ROCKINGHAM – Football is a game that often hinges itself on momentum swings. And for the Richmond Senior High School varsity football team, it’s 11-game season is almost near its halfway point. And no time is better than now to shift the momentum in its favor.
A good start to that swing was the Raiders (3-2, 1-0 SAC) 56-34 victory over Purnell Swett High School Friday night as they opened Sandhills Athletic Conference play. Behind 446 yards of total offense, Richmond seemed to find its footing offensively behind freshman quarterback Caleb Hood.
As the Raiders prepare for their second SAC opponent to visit them in as many weeks, Pinecrest High School (3-2, 0-1 SAC) will visit Raiders Stadium coming off a 28-14 loss to Seventy-First High School. But the loss doesn’t mean everything to head coach Bryan Till, as he is preparing his team for a tough matchup with the Moore County rival.
“Pinecrest is extremely meticulous in everything that they do,” Till said of the Patriots team coming to town. “A lot of teams have gotten away from going under center, but they do it all the time. They run an option and an old school counter; and they use split backs, which is something you don’t see very often anymore.”
Till noted that Pinecrest’s head coach, Chris Metzger, has done a great job at developing the program, and expects the Patriots to play hard on the road.
“We are working really hard this week in practice on reading (their offense),” Till added. “Pinecrest is great at what they do. They did lose their starting quarterback, but the kid who has stepped in has won three of their first five games.”
Even though Till is excited for having earned his first home win, he feels that is was a bigger motivator for his players. The expectation has been set forth by Till and his coaching staff that his team can win every game, and it starts with the next one up on the schedule.
And as the defensive coordinator, Till wants to see his opponents put fewer points on the scoreboard. But he acknowledges that Pinecrest may challenge this goal Friday night.
“We are trying to get better each week,” Till said. “Pinecrest does things fundamentally well. They present some challenges, but it’s the next conference game. And our goal is to win our conference games and go 1-0 every week.”
The last time the Raiders lost to Pinecrest was on the road in 2013, when they fell 21-7. In the three victories since then, Richmond has outscored Pinecrest 98-63. Till looks to keep the streak going as he makes his Pinecrest debut.
Oh, and the momentum moving in the right direction, too.
Kickoff against the Patriots is set for 7:30 p.m. at Raiders Stadium. Stay tuned to the Richmond Observer’s Facebook page and website for in-game updates and postgame coverage.
