ROCKINGHAM — Three wins separate the Richmond Raider football team from its eighth 4A state championship, and its second-round opponent is “the best team” the Raiders will have faced this year.
Friday’s highly-anticipated 4A East showdown between undefeated teams No. 4 Richmond and No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons High School will be a rematch of a 2019 regular season game, but more is on the line this time around, as stated by head coach Bryan Till.
“Every round, the stakes get higher and everybody knows that,” Till said. “The more that’s at stake, the more we want to keep playing and continue to win.
“We are getting a chance to make something happen that hasn’t happened in a long time here,” he added, alluding to winning a state title. “We are going to make the most of those advantages when they come.”
With the Raiders “basically 100 percent healthy,” they are looking to ride the wave of momentum created after defeating No. 5 Middle Creek High School 51-27 in the opening round.
The biggest takeaway after that game that will help the Raiders (4-0) in round two, Till noted, was getting back to game speed both on the practice field and under the lights.
Richmond won the Week 4 non-conference game in 2019 by a score of 45-28, and despite the two teams meeting for the second time in as many seasons, Till said a lot has changed in the last 19 months.
Gone are key contributors from that game, like Caleb Hood (QB), Jakolbe Baldwin (WR) and Jaheim Covington (RB), along with a host of defensive players including Dereck Barringer (DB), D’Andre Bethea (LB), Xavion Lindsey (DB) and Joerail White (LB).
But several current players like senior wide receivers Dalton Stroman and Tremel Jones, who combined for 13 catches and 228 receiving yards in the 2019 victory, are preparing to face the top-seeded Crusaders (7-0).
Junior quarterback Kellan Hood is coming off a four-touchdown game against Middle Creek, having thrown three passing scores and adding another on the ground, while running back Jaron Coleman impressed with two rushing scores in the first round.
“We have had some guys leave, so this will be a very different ball game,” Till said. “It’s not better or worse, it’s just different. Our two programs mirror each other in a lot of ways, especially in how our guys are playing several different positions.
“I believe our front four on defense is better,” he added. “(Linebacker) C.J. Tillman is still here and Gabe Altman is playing well. Our offensive front has also improved, we have a good secondary and Jaron Coleman has run the ball very well this season.”
When asked how he thinks Cardinal Gibbons has changed from the last meeting, Till noted the Crusaders are “more experienced on defense” and that “the offensive line is also impressive.”
“What it comes down to is the line play,” Till said. “Both lines are strengths for both teams, so it will be back and forth. How the lines play could determine the success of the skill position guys.
“Cardinal Gibbons still runs similar schemes on both sides of the ball, but they have multiple guys who can spread it around,” he added.
The Crusaders and head coach Steven Wright run a spread offense, but Till said they are “very multiple” and can come out in over a dozen different formations. Some of those include an unbalanced line, 2×2 and 3×1 receiver sets, trips over, quads over and twins open.
Richmond’s defense is also preparing to face a Crusaders offensive line that “flows together” in front of sophomore quarterback Connor Clark, who is 63-for-100 passing, with 1,043 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Till called Brock Biestek the “biggest threat,” saying the 6-2, 200-pound senior can play multiple positions such as tailback, wide receiver and can throw the ball.
Biestek is second on the team with 510 rushing yards on 54 carries, and is tied with sophomore Blake Raphael with six rushing scores. As a wideout, Biestek has caught a team-high 20 passes for 275 yards and three scores.
Junior running back Donovan Shepard adds to the offense 523 rushing yards on 65 carries and three scores. A red zone threat includes junior Carter Scearce, who has four rushing touchdowns on just seven carries and 19 yards.
Another offensive player Richmond is gearing up for is “big play threat” Jackson Fortney, a wideout with seven catches, 233 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, the Crusaders are led by defensive lineman John Caramanico (34 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss), linebacker Scearce (34 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss) and defensive end Pierce Johnston (20 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss).
Cardinal Gibbons’ defense, which runs a 4-2-5 scheme, is averaging 2.4 quarterback sacks per game, and has 11 interceptions on the season, including a team-high three picks by Djuan Scott.
Through seven games, the Crusaders are averaging 44.7 points per game on offense, while holding opposing teams to just 6.9 points per game. The Raiders have averaged 48.2 points per game, while giving up 21 points a contest.
Hood has thrown for 42-of-64 passing with seven touchdowns and no interceptions, and has added 88 yards and three scores on the ground. Stroman (20 catches, 236 yards) and Jones (17 catches, 280 yards) have combined for six of those passing scores.
Coleman and Tillman are fresh off career nights in the backfield against Middle Creek, having racked up 239 and 115 rushing yards, respectively. Coleman’s seven rushing scores this season leads the Raiders, while Jones, Nasir Crumpton and Brandon Askins are also threats out of the backfield.
Defensively, junior Mikey Baldwin leads the Raiders with 26 tackles. He’s followed closely by Tillman (24 tackles), Isaiah Jones (22 tackles), Altman (22 tackles), Jayme Allen (20 tackles), Kaleel Brown (19 tackles) and J.D. Lampley (15 tackles).
Allen, Altman and Lampley all have six TFL through four games, while Brown has four drops for a loss. Altman, Baldwin and Lampley have each recorded two sacks, while Lampley’s eight QB hurries lead the team.
Tillman, Jamari Broady and Cason Douglas each have one interception, as Tillman and Douglas each grabbed theirs against Middle Creek.
Only 350 tickets will be made available to Richmond’s fans for Friday’s game, but Till expects Raider Nation to travel as well as it can given the circumstances. A special send-off for the team is also being organized by fans along US 1 North.
“Road games are always road games,” Till closed of the playoff atmosphere. “Our situation is always better than others since our fans travel so well. It’s not what we want, but we’re thankful for it.”
Kickoff between No. 4 Richmond and No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons is set for 7 p.m. on Friday. For live, in-game updates, follow RO Sports on Twitter: @ROSports_.
