ROCKINGHAM — In his weekly preview interview leading up to Richmond’s second round playoff game, Brad Denson said magical things tend to happen at Raider Stadium the later into the fall season the Raiders go.
That was the case Friday for Richnond, which survived and advanced in the NCHSAA 4A East playoffs, the mantra of the postseason.
The temperature wasn’t the only thing that was cold Friday, as the No. 4 Raiders froze an early upset attempt by No. 13 Clayton High School.
With ice in their veins, the Raiders overcame a first-quarter deficit and used a 17-point run during the second and fourth quarters to eliminate the Comets 24-13.
Some outlets around the state viewed Richmond and Denson as the underdog team despite the higher seed, but by slowly building momentum on their side, the Raiders contained quarterback Aiden Smalls and the rest of the Comets.
A field goal and a touchdown before the half gave Richmond a 10-7 lead at the break. A pair of rushing scores in the final quarter were enough to pad the lead thanks to more stingy play by the defense.
Richmond got off to a slow start offensively before picking up steam in the second quarter. The Raiders’ two first-quarter drives ended in a punt and an interception, one of three turnovers in the game.
The pick, thrown by junior quarterback Evan Hodges, came after Richmond scored twice from inside the 25-yard line. But a block in the back penalty and a holding call negated both scores, which were on consecutive long-yardage downs.
The Comets scored first on their opening drive, an 83-yard drive that resulted in Smalls throwing a nine-yard pass to tight end River Fiore. That score came with 5:21 to go in the first stanza.
The second quarter belonged to Richmond on both sides of the ball, which saw the offense score 10 unanswered points and the defense keep the Comets out of the end zone.
As the first quarter came to a close, senior linebacker K’Mauri Morgan bullied Smalls for a quarterback sack, manhandling and spinning him all the way back to the Clayton 10-yard line to force a punt.
On the ensuing drive, Richmond’s offense started to find its rhythm and used a penalty on the return to start at the Clayton 33-yard line.
Five plays later, senior kicker Billy West was clutch on a 33-yard field goal. Splitting the uprights right down Broadway, West got Richmond on the board to make it a 7-3 deficit with 10:54 to go in the second.
Senior cornerback Jarah Cook made a pair of plays on Richmond’s next defensive series, which led to another Comets punt. The first was a pass break up on a long attempt over the middle of the field, followed by a near interception on a route along the near sideline on third down.
Both teams traded punts on the next two possessions. Helping Richmond get the ball back, senior defensive back Keidreion Crump defended a long pass attempt in the red zone.
The Raiders would get the ball back at their 20-yard line with 4:55 to go in the second. Facing fourth-and-six, Denson dug into his bag of tricks to make the conversion.
Morgan took a direct snap and bull rushed his way through a handful of Comets straight up the middle to collect the first down.
Two snaps later, Hodges whizzed a completion to junior wide receiver Jayden Hamilton, which quickly developed into a 53-yard catch-and-run touchdown as Hamilton weaved his way through traffic.
With 1:06 left in the second quarter, West extended the lead to 10-7 with the extra-point attempt. That score would hold until the break.
Richmond had a chance to break the game open on the following kickoff when Clayton fumbled the ball on the return. Freshman Ty Covington, who was called up following the junior varsity season, fell on the ball to give Richmond possession at the Clayton 35-yard line.
Richmond wasn’t able to do anything with it and on the final play of the half, the Raiders turned it over on an interception.
Both teams plateaued offensively to start the second half, first with a Comets three-and-out and a missed field goal by the Raiders.
The Raiders drove the field near the end of the third quarter, which set up the final seven of their 17 straight points.
From the half-yard line, sophomore running back Chance Crowder continued his impressive stretch of games with a touchdown run. West, who was 3-for-3 on PATs, made it 17-7 with 11:58 left in regulation.
Morgan made another big stop on third down midway through the quarter to force another punt by Clayton, which finished its season with a 10-2 record.
Smalls managed to find the end zone with 7:18 to play after Richmond surrendered a lost fumble inside of its own 20-yard line. The quarterback rushed it in from 13 yards out, but Richmond’s special teams unit blocked the PAT to maintain a four-point lead.
Smart coaching and the execution of plays allowed Richmond to run out the majority of the remaining clock. Senior running back Jordan Bostick, the Raiders’ workhorse all season, rushed for a pivotal first down with 2:12 to play.
On the next snap, Bostick found a hole in the line and went 25 yards to the end zone for the final score of the game. West was good on the extra point to give Richmond a 24-13 advantage with 1:29 to go.
If that wasn’t enough to ice the win, senior defensive back AJ Covington intercepted a Smalls pass attempt just 33 seconds later, guaranteeing Richmond’s place in the postseason for another week.
Advancing to the third round, the No. 4 Raiders (10-2) will host another playoff game Friday. It will be the first third-round home game since 2019 for the team.
Richmond will welcome No. 5 Rolesville High School (11-1). The Rams defeated No. 12 Pinecrest High School 45-8 in the second round Friday.
It will be the first meeting between the Raiders and Rolesville in the postseason. The Richmond Observer will publish a preview next week, along with ticket and game time information.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Friday’s second round playoff game Saturday.
