ROCKINGHAM – Sports contributor Deon Cranford reveals his final five top 25 games in Richmond Senior High School’s illustrious football history.
No. 5 The Comeback
2002 – Scotland at Richmond
In 2011, the Scotland ended a 16-year drought to Richmond at Pate Stadium, a rivalry win that was long overdue for the Scots. It boggles the minds of many in Laurinburg how that streak did not end sooner considering the number of times that Scotland had the upper hand in multiple meetings between 1995 and 2010. None of them stands out more than the game that took place at Raider Stadium in October, 2002.
Neither team was having a lot of success offensively. In fact, both Richmond and Scotland had just a little over 100 total offensive yards apiece when the fourth quarter started. However, the Scots found a way to put points on the scoreboard despite their offensive woes.
In the second quarter, the Scotland defense charged Richmond’s Jamar Bryant as he was attempting to punt from his own end zone. The ball was deflected and landed just seven yards away from the Raider goal line where Scotland defenders pounced on it to give their offense great field position.
It only took one play for Bruce Freeman to push his way into the end zone scoring the first points of the game. The point after was good giving the Scots a 7-0 advantage, which they would keep until halftime.
In the third quarter, Bryant once again had to punt from the shadow of his on goal post. This time he was able to get the kick away, but the Scots still had a short field starting at the Raider 40-yard line. Thirteen plays later, Freeman once again found pay dirt. With the PAT, the Scots now had a 14-0 lead in the waning moments of the third quarter.
The Raiders and Scots came up empty on their next two possessions, but that’s when things got interesting. Following a Scotland three-and-out, the Scots set up to punt from their own 44-yard line. Future two-time Super Bowl winner Dannell Ellerbe broke through the line and knocked the punt down. It was scooped up by teammate Kenta Everett who took it to the house with 8:38 remaining in the ball game. The PAT was missed, but it was a one possession game at 14-6.
After another stop on defense, Ryan Baucom came into the game at quarterback, sending starting quarterback Bryant to a wide receiver spot. That combination worked out well. On the third play of the drive, Bryant hauled in a Baucom pass at the Scotland 25-yard line. He eluded one tackler, lowered his shoulder, and collided with another. The collision knocked the defender to the ground and stood Bryant back up in the process. From there, he dashed to the goal line untouched to bring the Raiders to within two points.
Bryant temporarily returned to the quarterback role on the two-point conversion attempt and made good on a pass that tied the game up with just 2:17 left on the clock. The Raiders were not done.
After holding the Scots to another three-and-out, Richmond took over from their own 27-yard line with only 59 seconds remaining. They managed to move the ball 18 yards to the 45 with only 22 seconds left on the clock. From there, Baucom and Bryant made a little magic happen.
While running to his left, the right-handed Baucom launched the ball from his own 42-yard line and it found a well-defended Bryant down near the Scotland five-yard line. Bryant leapt in the air between two Scotland defenders, tipped the ball once, and kept his eyes on it while he was falling to the ground. Gravity did the rest as the ball landed right between “1” and the “0” on his jersey. Bryant quickly wrapped his arms around it and sat up to avoid letting the ball touch the ground.
With the miraculous catch, the Raiders were in business at the three-yard line. One play later, Baucom found Bryant in the back corner of the end zone for the go ahead touchdown with just nine seconds remaining. The Raiders went on to win 21-14 by scoring 21 unanswered points in the game’s final 8:30.
Other Notes: It was the third year in a row that the Raiders trailed the Scots by two scores at some point in the game only to come back and win.
No. 4 The REAL Green and Gold
1999 – Crest at Richmond
When Richmond entered into its second round playoff game against the visiting Crest Chargers, it was looking for its 43rd consecutive win. Little did they know that their green and gold clad visitors from Crest High School would force them into a back-and-forth offensive battle that blew up the program’s history books.
Over 800 yards of offense were accumulated by the two teams and the final 53-52 score marked the first time in Richmond’s program history that over 100 points were scored in a game featuring the Raiders.
When the first quarter ended, a high-scoring game is the last thing anyone was expecting. Neither team was able to reach the end zone and the only points on the scoreboard came from a Crest field goal.
Crest’s Rafael McKissick only carried the ball three times in the game for a grand total of six yards, but four of those six yards were huge for the Chargers in the second quarter. McKissick capped off two long drives by Crest when he pushed his way into the end zone from one and three yards out.
Richmond also had two second quarter touchdowns, but there were no drives necessary. First, Michael Green took and handoff, found a hole, and ran untouched for 62-yards to the end zone. Later, Michael Newton hit Antonio Gould in stride for a 68-yard touchdown pass. Since all PATs by both teams were accounted for, Crest went into the break with a 17-14 lead over the Raiders.
The two teams nearly broke even once again in the third quarter. Richmond scored first on a 23-yard run by Chris Covington midway through the period giving the Raiders their first lead of the game at 21-17. However, Crest answered right back moments later with a 46-yard touchdown pass taking back its three-point advantage.
With 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Richmond’s Adam Hodges tied the game with a 27-yard field goal.
It just took 10 seconds into the fourth quarter for Crest to climb right back on top. Phillip Shaw showed his speed when he took it to the house from 59 yards out. With the PAT, the Chargers were up 31-24. The Raiders didn’t waste any time. On the vary next possession, Darius McBride found some room and raced 53 yards to pay dirt. Hodges tied the game up once again, this time with a PAT.
The Raider defense came up big by stopping the Chargers on the following possession and giving its offense a chance to take the lead. The speedy Raider offense did just that. With just 2:41 remaining in the game, Green ran for his second touchdown of the game, this time from nine yards out to give Richmond its largest lead at 38-31.
The Chargers just would not go away. In the final moments of the game, Crest quarterback Daniel Alexander led his team down the field deep into Richmond territory. With no timeouts and only seven seconds remaining, Alexander raced past the goal line from 11 yards out on what would have probably been their last opportunity to run a play. With the PAT, the score was tied 38-38 and the two teams headed to the sideline to prepare for overtime.
On Richmond’s very first play in overtime, Green scored his third touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run. Hodges was once again true on the PAT and the Raiders led 45-38. Crest needed two plays. After losing a yard on first down, Alexander found L.J. Williams in the end zone for his second touchdown pass of the game. Crest Coach Roy Kirby opted to kick the PAT and send the game into double overtime.
In the second overtime session, Shaw ran it in on the first play for the Chargers. With the PAT, Crest led 52-45.
Richmond hoped that Green could score quickly and easily as he did in the initial overtime period, but Crest’s defense was ready and threw everything they had at him. He carried the ball twice, but only managed four yards.
On third down, Green went straight up the middle, following his offensive line to the end zone. Richmond Coach Daryl Barnes decided to gamble. Instead of sending Hodges in, who had recorded six PATs and a field goal on the night, he kept the offense in the game in to try and win it with the two-point conversion.
The gamble paid off. Green once again followed his blockers. This time, he appeared to be stopped at the one-yard line, but he refused to be denied. Green gave one final push which was just enough to get across the goal line and the home team celebrated one of the most epic wins in program history.
No. 3 Cutthroat or Clutch?
1997 – West Charlotte at Richmond
If your mind is blown by how many people pack into Raider Stadium for a Richmond vs. Scotland rivalry game, then you probably were not at the 1997 playoff game between the Raiders and the visiting Lions from West Charlotte High School. There were so many people packed into the stadium that every seat was taken and not a blade of grass was visible on the hills next to the stands on either side of the field. The large crowd definitely got its money’s worth.
Everything was going the Lion’s way. West Charlotte shut down Richmond’s offense and limited the Raiders to just seven first-half points. After the Lions scored their second touchdown of the first quarter, Michael Waddell took the ensuing kickoff 98-yards to the end zone. A Wesley Jackson PAT cut the West Charlotte lead to 12-7.
In the second quarter, the Lions received great field position at the Raider 32-yard line following a turnover. West Charlotte marched down the short field in just six plays, scoring with just 2:10 left in the half. With the PAT, the Lions had a 19-7 advantage.
West Charlotte quarterback Keith Matkins led his team down the field once again in the third quarter. He ended the drive when he found Richard Bohart in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was good and West Charlotte fans were celebrating a 26-7 lead.
Then the moment came that no Richmond player or fan will ever forget. An overconfident Lion made his way to the Raider sideline and made a throat slicing motion with his hands in an arrogant way to signify that the game was over. His Lions had a 19-point lead, but there was still a quarter and-a-half left to play. Everything went south for the Lions from that moment.
Matkins, who had passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns at that point, did not complete another pass for the Lions for the rest of the game. The Raider defense bent, but did not break on the following West Charlotte possession forcing the Lions to punt. Waddell paired his first half kickoff return with an 80-yard punt return in the final moments of the third quarter. Jackson’s PAT cut the deficit to 26-14 with five seconds left in the third period.
After another stop by the Raider defense, Richmond quarterback Brad Denson capped off a fourth-quarter drive when he connected with Eric Little for a touchdown from 11-yards out. With Jackson’s PAT the score was now 26-21 with 8:08 left in the game.
Once again, the West Charlotte offense stalled, forcing them to punt. The Raiders received the ball on the Lion 44-yard line for their final opportunity of the game.
Eleven offensive plays and two West Charlotte penalties later, and the Raiders were inside the one-yard line, just inches away from the go ahead score. Denson took the ball himself and pushed his way towards the goal line. Both sides cheered as the Raider fans thought he was in and the visitors felt he was stopped. The officials signaled in favor of the Lions forcing the Raiders to set up and go for it again.
This time, Denson took the ball stepped towards his blockers and leaped over the pile extending the ball forward. Joining Denson in the air were the two outstretched arms of one of the officials. The home crowd erupted as their offense ran back towards the sideline in celebration. The two-point conversion attempt was no good, but the Raiders had erased a three-possession deficit to take their first lead of the game with only 27 seconds remaining. The Raiders held on to win 27-26 and later won the 1997 state 4A title.
Other Notes: Richmond and West Charlotte have played nine times. The Raiders have won eight of those meetings. West Charlotte’s only win in the series came in the 2007 playoffs which they later had to forfeit due to using an ineligible player.
During five of Richmond’s seven state title seasons, it had to defeat the Lions in the postseason. The only two titles that did not require a win over West Charlotte (1989 and 1990), Richmond was the eastern bracket and West Charlotte was in the west. The Raiders actually defeated the Lions in the 1978 and 1988 state title games.
No. 2 The Bucs Stop Here
2008 – Richmond vs Jack Britt at UNC’s Kenan Stadium
The chances of having two conference opponents meet in the state title game are slim. Since the brackets are divided based on a team’s geographic location, then there are only a very few conferences that would have teams located along that East/West line that could go either way. Then you’d need one team from the conference to go east and another to go west and both of those teams would have to survive the first four rounds.
In 2008, the Midsoutheastern Conference accomplished this in two different classifications with Richmond facing Jack Britt in the 4AA championship game and Seventy-First squaring off against Douglas Byrd in the 4A title game.
In the 4A title game, it was a one-man show as Seventy-First’s James Hopper rushed for nearly 200 yards and scored all four touchdowns in the Falcons’ 28-7 win over Douglas Byrd.
In the 4AA title game, it was not a one-man show, but there were two players that were fighting for the spotlight. Jack Britt quarterback Everett Proctor and Richmond quarterback Tedarrius Wiley each showed all of the poise and leadership that any coach could ask for in their signal caller.
The Raiders, who had defeated the Bucs 21-15 earlier in the season, led 17-14 at halftime in the state title meeting. Wiley and the Raider offense only had one possession in the entire third quarter, but they made it count. Richmond’s 13-play, 65-yard drive ate up over five minutes and ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Justin Jackson. The Cody Threadgill PAT put the Raiders up by double digits at 24-14.
Jack Britt’s offense led by Proctor finally found some success and took control of the game. The Bucs erupted for 21 straight points. Once on a 58-yard pass from Proctor to Curtis Maheu, and two rushing touchdowns by Tremale France. France’s second touchdown put Jack Britt ahead 35-24 with just over five minutes left to play in the game.
Richmond followed that with another long drive that ended in a two-yard touchdown pass from Wiley to Gabe Love. Wiley then connected with Lovell Joy on the two-point conversion attempt and the Raiders were only down by a field goal at 35-32 with 2:19 remaining.
With only one timeout left to use, the Raiders needed to recover on onside kick to prevent Jack Britt from simply running out the clock. It looked as though the kick was going to work out perfectly for the Raiders. The ball deflected off of one Buccaneer and bounced towards a wall of gold jerseys. Somehow, the Bucs managed to recover the kick securing the victory, or so it would seem.
Since Richmond had one timeout in play, Jack Britt elected to run one play to burn as much time as possible. That one play cost them a state title. The exchange between Proctor and running back Eric Johnson wasn’t clean, causing the ball to come loose and hit the grass. Jackson jumped on it for Richmond giving the Raiders an unbelievable opportunity.
On the very first play after the turnover, Wiley connected with Joy again at the Jack Britt 15-yard line. It took the Raiders five plays to score from there, but they regained the lead when Wiley found Joy again from four yards out with just under a minute remaining. The kick was blocked, but the Raiders held on for a 38-35 victory earning the school its seventh state title.
Other Notes: That was Richmond’s ninth win in a row against Jack Britt. The Bucs finally earned their first victory over the Raiders in the very next meeting which took place in the 2012 playoffs. Wiley completed 20 of 25 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns (two touchdown passes to Love, one to Joy, and one to Quayshawn Dumas)
No. 1 Magic…
1990 Richmond vs West Forsyth at UNC’s Kenan Stadium
The estimated 8,000 Richmond fans who travelled to Chapel Hill to watch Richmond take West Forsyth for the state championship game will never forget that game.
Raider followers born after 1990 are told stories about it. The title game featured Richmond’s powerful offense versus a stingy West Forsyth defense that had recorded six shutouts and had forced 49 turnovers on the season.
The two teams battled between the goal lines for the majority of the game, fighting for field position, and failing to reach the end zone. In the second quarter, a Raider drive stalled, but Eric Thomas was close enough to kick a field goal and put the Raiders on top 3-0. Raider Nation’s celebration was short lived.
On the very next possession, the Titans answered with a 69-yard touchdown pass putting West Forsyth on top 7-3. That score remained unchanged for what seemed like an eternity.
For the next 27 minutes, the two frustrated offensive units failed to do much at all against the two unwavering defenses. Possession after possession, the Raiders watched as precious minutes ticked away.
With 1:03 left in the ballgame, Richmond received the ball on its own 30-yard line following a Titan punt. It was the Raiders’ last chance.
On the first play, quarterback Eric Thomas scrambled for 12 yards to the 42-yard line. Then, he threw three consecutive incomplete passes setting up a fourth-and-10 and a must-convert situation. Richmond put the ball in the hands of Walter “Flip” Ellerbe who ran past the first down marker and kept going for a 25-yard gain to the West Forsyth 33-yard line.
With the final seconds winding down, the Raiders quickly lined up and Thomas intentionally threw the ball away in order to stop the clock with seven seconds left.
On the final play of the game, Thomas took the snap and ran left. He then circled back to the right to avoid West Forsyth defenders. He made some great moves to avoid tacklers and kept looking for a target.
Finally, he launched a Hail Mary pass towards the right side of the end zone. A West Forsyth defensive player made a great effort to leap up and knock the ball down, but it was just out of his reach. The ball grazed his fingers, bounced off of the intended Raider receiver Michael Fletcher, and finally came to rest right in the arms of Raider tight end Mike Johnson. The catch gave Richmond a 9-7 lead as time expired.
In an instant, Richmond went from defeat to winning their third straight state title. It was Johnson’s only catch of the season.
Other Notes: Flip Ellerbe was named MVP. It was the first time in 52 straight games that Richmond was held below double digit scoring.
