will publish a preview of the Butler game next week. For updates on all Richmond County sports, follow us on Twitter @ROSports_.
