ROCKINGHAM — The future of Richmond County football played under the bright lights of Raider Stadium on Wednesday.
As part of an initiative by Richmond Senior High School athletic director Mike Way to connect the school’s reach to local middle school athletics, Richmond hosted a pre-season football jamboree.
All four of Richmond County’s middle schools — Cordova, Ellerbe, Hamlet and Rockingham — participated, while Spring Hill Middle School (Scotland County) also played.
Each scrimmage was one quarter with an eight-minute clock, and teams were allotted two timeouts. Following all other regular-season rules, teams did not do kickoffs, instead starting each drive at the 30-yard line.
Punts and field goals were also not live, with no rushing or covering punts allowed. Possession was granted to the yardline where kicks were caught or where the ball stopped.
Rockingham Middle School won both of its scrimmages. The Rockets opened with a 20-0 win over Spring Hill. Cam Everett and Jaden Wall each caught a touchdown pass from Damarion Allen. The defense had four takeaways, including a pick-six.
Against its cross-county rival Hamlet, Rockingham won 7-6. Allen ran in the only Rockets TD. The defense prevented a two-point conversion to preserve the win.
The Red Rams played the most of any Richmond County team, going 1-2 in their three scrimmages. Hamlet fell 19-0 to Spring Hill before bouncing back with a 22-0 win over Ellerbe.
The Cavaliers of Cordova matched the Rockets’ perfect record. In their game against Ellerbe, the Cavs won 19-0, followed by a 13-6 win over Spring Hill.
Below are photos of Wednesday’s jamboree taken by co-publisher Charlie Melvin. Rockingham statistics provided by head coach Zach Freeman.
