ROCKINGHAM — As the No. 1-ranked Raider football team prepares for its Week 3 showdown with David W. Butler High School on Friday, several variables are at play, including Hurricane Dorian’s trek up the North Carolina coast.
At the time of publication, the game between the Raiders and the No. 8-ranked Bulldogs is still on for Friday night. Richmond County Schools is operating on a two-hour delay schedule, but that doesn’t impact kickoff, which is set for 7:30 p.m. inside Raider Stadium.
Head coach Bryan Till said there’s a contingency plan in place in case the impact of Dorian, now a Category 2 storm, is stronger than initially expected. The game will be moved to Saturday if not played on Friday night.
As first reported by ROSports, the Richmond Senior High School football team was cleared by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association on Wednesday of any wrong-doing during its altercation with Anson High School last week.
The “huge weight” lifted off the Raiders’ back gives Till and company the chance to “move forward” against the Bulldogs and keep its playoff hopes intact.
Richmond has had a roller coaster start to the season, facing a Clayton High School team surrounded in controversy involving the resignation of former head coach Hunter Jenks just 72 hours before the Week 1 contest. The Anson incident saw the game called at halftime, but the Raiders haven’t let the extracurriculars impact them, starting the year 2-0.
When Butler and Richmond meet, it will be the seventh-straight year the two teams have clashed. The past two seasons under Till, the road team has earned the win, but the Raiders are hoping to change that this season.
As one of the most anticipated matchups this fall, the game will feature two of North Carolina’s 4A state champion hopefuls.
“There are a ton of similarities but the difference is really the kids,” Till said of the newly-found rivalry from year-to-year.. “Each team is different for us, but some kids will have to step up and make plays, which will make the difference in the game. Whichever team’s players do that this year will win.”
Last year, the No. 6 Raiders marched into Butler and upset the No. 4 Bulldogs with a 30-19 win in Week 4 to close out their non-conference schedule. That win proved to be a turning point in the Raiders’ season, giving them momentum to roll through its Sandhills Athletic Conference schedule unbeaten.
“It gives us confidence but it also gives us a real sense of what it takes to be successful at this game,” Till shared of playing the Bulldogs. “When we play someone that is going to be physical and play this game for four quarters, we get a better understanding of what it takes to truly be great at the game of football.
“Playing Coach (Brian) Hales’ team will always push us to do that,” he added. “However, that confidence means nothing if you don’t execute in the following weeks.”
No. 8 Butler (1-1) is coming off a 33-17 loss in Week 2 to the West’s No. 1-ranked team, Mallard Creek High School. The Raider defense, which has shut out each of its two opponents to start the season, will have to contain Butler’s tough offensive that features multiple formations.
Through six quarters of play, senior linebacker Gavin Russell leads the team with 11 total tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack. Junior linebacker CJ Tillman has 10 tackles, a team-high four TFL and a sack. The Raiders have also given up just 187 yards of total offense (93.5 yards per game), and forced teams to punt 12 times and turnover the ball twice in the 14 series they’ve played (excluding series ending a quarter or game).
Butler’s junior quarterback Parish Metzger brings with him an offense that includes senior running back Jamal Worthy.
“The key to their offense is their offensive line and tailback (Worthy),” Till shared. “They are all very good football players with high-level talent. The quarterback (Metzger) is good with fast wide receivers, but most of the pass game is set up by the excellent running attack.”
While the Bulldogs have an offense that put up 21 points in their Week 1 win over Hough High School, and is perhaps the most talented the Raiders have seen this fall, Till expects his defense to continue shutting down opposing offenses.
“Our communication and effort is what’s working so well right now,” he shared. “Our (defensive) players are studying and understanding the game and talking to each other. You are seeing our veterans talk and get guys lined up and in the right place, and then we are enjoying the benefits of a hunger to get to the football. We have to keep this up.”
On Richmond’s side of the ball, the Raiders are hoping to keep an explosive offense rolling that has put up big numbers the past two weeks. Led by junior quarterback Caleb Hood, who is 13-for-18 passing with five touchdowns through the first two games, the Raiders have averaged 40.5 points per game.
Junior wide receiver Dalton Stroman, who picked up several more Division I offers this week from UNC-Charlotte and Appalachian State, only has three receptions this season, but all have gone for touchdowns. On the other perimeter is fellow junior wideout Jakolbe Baldwin, who also received an offer from the 49ers.
Baldwin has caught four passes for one touchdown, and slot receivers Tremel Jones (one touchdown) and Kellan Hood will also be utilized in the passing game.
Behind the offensive, senior running back Jaheim Covington and junior tailback Jaron Coleman pack a hefty one-two punch that has collected five rushing scores on the season. Coleman set the Raiders’ all-time rushing touchdown record with a 95-yard burst against Anson last week.
According to Maxpreps, Hood is currently second in 4A play with .722 completion percentage among quarterbacks with at least 18 attempts. His 153.9 rating ranks first among the same grouping of quarterbacks, and he’s tied for third in the state with five passing scores.
“We trust our guys and their preparation,” Till said of the offense. “Our offensive players are dedicated to studying and being prepared and our coaches have given them the information (even in less time) to get prepared. We believe they will be ready because of the great bunch of kids and coaches we have.”
ROSports will provide any updates regarding the scheduling and time of the Butler-Richmond game if they were to happen. Follow @ROSports_ on Twitter for live in-game updates, postgame interviews and more.
