ROCKINGHAM — If the hustle of players on the practice field and the trilling of whistles are any indication, football preparation has returned to Richmond Senior High School after nearly two weeks off.
Fresh off their open week, the Raiders and head coach Bryan Till have spent the past four days preparing for Purnell Swett High School and their much-anticipated Sandhills Athletic Conference opener. During their time off, the Raiders were named as the No. 2 4A team in North Carolina according to Maxpreps’ adjusted rankings.
Myers Park High School, which defeated Richmond in the third round of the 2018 playoffs, is the only team ranked above the Raiders on Maxpreps’ list.
Till noted that while the team is aware of its status on various ranking boards across the state, the only thing that presently matters is focusing on beating the Rams on Friday. The Raiders enter conference play with a perfect 4-0 record, one of four teams in the SAC still unbeaten. Purnell Swett, however, is 0-4 and the only SAC squad without a win in 2019.
“It’s been good to get into game week prep mode as coaches,” Till shared. “The kids have done well and responded to what we’ve asked them to do. The only abnormality is we’re coming off a bye week but things have been pretty normal.
“We’ve been working from the standpoint of learning (Purnell Swett’s) offense and defense,” he added. “We feel we have a pretty good understanding of what they do and the possible adjustments they might make. Our focus has been getting enough reps so our kids can get better.”
A season ago, the Raiders defeated the Rams 41-0 in the regular season finale after seeing Hurricane Florence push the game nearly two months. It was Richmond’s fourth and final shutout of the season, and capped of a perfect 7-0 record against SAC opponents.
The history between the two programs leans heavily in Richmond’s favor, as the Raiders have won 28 of the 30 meetings dating back to 1989 when Purnell Swett became a high school out of West Robeson High School.
During that span, Richmond has scored 40 or more points 18 times, including the last eight seasons. The average number of points scored by the Raiders since the 2011 meeting has been 51.25 points per contest.
But Till said “the history doesn’t mean those players are coming back,” and emphasized the importance of “what our guys and their guys can do this season.”
The Rams are under the direction of first-year head coach Robbie Brown, who previously served as Purnell Swett’s offensive coordinator. Purnell Swett is known to have several players start and play a high volume of minutes on both sides of the ball, which is something Till hopes the Raiders will use to their advantage.
One player the Raiders will keep their eyes on is senior Austin Chavis, whose 6-1 frame is used as a defensive end and a tight end. A reigning All-Sandhills Athletic Conference player last year, Chavis is a “high-caliber kid who moves all over the field and who does a good job getting the ball and blocking.
With the loss of former wide receiver Chandler Brayboy (Elon University), Till expects the Rams to “spread the ball around a bit more.” He added that senior quarterback Micah Carter “has been stable” running a basic spread offense that sees “two-by-two or three-by-one sets on almost every down.”
Till would like to see the Richmond defense, which is allowing just 10 points per game this season, to “make adjustments from play to play.” Also playing on both sides of the ball for Purnell Swett are Jermaine McNeill (FS/WR), Ben Brooks (CB/WR), William Locklear (CB/RB), while James Brooks and James Little swap sides on the offensive and defensive lines.
Other playmakers for the Rams are senior tailback Jaylen McIntyre and senior outside linebacker Silas Easter. Through its four games this season, Purnell Swett is allowing 25.75 points per game and has only scored 19 total points (shut out twice).
“We are taking into effect the fact that they have so many guys who play both offense and defense,” Till shared. “Our guys should know to make a point when they’re playing and that big plays, tackles for loss, sacks and long drives will tire them out.
“Purnell Swett will have players playing twice as hard, so we want our kids to realize that the efficiency with everything we do on both sides of the ball impacts the outcome of the game.”
When asked how the Raiders look, Till said the team is “moving around really well in practice” and is nearly 100 percent, save for a couple of injuries. Juniors Jakolbe Baldwin (WR) and CJ Tillman (LB) will be kept out of Friday’s game as precautions to help heal some lingering injuries, but their head coach added that they’re improving nicely.
Some other players are being shifted around the Raider depth chart, including senior wide receiver Armond Martin and junior wideout Jarod Morrison, who has moved from slot to outside receiver.
Richmond’s offense, led by junior quarterback Caleb Hood, senior running back Jaheim Covingto and junior wide receiver Dalton Stroman, will look to put up 42 or more points in the fourth of their first five games this season. Hood is averaging 12.3 completions per game for 205 yards, while also legging out a team-high 72.5 rushing yards per game.
“It’s important to start conference play 1-0, then 2-0, and so on,” Till closed. “The focus should be on winning this week, and making that a weekly goal. Conference games are weighted so much more when it comes to the playoffs, so how we perform (the next seven games) is extremely important.”
Kickoff against the Rams is set for 7:30 p.m. at Raider Stadium.
