CHARLOTTE — It wasn’t the way the No. 2 Richmond Raiders started their game at American Legion Memorial Stadium, but rather how they ended it against No. 4 David W. Butler High School.
Shining bright in the second and fourth quarters under the Saturday night lights, Richmond mounted two successful comeback attempts to edge the Bulldogs 32-29 in the Carolina Panthers’ “Big Friday High School Football Series.”
A week after defeating the reigning 3AA state champion Mount Tabor Spartans, the Raiders handed the non-conference Bulldogs, who are the 2020 4A East regional runner-up, their first loss of the season.
Richmond used three second-quarter touchdowns to take a 25-14 lead into the locker room, and used a fourth-quarter rushing score from senior quarterback Kellan Hood with 3:43 left in regulation to ice the win.
“If it was about how we started, we would have lost on the opening snap,” head coach Bryan Till said. “(Butler) had a big play there, but the kids kept fighting and battling. We had a huge drive at the end after a fumble and a big stop by the defense at the end to seal it.”
Butler wasted no time and scored on an 80-yard catch and run from Xavion Brower to Eli Sylvester on the team’s first play after the opening kickoff. Following a successful PAT, the Bulldogs led 7-0 with 11:43 left in the first.
The Raiders responded two drives later, going 70 yards on 11 plays to pay dirt. A 22-yard completion from Hood to senior wide receiver Cason Douglas moved Richmond near midfield.
Six straight running plays put the Raiders inside the five-yard line, and Hood scored the first of his game-high three rushing touchdowns from three yards out. He moved to his left around the edge and entered the end zone untouched.
Senior Alex Medina’s PAT was blocked, and Richmond was behind 7-6 with 63 seconds left in the opening frame.
Just 31 seconds into the second quarter, Brower rushed for a one-yard score to put the Bulldogs ahead 14-6. A couple of Richmond personal foul calls helped move Butler down the field.
On the very next play for the Raiders, senior running back Nasir Crumpton found a hole in the line and dashed 70 yards up the middle of the field to the house for his second rushing score in two games.
The Raiders’ two-point conversion attempt was no good and trailed 14-12 with 11:13 to go before the half.
Senior running back Nasir Crumpton races to the end zone on his 70-yard score. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Crumpton’s run sparked a Raider offense that would outscore Butler 19-7 in the second stanza. Richmond’s defense forced a three-and-out on Butler’s next drive, putting the Raiders at the Butler 40-yard line.
A short gain by junior tailback Taye Spencer was followed by a 20-yard run from Hood, who finished with an impressive game-high 144 rushing yards on 23 carries.
On first down from the Bulldogs’ 18-yard line, Hood got out of a collapsed pocket to find senior wide receiver Trey Thomas along the left sideline. Thomas hauled in the catch at the nine yard line and crossed into the end zone.
Another two-point try failed for the Raiders, but Richmond held its first lead 18-14 with 8:34 to play in the first half.
An ensuing 10-play drive by Butler ended in a turnover on downs when Brower threw an incompletion on 4th-and-5. Richmond took over at its own 35-yard line and scored six plays later.
A 33-yard catch and run from Crumpton moved the ball to the Butler 20-yard line, and three plays later, Hood pushed in from a yard out to extend Richmond’s lead.
Medina split the uprights and the Raiders moved out to a 25-14 lead with just under three minutes before the break.
“The big adjustment we made is we trusted our o-line and stayed behind those guys,” Till said of the high-scoring second quarter. “They’re guys we’re going to lean on, and a little injury messed us up in the third quarter.
“That’s why there was some inconsistency in the third quarter,” he added. “That along with field position change was a big part of that.”
Butler outscored Richmond 15-0 to start the second half to take a 29-25 lead with 9:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. Brower scored on a 14-yard keeper and a two-point conversion made it 25-22.
Sylvester struck again, this time a 35-yard receiving touchdown from Brower, with 9:53 left in the fourth quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead 29-25.
Helping start the final comeback for Richmond was senior linebacker Gabe Altman, who scooped up a Brower fumble, Altman’s second turnover of the season.
Senior linebacker Gabe Altman (6) celebrates with J.D. Lampley (55) after recovering a fourth-quarter fumble. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Giving the Raiders possession at their own 43-yard line, it took the offense just six plays to score the game-winning tally. Sprinkled in were runs of 26 and 27 yards, respectively, by Hood, the latter seeing him carry a handful of defenders down to the three-yard line.
Lining up in goal-line formation, Hood rolled out and scooted into the end zone for the final score of the game. Medina’s extra point was good.
On Butler’s final drive, the Bulldogs started at their own 20-yard line. Senior cornerback Jaleak Gates nearly picked off a Brower pass on the second play, and Altman recorded a four-yard tackle for loss two snaps later.
Facing a 4th-and-10 at their own 34-yard line, Brower was met by a swarm of Richmond defenders for a quarterback sack. Senior defensive end J.D. Lampley was the first player to get a hand on Brower before his teammates piled on.
With 1:07 on the clock and Butler out of timeouts, Hood took a knee on consecutive plays to earn the win.
“Kellan was absolutely incredible, his sheer effort and determination was incredible,” Till commented. “Along with that, it’s our staple of guys, our o-line with Braxton (Butler) and Jaiden (Covington) in the first half and big Jeff (Linton).
“J.D. going both ways tonight, Jordan Carlyle came in and went both ways a bunch,” he continued. “The guys on the d-line stepped up so those guys could play offensive line. Jacoby Martin as a sophomore, Jerry Cogg who got his first (varsity) snaps last week. Just the sheer teamwork was phenomenal.”
Richmond’s rushing attack collected 228 yards compared to Butler’s 77 yards on the ground. Adding to Hood’s line was Crumpton, who had 80 yards on three carries. Spencer chipped in 22 yards on 12 touches.
Hood was also 8-for-14 passing, collecting 117 yards and one score. Douglas caught four passes for 52 yards, Crumpton added one catch for 33 yards and Thomas hauled in one pass for an 18-yard score.
On defense, Baldwin led the Raiders with two sacks, and as a team, the Raiders tallied 10 tackles for loss.
Senior linebacker Mikey Baldwin (19) sacks Xavion Brower (3) in the second half. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Brower completed 16-of-30 passes for a game-high 275 passing yards and two passing scores. Both of those went to Sylvester, who ended with four catches for 132 yards.
“We really want a chance to celebrate this but we can’t celebrate but on the bus ride home,” Till closed. “With it being a Saturday night game, you really have to get your butt to work on a great opponent next week.”
Richmond (2-0) will play its first fall home game in nearly two years and look to stay perfect next Friday against another ranked opponent in No. 3 Cardinal Gibbons High School (1-1).
The Raiders were eliminated from the 2020 4A East state playoffs by the Crusaders in the second round on the road. Kickoff from Raider Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.
VIDEO INTERVIEWS — Click the links below to hear from players and coaches following Saturday’s win.
Mikey Baldwin, senior linebacker
Nasir Crumpton, senior running back
Kellan Hood, senior quarterback
J.D. Lampley, senior defensive end
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Saturday’s game on Sunday. We will also publish a preview of the Cardinal Gibbons game next week.
For updates on all Richmond County sports, follow us on Twitter @ROSports_.
