ROCKINGHAM — The energy coursing through Richmond Senior High School’s veins during spirit week has the Raider football team amped up for its first home game in three weeks.
While students, players and coaches alike have dressed up as their favorite holiday, movie or book characters and donned the likes of the elderly and camouflage as part of the annual festivities during the school day, it’s a win during their homecoming game that the Raiders and head coach Bryan Till are seeking the most.
No. 1 Richmond (8-0, 4-0 Sandhills Athletic Conference) is off to its best start since 2014 when former head coach Paul Hoggard, who just celebrated his 150th career win, and the Raiders began the season 10-0. Including last season’s perfect run against SAC opponents, Richmond is currently riding a 17-game regular season winning streak.
They’ll look to keep that going against Lumberton High School on Friday following a day full of homecoming court celebrations and the annual homecoming parade in downtown Rockingham. While the Raiders sit tied atop the SAC standings with rival Scotland High School, the Pirates enter the Week 10 game tied for last place.
Lumberton and Purnell Swett High School have matching 0-4 records against conference opponents, and the Pirates (2-6, 0-4) have dropped their last four games, getting outscored 186-21 in those contests. Lumberton has been shut out twice in that span, and gave up a season-high 51 points to Pinecrest High School last week.
It’s been a turbulent fall for the Pirates, seeing now former head coach Kelly Williamson announce his abrupt mid-season retirement on Monday, Oct. 14, just days after losing 42-0 to Seventy-First High School. Serving as the interim head coach is Adam Deese, who will coach just his second game of the season when the Pirates travel to Raider Stadium.
“It’s unfortunate that (Williamson) left in the middle of the season, but that gives us an opportunity to hammer home the message of ‘being the best the best you can be’,” Till said in his office Wednesday. “We don’t focus on records and tell our kids not to get caught up in that or anything else happening on or off the field.
“Our kids have put homecoming in the right place,” he added of possible distractions. “Our job is to win on Friday and for everyone else is to enjoy it. We approach it as just that, but it’s fun to participate in the pep rally and seeing our players dress up throughout the week.”
Till noted that homecoming week is “always a lot of fun,” but emphasized that the Raiders “know when it’s time to work.” Two seasons ago, the Raiders welcomed in the Pirates on homecoming, and beat them 49-27 behind five rushing touchdowns.
Never taking an opponent or its record for granted, Till explained practice the last handful of days has been business as usual. The Raiders are also tweaking some things on both sides of the ball, while also adding some new wrinkles into their already explosive offense and shutdown defense.
“This week has given us the chance to work on some new things we’ve been wanting to get in during games,” Till explained. “They’re mostly different looks and new formations and motions. Any time we introduce new things, it requires a lot of focus from our players and coaching staff.”
The Raiders are coming off a 49-14 win over a solid Hoke County team last week, as the offense is now averaging an impressive 43.38 points per game, which is first in the SAC and 5.75 points per game more than Pinecrest. Junior quarterback Caleb Hood accounted for five of the Raiders’ seven scores against the Bucks, tossing three through the air and adding two more on the ground.
Opposite of Hood is Lumberton’s Jadarian Chatman, a junior quarterback filling the shoes of former quarterback Braylan Grice in his first season as a starter. Chatman “is a great athlete who makes people miss” Till said when he uses his legs out of the pocket. Accompanying Chatman is sophomore tailback Taft Powers.
“Powers just started playing last week, and he’s a young and talented back,” Till said. “Lumberton runs a spread offense very similar to Hoke County where the formations are the same, but plays are different.
“They do a good job of mixing in runs and throw the ball more than Hoke does,” Till added. “We’ve also been preparing for more motions. Lumberton has shown some new things the last two weeks with its new coach, so we need to be creative and that’s going to be our focus.”
The Pirates’ defense has also struggled this season, allowing an SAC-worst 37.13 points per game. Till noted they run a 4-3 defense, but the Pirates often operate on a 4-2-5 defense when their “linebackers drop out of the box” and play more as a defensive back in the secondary.
Richmond has been preparing for seniors Justin Bridgman and Michael Todd, both of whom play on both sides of the ball.
Richmond’s defense, however, continues to rank at the top of the conference, holding teams to just 86 points in eight games (10.75 points per game), which is best amongst the SAC’s eight teams. The Raiders have also recorded three shutouts.
If the Raiders were to win, it would be the program’s 499th career victory. Richmond has won 32 of the 33 all-time meetings against the Pirates.
Kickoff for the homecoming game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Raider Stadium. Ahead of the game, fans are encouraged to RSVP and attend a tailgate along the access road leading up to the field house.
