ROCKINGHAM — Weathering an early storm on Thursday, the Richmond junior varsity football team scored five unanswered touchdowns to earn its first win of the season.
Playing their first game in two weeks, the JV Raiders defeated Overhills High School 34-6 to close out its non-conference schedule.
Richmond found most of its success on the ground, scoring three rushing touchdowns. A strong passing game added another through the air, and a defensive score in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter sealed the deal.
After starting the season with three losses, head coach Patrick Hope said the win over the Jaguars was what the team needed before heading into its conference schedule.
“There’ve been a lot of good things in the three games we’ve played, but they haven’t resonated in the final score,” Hope said. “It was good to see all of that hard work get us a win on the right side of the score column.
“To get our first win is great, and we talked a lot about this being what springboards us into conference play,” he added. “We can still accomplish what we want by the end of the season, but we needed this performance tonight.”
Overhills took an early lead during its first possession, taking just two plays to find the end zone. A 62-yard run on the Jaguars’ first play led to a 14-yard rushing touchdown to make it 6-0 with 6:57 left in the first quarter.
Sophomore linebacker Lareese Swinnie had his name called over the loudspeaker several times, starting with making a stop on Overhills’ two-point conversion attempt.
Richmond’s offense responded with a 58-yard scoring drive that included two long conversions through the air by freshman quarterback Dillon Veach.
Facing 3rd-and-12, Veach connected with sophomore wide receiver Linden Garcia for a 29-yard gain to move the JV Raiders to the Overhills’ 31-yard line. A couple of plays later on 4th-and-12, Veach found Garcia for a 22-yard catch to get into the red zone.
Sophomore Linden Garcia (12) makes a catch in the first quarter. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Freshman running back Joesiya Cole scored the first of his game-high two rushing touchdowns three plays later. He made a two-yard plunge up the middle to tie the game, and freshman kicker Billy West split the uprights to give the Raiders a 7-6 lead with 1:47 left in the opening frame.
Sophomore linebacker Marquan Martin intercepted a pass deep in Jaguars’ territory on the next drive, but the pick was negated due to a pass interference call. Not to be denied, Martin jumped a route two plays later to give the Raiders the ball at the Overhills 28-yard line to start the second.
Sophomore Marquan Martin (31) celebrates his interception with Jacob Wall (15). (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
That turnover set up a four-yard touchdown run from Cole six plays later. Helping move down the field was an athletic catch from freshman wide receiver Raymond Knotts, who jumped up over a defender and caught the ball falling backward.
After Cole found a hole in the middle of the line for the score, West was true again to extend Richmond’s lead to 14-6 with 8:34 remaining in the first half.
A high snap on third down on the Jaguars’ next drive allowed Swinnie to rush in and collect a fumble recovery and give Richmond the ball back with just under six minutes to play. Veach and company took over at the Overhills 31-yard line.
Veach pitched the ball left to freshman running back Javion Smith for a 13-yard gain, and two plays later Garcia made another catch to put the JV Raiders inside the 10-yard line.
Sophomore Isaiah Lockhart capped the drive with a rushing touchdown out of the wildcat formation, sprinting in from 7 yards on 4th-and-goal. Another West PAT put Richmond up 21-6, a score that would hold until the half.
Sophomore Lareese Swinnie (21) falls on top of a fumble, which led to a score. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
“These are still guys who are learning how to play, it’s been a long time since they’ve played organized ball,” Hope explained. “They’re getting better, and not playing last week helped us because we were able to have some competition at some positions. That brought the best out of and challenged some players.”
There was no scoring in the third quarter, which saw a 30-minute delay following an injury timeout.
To start the fourth quarter, Swinnie recorded a quarterback sack which forced a punt. Garcia fielded the kick at the Richmond 43-yard line and returned it 29 yards to the Jaguars’ 28-yard line.
Two snaps later, Veach threw a pass to freshman wideout Travion Smith in the right flat, who weaved past two defenders for a 20-yard catch and run touchdown. West tacked on his final PAT of the game to give Richmond a commanding 28-6 lead with 11:00 left in regulation.
Freshman Billy West (30) and freshman Dillon Veach (8) watch as a PAT sails through the uprights. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
With the clock winding, another bad snap on first down by Overhills from deep in its own zone resulted in a defensive score for the JV Raiders. Freshman K’Mauri Morgan collected the loose ball near the goal line and fell into the end zone for the game’s final score.
“The offensive line did a great job tonight, and Coach (Kevin) Alfonso always gets those guys going,” Hope said. “We moved some guys around to help bolster that unit, which has helped a lot.
“Joesiya stepped in with Jordan Bostic hurt and did a great job, as did Javion and Joseph Patterson at running back,” he added. “Dillon did a great job seeing some things and making some good third-down conversions. We’re maturing as an offense, learning how to take care of the ball and sustain drives.”
Freshman Joesiya Cole (6), who scored two rushing touchdowns, carries the ball in the red zone during the first quarter. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Now 1-3 on the season, the JV Raiders will open Sandhills Athletic Conference play next Thursday at Pinecrest High School. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
