ROCKINGHAM — Richmond Raider varsity football makes its official game day return to Raider Stadium on Friday, and with it, the celebration of the team’s approximately 20 senior players.
After missing games during Week 1 (Purnell Swett) and Week 3 (Jack Britt) due to those opponents having to quarantine, the Raiders will host their home opener against Hoke County High School for Senior Night.
Normally reserved for the final home game of the season, the Raiders will recognize all of their 12th grade players during the first opportunity to do so.
Richmond (1-0) is coming off an unexpected bye week that saw Jack Britt quarantined, and a stretch that failed to produce a last-minute schedule change. Head coach Bryan Till said there is no plan to reschedule the game against the Buccaneers at this time.
The Raiders opened their season nearly two weeks ago, earning a 42-35 overtime win against Sandhills Athletic Conference foe Pinecrest High School. The extra week of practice allowed Till and the Raiders to watch film and focus on fine-tuning some of the first-game mistakes.
“It was a very good week of practice where we competed with each other,” Till explained of last week’s practices. “I think we really got better and cleaned some things up after Week 1, which is always the toughest week to execute, but especially this year.”
On Monday, Richmond shifted its focus to a regular week of game preparations, gearing up for a Fighting Bucks (1-2) squad that challenged Pinecrest and earned a victory over Seventy-First High School.
Till said a major point of emphasis for Richmond has been making sure to be better prepared and learn how to better control the game with a lead. Against the Patriots, the Raiders let a 21-0 lead slip with 24 unanswered points from Pinecrest.
“The biggest thing we have tried to do is work through the mistakes we made (against Pinecrest) that caused us to lose a 21-point lead,” Till said. “Our execution on both sides of the ball had been our major focus.”
One advantage Hoke County has entering Friday’s competition is having three games under its belt this season. In the Fighting Bucks’ opener, a late safety broke a 20-20 tie against Pinecrest, which resulted in a two-point loss.
Under center for Hoke County is sophomore quarterback Warren Avery, who is 12-of-34 passing with 182 yards and one touchdown this season. The Fighting Bucks’ offense is spearheaded by senior running back Tory Peterkin, who has collected 202 rushing yards on 35 carries and two scores.
Avery has also proven to be elusive out of the pocket, gaining 159 yards on the ground on 24 carries.
Another player the Richmond defense will look to shut down is senior wide receiver Kasheim Teller, who lines up on the outside and in the slot for the Bucks. He leads the team with seven receptions and 132 receiving yards.
Teller and junior wideout Kamonte Williams each have one receiving score. As an offense, the Bucks are averaging 13.6 points per game and 199.4 yards per game with 137.7 of those yards coming on the ground.
“Their QB is a good athlete and (Teller) has been his top target and can break open at multiple spots as a wide receiver,” Till explained.
In their game against Pinecrest, the Raiders’ secondary made several key pass breakups in the final three plays to preserve the win.
Richmond’s offense will have to contend with a Hoke County defense that allows 24 points per game. Senior defensive lineman Keyonte Bronson and senior linebacker Joshua Harrelson are two players Richmond will keep its eyes on.
Harrelson leads the team with 49 tackles, including 25 solo tackles and an average of 16.3 knock downs per game. Bronson is second with 29 tackles, including 10 tackles for a loss and three QB sacks.
“(Bronson) and (Harrelson) are returning All-Conference players and will strike you,” Till noted. “This group played a tight game with Pinecrest and fought through the whole night.”
The Raiders will look to build off an offensive output in Week 1 that saw junior quarterback Kellan Hood throw for 227 yards on 17 completions to four different receivers.
Senior tailback Jaron Coleman, who scored two rushing touchdowns including the game-winning score, tallied 90 yards on 19 carries (4.7 yards per touch).
Senior wide receiver Tremel Jones impressed with his speed to grab nine catches for a game-high 140 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 1.
Other key players looking to help Richmond to its 16th straight win in conference play will be senior linebacker and tailback C.J. Tillman and junior tiger back J.D. Lampley.
“We will try to take what they give us on offense, it just depends on what that is defensively, which is usually a 3-4 cover 4 scheme,” Till said. “On defense we will need to try and make them one-dimensional and get after the QB, while containing his scramble, on passing downs.
“We did look at some Hoke formations last week, but our scrimmage component of practice was our schemes vs. each other. We will become more focused this week.”
Entering Friday’s game, Richmond has won 15 of the last 16 contests against the Bucks dating back to 2004. The Raiders have scored 40 or more points in 10 of those games, have recorded over 50 points in two of the last three meetings.
Kickoff between Richmond and Hoke County is set for 6 p.m. and up to 1,000 fans will be allowed inside Raider Stadium for the game while safely following COVID-19 protocols.
Public tickets for the game can be bought by clicking here.
“I think it will be a great atmosphere, even with limited fans, just because we are finally back home,” Till closed. “We look forward to seeing all the green and gold in the stands.”
