PEMBROKE — “All eyes forward” was the message junior varsity head football coach Patrick Hope had for his Raider team ahead of Thursday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference opener against Purnell Swett High School.
Coming off the program’s first loss in more than three seasons to Cardinal Gibbons High School, as well as the Raiders’ bye week, Richmond responded with a convincing 33-0 win over the Rams. The victory extended the Raiders’ conference winning streak to 20 games.
Scoring 20 points in the first half, followed by 13 more in the final two quarters, the JV Raiders (2-1, 1-0 SAC) used all three phases of the game to score at least touchdown. Freshman quarterback Emoni McBride was promoted from the freshman team and made his first start of the season under center.
McBride would go an impressive 9-for-10 passing in his debut for 116 passing yards and two touchdowns. Richmond’s offense would out-perform the Rams 172 total yards of offense to 15 total yards, as the Raider defense played rigid football and forced three punts, two interceptions and two fumbles.
“Emoni got the start as a reward for the work he’s done on the ninth-grade team with the two wins over Cardinal Gibbons and another against Pinecrest,” Hope explained. “He’s been working with these guys all season and there was a lot of familiarity.
“We had to get him through the first series and get him into a rhythm,” he added. “Once we were able to do that, he settled in and was able to make plays all night.”
Following a quick three-and-out by the Rams to start the game, which featured two tackles for loss by sophomore linebacker Gabe Altman, Richmond would drive the ball 60 yards on eight plays for its first score.
On first-and-10 at the Rams’ 11-yard line, McBride dropped back and lobbed a pass to sophomore wide receiver Javares Stanback, who hauled it in over a defensive back inside the right corner of the end zone. The hook up was the first score of McBride’s career. Freshman Dylan Locklear tacked on the PAT and the Raiders took a 7-0 lead with 4:37 left in the first quarter.
Both teams traded possessions the next handful of series, and McBride would find the end zone again, this time to sophomore wideout Chandler Orr with 2:39 left in the first half. A 27-yard pass, McBride’s longest of the night, found Orr out-stepping a defender in the end zone, capping off a seven-play, 60-yard drive.
After a missed PAT, the Raider defense would get the ball back thanks to an interception by freshman linebacker Tez Anderson. Jumping a route, Anderson caught the ball on Purnell Swett’s second play of the drive and returned it to the Rams’ 28-yard line with 1:10 left on the clock.
Freshman running back Xavier Wall would extend the Raiders’ lead on the very next play from scrimmage, rounding the left edge of the line before tip-toeing down the sideline and into the end zone from 28 yards out. Locklear rang true on the PAT and Richmond took a 20-0 lead into the locker room.
Also grabbing an interception in the first half was sophomore cornerback Cason Douglas, which was his fourth pick in three games this season.
The second half started with a bang thanks to an 84-yard kickoff return by sophomore defensive back and kick returner Jamari Broady. He took the ball at his own 16-yard line before dancing through traffic and getting on his horse to race to the house to give the Raiders a 26-0 lead.
One more splash play would happen for the Raiders in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. With the Rams backed up inside their own 15-yard line, a fumble was scooped up by sophomore linebacker Ke’Sean Ingram, who returned it nine yards to the end zone for the Raider defense’s lone score of the game. Douglas added the PAT for the final point.
The Raider defense recorded three sacks during the game, and Altman was responsible for recovering the other Purnell Swett fumble on the next Rams’ possession after Ingram’s score.
Orr was the game’s leading receiver, picking up 38 yards on three receptions. Stanback had two catches for 34 yards and sophomore Chris Ellerbe had one catch for 23 yards. Sophomore tailback Nasir Crumpton chipped in a game-high 55 yards on 10 carries, and Wall’s 40 yards on five carries helped the offense.
“All week we talked about playing hard and playing with more effort than the other team,” Hope explained. “We have been really close on kickoff returns, and Broady was able to get in the wedge and score. I was pleased we were able to score in all three phases of the game.
“The defensive focus was a lot better tonight,” he closed. “The guys accepted a lot more coaching and were humbled after the loss to Cardinal Gibbons. We went back to the basics and playing fast to get our calls right.”
Richmond will begin preparation for another SAC game next week when it travels to Pinecrest High School on Thursday. A season ago, the JV Raiders defeated the Patriots 42-12. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in Southern Pines.
