ROCKINGHAM — Competition returned to the Richmond Senior High School practice football fields on Wednesday, as the Raiders hosted the first of their three 7-on-7 scrimmages this summer.
Welcoming Cheraw, Montgomery Central and Overhills high schools, the teams’ offensive and defensive skill position players competed in a trio of 25-minute scrimmages.
On the upper practice field, members of all four programs’ offensive and defensive lines participated in one-on-one drills, tug-of-war and tire battles.
Head coach Bryan Till, who’s entering his seventh season with the Raiders, said some of the main focuses of Wednesday’s workouts were to develop an understanding of the playbook and get in as many reps as possible.
“We’re trying to get everyone to understand what we’re trying to do on both sides of the ball,” Till shared. “Every kid but maybe two got some reps, and of course we’ve got some guys who are already banged up and we held out, too.
“We wanted every single kid to get reps and understand what we’re doing,” he added. “With all the kids out here, you could see how deep it was. It’s easy to say these guys want an opportunity, and we were able to do that today.”
Playing on a 40-yard field, offenses had four downs to gain 20 yards and maintain possession for another four-play series.
Opening the day against Overhills, the Raiders had four offensive possessions, scoring twice. The defense allowed the Jaguars to score on each of their four possessions.
With Richmond still looking to name its next starting quarterback, senior Zaviar Lowry and sophomores Evan Hodges and Domonic Tillman split the reps in all three scrimmages.
Lowry and Hodges went four-and-out in the first two series, respectively, before Tillman and Lowry threw a touchdown pass in the final two drives.
An athletic grab by junior Travion Smith moved the sticks inside the five-yard line, where Tillman threw a short pass over the middle for a score to senior Rondell Neal.
Lowry’s touchdown came in the final series, a long catch and run by sophomore wide receiver Jayden Hamilton, who weaved through traffic into the end zone.
Richmond scored twice against Montgomery Central, as Lowry and Hodges found the end zone. Catching a pass from Lowry was junior wideout Nicholas Griggs and sophomore Keonta Pegues hauled in a score from Hodges.
Senior linebacker Marquan Martin stalled one of the Timberwolves’ drives when he intercepted a pass.
In their final scrimmage against Cheraw, the Raiders intercepted two passes on the first two drives to keep the Braves out of the end zone. Coming down with a pick apiece were senior Darius Harris and junior A.J. Covington.
Richmond scored on two of its four drives. After a first-down pass to Hamilton, Tillman found Hamilton again for the touchdown. Lowry registered one more passing touchdown, this time a dart to senior running back Jaliel Green in the front right corner of the end zone.
“All three quarterbacks got to work with different guys,” Till said. “We wanted them to mix up which receivers they were throwing to because it’s not just about a relationship with one guy or timing. It’s about understanding the offense and reading defenses.
“The big thing we’ve got to start doing after this is start working in some of our play-action stuff. Even though other teams won’t react, we’re working on our steps and feet with it. From a triple option standpoint, it does help us understand concepts, routes and down-and-distance situations.”
Below are photos from Wednesday’s 7-on-7 scrimmages, taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar.
