ROCKINGHAM — For the third straight season under head coach Bryan Till, the Richmond Senior High School football team had the most selections named to the All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team.
Released Sunday afternoon following the elimination of all SAC schools in the NCHSAA 4AA and 4A state playoffs, the Raiders sent 17 players onto the 52-man roster.
Leading the list of All-Conference selections were Richmond’s junior quarterback Caleb Hood and junior outside linebacker CJ Tillman, both of whom earned the top individual accolades.
Hood was named to his third All-SAC team in three seasons, and was crowned the 2019 “Offensive Player of the Year.” For Tillman, it was his second All-Conference selection, and his play earned him the title of the SAC’s “Defensive Player of the Year.”
Hoke County High School’s George Small, who just wrapped up his second season at the head of the Bucks’ program, was tabbed the “Coach of the Year.” Behind Richmond, Scotland High School had 10 picks, while Hoke County saw eight players named.
Rounding out the roster were six selections from Pinecrest High School, five from Jack Britt High School, three from Seventy-First, two from Lumberton and one from Purnell Swett high schools.
Of the 17 players chosen, Richmond had six offensive players picked: Hood, offensive linemen Brian Bowden (senior, first selection) and Jaleel Davis (junior, second selection), junior wide receivers Jakolbe Baldwin (second selection) and Dalton Stroman (first selection) and senior running back Jaheim Covington (second selection).
On defense, the Raiders were represented by nine players: Tillman, and first-time selections in senior defensive linemen Javon Little and Omarion Mason, senior linebackers Dre Bethea, Gavin Russell and Joerail White, and senior defensive back Zyier Baldwin. Fellow senior DBs Dereck Barringer and D’Marcus Harrington were named to their second straight All-SAC team.
The special teams unit saw junior kicker Trevor Moss earn his second consecutive honor, while junior specialist and kick returner Jaron Coleman was chosen for the first time.
Caleb Hood, Offensive Player of the Year
Hood’s name is synonymous with the Raiders’ offense, and has been the past three seasons since he took over under center. In 2019, Hood played in 14 games and recorded a career-high 2,176 passing yards, while also tying a career-high with 21 passing touchdowns.
A dual-threat quarterback, Hood also set career-highs in rushing yards (976 yards), rushing touchdowns (16) and rushing attempts (214 carries). His four rushing scores against Myers Park High School in the playoffs were a career high, and he threw three passing scores three times.
“It’s awesome to be named OPOY, but I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” Hood said of the honor. “My offensive line was amazing this year, and so were my receivers. They bailed me out on a lot of bad balls to make crazy catches and turn short passes into long TDs.
“The offensive line made it easy for me, but they worked their butts off,” he continued. “Everyone did. Jaheim and Jaron took a lot of pressure off me by scoring long TDs. I love my team and wouldn’t trade them for anyone. I’m proud of them no matter what anyone says.”
CJ Tillman, Defensive Player of the Year
Tillman is one of several Richmond linebackers who brought the hit stick and speed this season, and he, like Hood, posted several career-highs. No. 24 was seemingly all over the field in 2019, and racked up a team and career-high 94 total tackles, 78 of which were solo tackles (also a team and career-high).
His best game of the season was against Pinecrest High School, when he picked up 18 total tackles, adding six tackles for loss. Tillman led the Raiders in tackles per game (7.8) and tackles for loss (20). He added four quarterback sacks (career-high, tied for second on the team), forced three fumbles (career-high) and made one interception.
“It’s an honor and truly a blessing to be DPOY,” Tillman shared. “I was taught that hard work pays off sooner or later, and I’m glad to see it paying off now.
“To have 17 players named is amazing,” he added. “It shows how talented we are as a group on and off the field. We push each other to be the best we can be, and this is the outcome of that.”
Offensive Players: Baldwin, Bowden, Covington, Davis and Stroman
Baldwin continued his high level of play this season, as Stroman had a breakout year for the Raiders. They were Hood’s top two targets, with Stroman reeling in a team and career-high 716 yards on 31 receptions and a personal best nine receiving touchdowns.
Baldwin had a team-high 34 receptions and added 687 receiving yards and eight scores. Both wideouts would eclipse 1,000 yards in their careers during their junior campaigns. Both went over the 100-yard mark twice, collecting career highs in a single game in catches (6) and yards (Stroman, 143; Baldwin,124).
Covington closed his three-year varsity career with a career-high 1,293 rushing yards on a career-high 151 attempts. He found the end zone 23 times on the ground this season, matching a career-high with four rushing scores against Jack Britt. Covington averaged 93.26 yards per game and surpassed the century mark six times.
His most electrifying performance was against Hough in the playoffs, which saw him collect 204 yards, including a program record 99-yard rushing score. Covington also hauled in nine catches for 129 yards and led the team in scoring with 150 points.
Bowden and Davis, two of the biggest guys on the offensive line, were tasked with protecting Hood’s blind side along the left side of the line. For much of the season, they held opposing defenses to under five sacks on Hood, and provided gaps in the line for Hood, Covington and Coleman to score multiple touchdowns of 70 yards or longer. Together with the rest of the o-line, Bowden and Davis helped the Raider offense average 40.64 points per game.
Defensive Players: Baldwin, Barringer, Bethea, Harrington, Little, Mason, Russell and White
Up front in the trenches, Little and Mason were two of the most spirited players on defense. Both defensive linemen had the best years of their careers, emerging to fill the gaps of three All-SAC players from a season ago (AJ Isaac, Divine Nicholson and Rasheed Patrick).
Little was tied with Russell for the most quarterback sacks (5), and Mason found an opposing quarterback three times. Little also led the team with 18 quarterback hurries, while Mason’s nine were second best. Mason and Little finished with 41 and 39 tackles, respectively.
In the linebacking corps, Bethea, Russell and White were among the team’s leading tacklers, and all recorded career-highs. Russell had 68 tackles (43 solo) and 15 TFL (second on team), a career-high five sacks, and snagged his lone interception against Seventy-First. He recorded back-to-back sacks against Drake Maye of Myers Park in the playoffs.
Bethea recorded 50 total tackles (42 solo), had seven TFL, a career-high three sacks and recovered one fumble. White, who switched to defensive end in the latter part of the season, totaled 50 tackles (31 solo), had a career-high four sacks with two coming against Hough, and hurried opposing quarterbacks four times.
Richmond’s secondary was comprised of two-year starters at every position, and Barringer was the leading tackler of the three named. He had a career-high 79 tackles (47 solo), and led the defense with 16 passes defended, including a season-high five against Butler. Barringer was second on the team with two interceptions, also a career-high.
Baldwin, a cornerback, wasn’t far behind with 11 passes defended, having a big night with a career-high three knocked away against Myers Park. He added 25 total tackles (18 solo), with seven coming against Hoke County.
Harrington, a Campbell University commit, had 54 tackles (29 solo), nine passes defended and one punt block against Seventy-First. He added a punt return for a touchdown against Jack Britt, a 21-yard return, which was part of a second-half surge.
Special Teams Players: Moss and Coleman
Moss was one of three kickers used this season, alongside senior Drew Davis and fellow junior Mack West. Used primarily for kickoffs, Moss had 99 total kickoffs with 54 touchbacks, and set the program’s all-time record for most career touchbacks. He was also 3-of-4 in field goals, kicking season-long 36-yarders against Clayton and Butler.
Coleman enjoyed his first full varsity season as the second-string running back behind Covington and the team’s leading kick returner. He had 11 kickoff returns for 249 yards (22.6 yards per return), and saw his longest return go for 81 yards against Butler.
Out of the backfield, Coleman had 70 carries for 740 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown run against Anson. He finished the season with 10 rushing scores.
Note: Some players’ statistics didn’t include the Richmond-Vance playoff game, which weren’t recorded in Maxpreps at the time of publication.
