ROCKINGHAM – In anticipation of the 2018 Richmond Senior High School varsity football season, sports contributor Deon Cranford lists his top 25 Raider football victories in program history.
In rescinding order, here are Nos. 25 through 21:
No. 25 Raiders cool off the Rockets…
1989 State Title Game at UNC’s Kenan Stadium
Mother Nature seems to always take its toll on high school football. From something as small as a rain delay, to something as big as a hurricane, schools and officials have to remain in constant preparation for the unpredictable. The state title game between Richmond and AC Reynolds High School in 1989 was no exception.
An ice storm swept through parts of the state knocking down TV towers, causing 31,000 homes to lose power, and was responsible for dozens of automobile accidents, which left many injured and claimed eight lives. With all of the chaos, the championship game was still only delayed by one day and played on a Sunday afternoon at UNC’s Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.
Some prognosticators were giving Richmond’s opponent a slight advantage since they were from Asheville and a little more accustomed to the cold. However, the Raiders struck early and often taking a 25-0 halftime lead en route to a 39-13 victory. Eric Thomas and Flip Ellerbe each ran for two touchdowns. Mike Thomas hit Oscar Sturgis with a 32-yard touchdown strike and Corey Wall picked off a Rocket pass and returned it 41 yards for Richmond’s final score of the game. The title win marked the 30th consecutive victory for Richmond.
Other Notes: This victory was Coach Daryl Barnes’ 40th. He had a record of 40-3 in his first 3 seasons as head coach of the Raiders. Mike Thomas was named MVP. Richmond would go on to play in one more Sunday game when they beat Jack Britt in the 2008 title game.
No. 24 Richmond vs. Scotland Y2K…
2000 – Richmond at Scotland
The Raiders entered the game against Scotland with a 7-0 record and outscoring their opponents 300-25. That streak included a school record five consecutive shutouts. Most of the talk however, was about Scotland RB Kenny Covington. Covington’s size and speed were predicted to give Richmond’s stingy defense some problems. However, both defenses stood strong causing their high-powered offensive counterparts to struggle to put points on the board.
The final quarter began with Richmond leading 13-7. The Scots put together a five-play, 51-yard drive early in the fourth quarter, which ended with Covington bullying his way into the end zone to give the Scots their first lead of the game at 14-13 with only seven minutes remaining.
Both teams traded possessions and the Raiders found themselves on their own 28 yard line with one final chance. They reached their own 45-yard line with just a little over a minute left to play. From there, Raider quarterback Brandon Davis hit Antonio Gould who eluded Scotland defenders and sprinted to the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown catch and run with just 57 seconds left on the clock. Richmond’s Chris Covington carried the ball in for the 2 point conversion and the Raiders led 21-14. Richmond held on to win their eighth straight game against their rival.
Other Notes: Kenny Covington finished with 152 yards on 27 carries and both of Scotland’s touchdowns. Uncharacteristically for Richmond at the time, all of their points came from passes and field goals. Davis had two touchdown passes, the one to Gould, and a 29-yard touchdown pass to Emanual Sims in the first half. Adam Hodges had two field goals (35 and 21 yards) in the first half accounting for the remaining Raider points. Antonio Gould transferred from Richmond to Marlboro for his senior year where he assisted the Bulldogs to a 15-0 record and a state title in 2001.
No. 23 Say good “Knight” to Northern Durham…
1989 – Northern Durham at Richmond
In 1989, the Raiders advanced to the third round of the state 4A playoffs to face the Knights of Northern Durham. The defenses played well in the first half with one big offensive play being the only difference. After Richmond’s Eric Thomas picked off a pass at the Raider 10-yard line to stop a long Northern Durham drive, Raider star running back Flip Ellerbe took a handoff on the first play after the turnover and ran it back 89 yards to the Northern Durham 1-yard line. QB Mike Thomas carried it in from there, and the Raiders had a 6-0 lead that they would keep until halftime.
Northern Durham wasted no time in the second half when it returned the kickoff 57 yards to the Raider 14-yard line. They scored one play later, and with the PAT, the Knights led 7-6. That is only the second time all season that the Raiders had trailed. With just 10 seconds left in the third quarter, Eric Thomas finished a 66-yard drive by running it in from a yard out to give Richmond a 12-7 lead.
In the 4th quarter, the Raiders were threatening to extend their lead, but Northern Durham turned the tables when a Knight scooped up a Raider fumble and ran it back 67 yards for the touchdown. The two-point conversion was good and Northern Durham led 15-12 with 9:35 left in the game.
On Richmond’s next possession, the Raiders drove the ball down the field again and the drive ended with a 19-yard touchdown run by Thomas with 5:16 left in the game. Another missed PAT left the Raiders only leading by three points (18-15). Northern Durham took advantage of the remaining time and put together a drive of their own, but it stalled deep in Raider territory. A Knight field goal attempt missed wide right with only seven seconds remaining in the game.
Other Notes: Steve Spurrier, Jr. played for Northern Durham in this game. He later went on to coach at the University of South Carolina with his father.
No. 22 Flipping the Byrd…
1997 – State Title Game at UNC’s Kenan Stadium
Richmond seemed to own the scoreboard in 1997. The Raiders won all 10 regular season games and outscored their opponents by nearly 300 points (354-66). However, the playoffs were not as kind. They faced tough competition in the third and fourth rounds of the playoffs winning both games by a combined five points.
The Douglas Byrd Eagles were in familiar territory. It was their third consecutive visit to the title game, but they had lost the previous two to West Charlotte and Crest high schools. It took less than three minutes for it to appear that the championship game was once again not going to go Byrd’s way. Richmond’s Michael Waddell returned the opening kickoff into Byrd territory before being brought down at the Eagle 34-yard line. A few plays later Raider quarterback Brad Denson connected with Chris Terry for a 10-yard touchdown. Later, Charles McNeill added to the scoreboard when he ran the ball into the end zone to finish another first half Raider drive.
The game remained close for a while, but the Raiders managed to pull away in the second half. With his team leading 14-7, Waddell took a pitch from Denson and ran it 69 yards for a touchdown at about the halfway mark in the third quarter. McNeill, not wanting to be outdone by Waddell, finished the Raider scoring with a 38-yard touchdown run with 4:30 remaining in the game. The Raiders held on to win their fifth state title in program history by defeating Byrd 27-7.
Other Notes: The tough games that Richmond had in playoff rounds three and four were against West Charlotte and Crest. Those were the same two schools that beat Byrd in the title game the previous two seasons. The 1997 third round game versus West Charlotte and a later 1999 meeting with Crest would become two of the most memorable post season games in school history and will both be featured later on this list.
No. 21 Dethroning a champion…
1985 – Richmond at Seventy-First
After losing the season opener to East Mecklenburg and squeaking by Pine Forest by a single point in week two, expectations of a Richmond victory against the defending state champion Falcons in week three were not too high.
With the score knotted at 7-7 heading into the fourth quarter, there was some hope. The Raider defense held the Falcons early in the final quarter forcing them to punt. The Raiders then relied on their offensive line, the feet of their running backs, and their smash-mouth style offense to score the go-ahead touchdown.
Raiders Brian David, Skeet Thomas and Cleon Robinson alternated turns carrying the ball during the drive and every single play was run right up the middle. After driving deep into Seventy-First territory, the Raiders found themselves in a fourth-and-one situation at the Falcon 15-yard line. It was David’s turn with the ball. He pushed his way up the middle for the first down, but broke free and kept on going to the end zone for the go-ahead score and the Raiders led 14-7 with 5:43 remaining in the game.
The Raider defense held strong on the ensuing Falcon possession and Richmond recorded a huge win over one of the state’s best programs at the time.
Other Notes: This was Richmond’s first victory over the Falcons in over a decade that did not require overtime. Richmond defeated the Falcons in overtime in 1983.
