ROCKINGHAM — A lot of really “phenomenal” things happened during the course 2018 Richmond Senior High School football season. And it’s only just the beginning, according to head coach Bryan Till.
The Raiders’ magical playoff run came to an abrupt end to Myers Park High School in the third round, but Till, who wrapped up his second season at the helm of the program, isn’t letting that single game define the season.
The head coach was breaking down game film from the playoffs in his office last week — not fretting on the loss — but gearing up for next season in a cycle that seemingly never ends. That’s the kind of mentality that he and the entire Raider football team had this season, especially his senior class, making it an accomplishment far more significant than bringing home a state title.
“I was so impressed with this group of seniors and their commitment to leave their mark on this program,” Till shared. “They are the ones who set the standard and wanted to change things. And I can’t say enough about how the kids bought in. The seniors leave a legacy and we expect the other (underclassmen) guys to see that and be in the position to carry it on in the future.”
“We want this season to be a turning point, not just a bright spot,” he added. “This is the way we want to do things.”
When he inherited the program two winters ago, Till had a vision to restore Richmond football back to the days when it was a powerhouse and a name synonymous with being an annual contender for a state championship. While the team fell short of its ultimate goal in 2018 of winning its eighth state title, the vision was well in play, as Richmond improved from a 7-5 record and a first-round playoff exit in 2017, to an 11-2 overall record and a No. 2 seed in the West Bracket this season.
As part of any plan, Till and the Raider football program implemented building block steps that were essential to making this season a success. The Raiders enjoyed a 10-game winning streak that spanned from the end of August with a Week 3 win over Pine Forest High School all the way through their second-round playoff win against Ronald Reagan High School in late November. Along the way, the team also checked off several preseason goals, including an undefeated run through conference play.
“One of the things we did check off was having a winning non-conference record,” Till shared of beating three of the four non-Sandhills Athletic Conference programs to open the year. “We obviously wanted to win the (SAC) conference title, and we did that by beating our rival, Scotland, which hadn’t been done in eight years.
“That’s half the lifetime of our players, so that was a really big thing for us to accomplish,” he continued of the 23-8 victory over the Fighting Scots on Nov. 2. “Now that we broke the (losing) streak to Scotland, we can get back to our kids establishing a link to our history — to who the Raiders have always been — a dominant force. That’s where the links and chains came from this year.”
The moniker for the Raiders the last nine months has been “make your link stronger,” a phrase that began during spring workouts and developed into an integral part of this team’s culture. Its impact far succeeded something players and coaches just said or tweeted about, as chain links were added to the team’s helmets, and heavy metal chains were laid out on the sideline during every game to signify the team’s bond, as well as its connection to the past and hope for a strong future.
When asked about the growth of the program over the last two years, Till said the Raiders have come a long way to fulfilling his vision, but there are still some aspects he’d like to see improve to make things even better.
“Things have gone really fast the last two seasons,” Till smiled. “When I look back and talk about hindsight and what I know and what I realize, this has been a stair-step building process. I realize how many great steps we took this year, and I know it’s a process that we’ve seen become real.
“One of those things is seeing all of our coaches getting really close,” he shared. “The growth of the staff and the steps where the kids commit to what we are trying to accomplish is a part of that process. We’re still working on the community, that’s the next step for making us a powerful program again. It was fantastic to see all of the community support during the playoffs, and I hope that our feeder programs and (community) involvement will continue to grow.”
Another strength that Till credited to his team winning its first conference title since 2010 was the uniqueness of being a small-town program in a rural community used to success on the football field. Till said that the team’s “strength is our continuity and growing up as Raiders – there is so much potential for us to grow.”
Speaking of growing, the Raiders saw several players grow into big-time roles this season, starting with sophomore quarterback Caleb Hood. He captained a Raider offense that averaged 38.5 points per game and scored 40 or more points six different times. Richmond used a balanced offense, averaging 189.5 yards per game on the ground and 157.7 yards per game through the air.
Having started as a freshman in 2017, Hood grew into one of the SAC’s most dominant passers while continuing to impress with his playmaking abilities as only a second-year starter. He finished the year 129-for-222 passing with SAC-leading numbers in passing yards (1,956) and touchdowns (21) — the latter of which is a career high.
Junior tailback Jaheim Covington also impressed, as he took over as the Raiders’ No. 1 running back in 2018. After carrying the ball just 78 times behind Dante Miller in 2017, Covington doubled that number to 157 carries in 2018, as he racked up an SAC second-best 22 rushing scores. Covington eclipsed the century mark six times and averaged 97.8 yards per game. He also finished third in the conference in total rushing yards with 1,174 (7.5 yards per carry).
Hood was the team’s second leading rushing, adding 594 yards on 112 carries and six touchdowns.
Richmond saw its No. 1 wide receiver in senior Malik Stanback go down with an ACL injury during summer workouts — but a swarm of veteran players and first-year varsity members stepped up to fill the void. A total of 14 different players caught a pass this season, with sophomore Jakolbe Baldwin leading the team in receptions (35), yards (548) and touchdowns (eight).
The first-year receiver was aided by senior wide outs Bobby Terry and Jordyn Wall, both of whom were just as effective at setting blocks as they were at catching the ball. Wall snagged 29 catches for 347 yards and two scores, while Terry was on his heels with 22 receptions for 312 yards and three touchdowns.
Sophomore Dalton Stroman finished his first varsity campaign with 19 receptions for 307 yards and three touchdowns, and senior Preston Coker rounded out the aerial attack by pulling in 15 passes for 285 yards and two scores.
The Raider defense was also a large part of the team’s success, as it tallied four shutouts this season, while holding opponents to just 12.8 points per game. Aside from the two losses to two-time reigning 4AA state champion Wake Forest High School and Myers Park, the Raiders kept opposing teams to a staggeringly low 7.36 points per game.
Senior linebacker Jonathan Jones Jr. led the team with 123 total tackles, 72 of which were solo tackles. He also recorded a team-high 10.3 tackles per game and 19 total tackles for loss. Junior Dereck Barringer was second on the team with 74 tackles, while sophomore two-way player CJ Tillman had 73 tackles.
Richmond picked the ball off eight times throughout the season, with junior Xavion Lindsey collecting a team-high two interceptions. Jones had the only pick-six of the year, as he returned the ball 26 yards during Richmond’s 49-7 playoff win over Reagan. Senior Rasheed Patrick had 10 of Richmond’s 42 total quarterback sacks, with Jones finishing with nine and fellow senior Divine Nicholson adding six more.
With all of the accomplishments achieved under the lights on Friday nights, Till noted that not every success from the 2018 football season can be measured between the end zones.
“There were a lot of defining moments for us this year,” Till explained. “One that sticks out to me is when we took the picture of our A/B honor roll players — there were 60 kids who made it and that defines our program more than wins and losses.
“Of course we’re proud of our undefeated conference championship and how we did that,” he added. “But we were successful in all facets of game. Our kids committed on the field and in the classroom. We had 96 kids who were in the 100 percent club during summer workouts. All of these are defining moments.”
While the season may be over and the jerseys and pads are stored away until next August, the Raider football team is still hard at work this winter. Currently, Till and his staff are conducting exit interviews with senior players, aimed at helping players “make plans for their future,” whether it be applying to college or the military, getting a job or securing student loans.
The Raiders’ eyes are already on the prize of winning a state title in 2019, and it all starts with hitting the weight room the rest of the school year. Rising players will continue to train in class, which will lead into spring workouts.
“The team banquet in January is the official end of the season,” Till concluded. “Everything we do from here on out is progressing toward next August.”
ROSports will publish the complete listing of the All-SAC team once its released following the 4A state playoffs.
