ROCKINGHAM — It’s not always about the outcome of a game, but the way a person, or group of people, responds to that outcome that is most important.
That was one of the many messages Brad Denson relayed to the Richmond Senior High School football team following Friday’s playoff loss.
Admitting that the No. 4 Raiders were “outplayed,” especially in the first half, Denson and the team were eliminated by No. 5 Rolesville High School 44-6.
Unable to find an early answer to Rolesville’s passing game, Richmond also “lost our composure” and fell behind by five scores at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Rolesville scored another touchdown, which started the running clock with 11:34 to play.
Although Friday’s outcome wasn’t what Richmond wanted, Denson shared his gratitude to the players and coaches for buying into his vision and restoring Raider football.
Denson made it clear that “Raider football is back.”
Taking the opening kickoff, Richmond showed some early success and got across midfield when junior quarterback Evan Hodges connected with senior wide receiver Keyonta Davis for a 30-yard pick up.
Driving down to the Rams’ 31-yard line, a false start on fourth down forced a punt, the first of three by senior kicker Billy West in the first half.
Rolesville scored on all five of its possessions in the opening two quarters. Four were through the air and the other was a rushing touchdown.
The Rams took an 8-0 lead after quarterback Braden Atkinson threw the first of his four passing scores in the game. It was a 24-yard throw to Anthony Roberts, followed by a successful two-point conversion with 3:46 left in the first quarter.
Richmond went three-and-out on its next series and Rolesville completed the 59-yard scoring drive after a punt.
A sack by senior linebacker K’Mauri Morgan made it third-and-22 on the final play of the stanza, but the Rams converted and scored two plays later. That was one of several long-yardage third down plays the Raiders allowed in the game.
Derion Newborn rushed it in from four yards and the extra-point attempt made it 15-0.
Three plays into Richmond’s ensuing drive, a lost fumble set the Rams up at the Raiders’ 30-yard line. Two snaps later, Atkinson connected with Jaedon Alford for a nine-yard passing score.
Down 23-0 and following another punt, the Raider defense backed up the Rams when Morgan and senior defensive end Zachary Gardner combined for a sack. But a completion on third-and-20, followed by an offsides call, put the Rams at the Richmond 21-yard line.
With 2:06 left in the half, Atkinson threw a 21-yard score to Jonathan Dunn.
The Raiders moved across midfield for the second time in the half on their next drive, but an incompletion on fourth down turned the ball over.
Rolesville scored once more before the break, a 41-yard throw to Roberts with 51 seconds left. The PAT gave the visitors a 37-0 lead at the break.
Denson said during halftime the team didn’t talk schemes, but he instead challenged the Raiders to find out what kind of person each player is in the face of a daunting task. And even with time not in Richmond’s favor in the final two quarters, Denson said the Raiders responded.
A long kickoff return to start the second half by Rolesville set up its final score of the game just two snaps into the third. Dasan Anderson scored on the ground from the two-yard line to start the running clock with the score 44-0.
Still willing to fight, senior Keonta Pegues took the kickoff back to the Richmond 45-yard line. With the help of a defensive holding call and a run down to the 10-yard line by senior running back Jordan Bostick, the Raiders found the end zone.
On second-and-goal from the 10-yard line, sophomore running back Chance Crowder took a direct snap and handed it off to Pegues on a sweep right.
Pegues then threw a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jayden Hamilton, who was all alone in the end zone. Going for two points, the Raiders tried a trick play but were stopped short of the goal line.
Richmond’s score came with 5:04 left in the third quarter.
Stops for losses by Morgan and Gardner on the next drive forced Rolesville’s first punt of the game. Getting the ball back, Richmond got into Rams territory but failed to convert on fourth-and-six.
Rolesville ran out the remaining 3:53 with a series of running plays.
A magical turnaround season for the Raiders and Denson in his first season ended with a 10-3 overall record, five more wins than a season ago. Richmond won its first Sandhills Athletic Conference championship since 2021, rolling past its opponents for a perfect 6-0 record.
Revitalized by Denson’s approach to the game, Richmond rattled off a season-long nine-game winning streak starting with Myers Park High School in Week 4 and lasting through the second round of the playoffs against Clayton High School.
The team also notched two playoff wins, ending a drought that also spanned back to 2021.
On offense, Richmond averaged 29.7 points per game, while limiting opponents to 16.5 points per game.
Friday’s loss marked the final high school football game for nearly two dozen seniors. Morgan and fellow senior linebacker Joe Parsons will represent the Raiders in the NCCA East-West All-Star Game Dec. 22.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Friday’s season-ending loss soon. Also, the All-SAC team will be published when it’s released this weekend.
