ROCKINGHAM — Just prior to Friday’s season opener against Clayton High School, three Richmond Senior High School junior football players found out some exciting news — news that fueled their performance en route to a 46-point win.
Quarterback Caleb Hood and wide receivers Jakolbe Baldwin and Dalton Stroman were told by head coach Bryan Till to stay behind after the team’s pre-game workout in the weight room. After heading to his office, Till picked up the phone and dialed Duke University.
On the other end was Kirk Benedict, who oversees Richmond as a Blue Devils recruiter, and he explained that all three teammates were receiving a full athletic scholarship offer from Duke.
In what was a “special” moment for the trio of Raiders to share together, the verbal offers from the Blue Devils is just the most recent in a string of offers already received by Richmond players this year. It was Hood’s fourth Division I offer, the other three coming from the University of North Carolina, Appalachian State University and Wake Forest University.
For Baldwin, it was his second offer, having already received one from North Carolina State University earlier in the summer. Duke’s offer to Stroman made it the wide receiver’s first of many hopeful scholarship opportunities.
Senior cornerback D’Marcus Harrington has collected five offers, among them Campbell University and Liberty University, and junior offensive tackle Jaleel Davis received an offer over the summer from the University of South Carolina.
“It’s extremely unique to have three guys offered at the same time by the same school,” Till said. “It doesn’t really happen so it makes it really special. All three are very deserving. The thing that I pointed out was that the offers are contingent on doing well academically.
“It means something as long as we win on Fridays,” he added. “It’s very rewarding to them and our program, but no one has signed anything. I want to pat them on the back but the hard work is still in front of them. They have to maintain the level of play that continues to deserve the offer moving forward.”
Till said that Baldwin, Hood and Stroman are “all in great academic standing,” which helped lead to the offers initially.
“It’s really cool for all three of us to have the same offer from the same school,” Hood said. “I grew up watching teams play like Duke and Carolina, and now getting scholarship offers from them is a dream come true.
“We weren’t allowed to tell anybody until after the game,” Hood chuckled. “Coach (Till) wanted to tell the team as a whole. I think it definitely gave us some motivation to go out there and play our best.”
Hood noted that he’s also a “big fan” of Zion Williamson, the former Duke basketball player, and said it added to his interest of potentially playing there.
While keeping the news of the offers amongst themselves, all three players had a solid first game of the season. Hood captained the offense to three first-quarter touchdowns on the team’s first seven plays, with two of those scores going to Stroman.
On the third play from scrimmage, Stroman ran a short route to Hood’s left, snagging his first reception of the season before racing 41 yards for a touchdown. Two drives later on the first play, Hood airmailed a dart to Stroman down the left sideline for a 77-yard score, the touchdown catch of Stroman’s career.
Hood would finish the night 7-of-12 passing with 199 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a rushing score in the second quarter and moved into second place on the program’s all-time completion list (269). Stroman was the game’s leading receiver with two receptions for 118 yards and two scores. Baldwin caught two passes for 33 yards, both for first downs.
“It was unexpected because when we went to (Duke’s) camp, we didn’t get to do one-on-ones,” Baldwin explained of the summer trip. “But we talked to the coaches after and they told us there was still high interest in us. It’s a great feeling — I can only choose one school to go to, but it’s great to get multiple offers.
“This was special to get offered together,” he added. “It gives us motivation to work harder and get better throughout the season. It’s kind of nerve-racking knowing people are watching us, but it tells us we can compete with anyone in the state.”
Baldwin added that he’s personally going to work on route running, blocking and playing more physically to help the Raiders be successful this season.
“I was shocked at first, and then I looked at Caleb and Jakolbe and started smiling,” Stroman explained. “I kept thinking ‘I actually got my first offer’ and I was so excited. Then I was just ready to go out and play (against Clayton) — it really motivated me.
“It’s very special because we didn’t expect it to happen,” he added. “I told my parents after the game and they were so excited for me. And scoring those touchdowns was a very good experience to start the season off right.”
Now with his first football scholarship offer in his back pocket, Stroman has set the bar high for himself to score 10 touchdowns this season. He added he wants to “help the team go as far as it can, get a state championship ring and play my best and play fast” every game.
“We’re going to keep doing the same things that are working,” Hood closed. “We all want to get scholarships, play in college, get a degree and make it to the next level. But right now it’s about making memories. We’re going to stay focused on what’s ahead of us and I’m excited to keep grinding with my boys.”
Baldwin, Hood and Stroman, along with the rest of the Raiders, will look to earn a win on the road at non-conference Anson High School on Friday. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
