ROCKINGHAM — An unexpected, yet welcomed, bye week following a gauntlet four-game non-conference schedule has afforded the Richmond Raider varsity football team some extra time to heal and gear up for Sandhills Athletic Conference play.
Richmond’s homecoming game against Southern Lee High School was originally scheduled for Friday, but the Cavaliers are under COVID-19 protocols. That game has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12, which will be one of three games played in an eight-day span.
The Richmond Observer first reported on a series of schedule changes on Sept. 8.
The Raiders played what many consider to be one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the state this season, facing four top 10 ranked opponents, two in the top 5, earning a 3-1 record.
Richmond steamrolled past defending 3AA state champion Mount Tabor 56-41 before edging Butler 32-29 in a Saturday night showdown in Charlotte in the first two weeks.
Head coach Bryan Till and the Raiders picked up a home win in Week 4 against South View, erasing a halftime deficit to score 20 unanswered points in a 23-15 win. The only loss was a 30-22 defeat to Cardinal Gibbons in Week 3.
Pleased with the start, Till said the team would like to be undefeated, but is now focused on readying the Raiders for a six-game conference slate.
“The bye week is good for where we are after four tough games,” Till said after Thursday’s practice. “This gives us a chance to get healthy and allow players who have some bumps and bruises time to rest up.
“We played without four starters last week, so it will be good for us to be back at 100 percent to start conference play.”
The Raiders have practiced each day this week, mixing in fundamental work with increments of opponent-specific preparation. Richmond’s next opponent will be Pinecrest High School in the two schools’ SAC opener, which is set for Friday, Sept. 24 at Raider Stadium.
Pinecrest has also had a rigorous non-conference start, going 3-1 with wins over Anson, Middle Creek and Rolesville. The Patriots lost to Grimsley 28-14 last week.
Till said the week has seen a lot of different drills, as the Raiders are working on “a little bit of everything” as they seek their fourth-straight conference championship.
“We have been running practice fast paced, but with not a lot of contact,” Till explained. “We’ve been working on a lot of situational things along with short blocks of practice dedicated to preparing for Pinecrest.
“This week has been a good time for us to install anything extra we need this season,” he continued. “We’ve also run through drills we may only have to do once or twice a year — running field goals with no timeouts, two-minute drills or returning a short or blocked field goal.
Another top priority for the Raiders has been to stay healthy when it comes to following guidelines for the coronavirus. Till noted that it’s been a “total team effort” to make sure Richmond has been able to play four games and hopefully many more this season.
Last spring, the Raiders only played three of their seven regular-season games after seeing the other four games canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
“I would like for our folks to understand how hard it is right now to continue to put a team out there each week to play football,” Till said. “Our goal is to keep these kids safe from this virus, and give them a chance to play.
“It’s been extremely taxing for every teacher, coach and family to make sure we’re following the guidelines. We want the kids to be the best they can be in school and on the field, and I hope our community has appreciated how hard the kids and their families are working to make sure we play on Friday nights.”
Richmond (3-1) will open SAC play at home against Pinecrest (3-1) next Friday at 7:30 p.m. In last year’s meeting, the Raiders won 42-35 on the road.
The Richmond Observer will publish a full preview of the game next week. Follow us on Twitter @ROSports_ for daily coverage of Richmond County athletics.
