ROCKINGHAM – Ask anyone in the Richmond Senior High School football locker room what he thinks about this week’s game, and the answer is sure to be the same — it’s a big one.
That’s because the No. 5 Raiders will look to lock up a share of their first Sandhills Athletic Conference championship since 2010, as a win would end the current eight-year drought. The past seven conference titles have gone to archrival Scotland High School, but Richmond controls its own destiny this season. Winning Thursday, and a win in one of the team’s final two games, would give the Raiders the outright title.
Off to a 7-1 overall start, including a perfect 4-0 in SAC play, the Raiders will travel to No. 12 Seventy-First High School for an uncommon Thursday night game due to expected heavy rains this weekend. The contest will see a battle of the final two remaining undefeated teams in the SAC, and with a victory, Richmond will accomplish one of its several preseason goals.
The Falcons’ record is the same as Richmond’s, both overall and in SAC games, and the last time Seventy-First finished tied or ahead of Richmond in the final standings was in 2008, when the two schools and Douglas Byrd High School ended in a three-way tie for second place. That season was also the last time the Raiders won an NCHSAA 4AA state championship, when it was a member of the Mid-Southeastern Conference.
With the game being pushed up a night, second-year Richmond head coach Bryan Till doesn’t see the change as much of a problem — instead, he’s confident that his players have learned to adapt to this season’s unorthodox playing schedule, and is hopeful the Raiders will remain orthodox in the win column.
“It’s not even a question — this is our biggest game so far this season,” Till said following Wednesday’s extended practice. “Having the extra day would have been big, but it’s even for both teams. We’d never be out at practice this long on a Thursday (before a game), but we had the junior varsity guys scout for us all practice.
“I feel good about our kids,” he continued. “Each week, no matter when we play, they ask themselves ‘what are the things we’ve got to do to win.’ It’s no accident when you’re 7-1 — it shows our kids know how to practice. They’ve just gone to work every day.”
The rivalry between the Raiders and the Falcons was renewed last season after an eight-year hiatus after Seventy-First switched conferences. The last time the Falcons beat Richmond was in 2007, a 13-6 defensive battle. In the all-time series, the Raiders lead 23-6, with last year’s fourth-quarter comeback thanks to a Malik Stanback 86-yard catch and run down the left sideline serving as the most recent victory.
Entering Thursday’s game, the Raiders are boasting a current six-game winning streak, while the Falcons have won their last four contests.
On the stat sheet, Richmond and Seventy-First are nearly identical, but the Raiders do hold an upper hand over the Cumberland County foe. Through eight games this season, the Raiders have scored 304 total points (38 points per game), and the defense has allowed just 101 points (12.6 points per game; three shutouts). The Falcons have tallied 283 points (35.3 points per game) and limited opponents to just 98 points (12.3 points per game; two shutouts).
The top two SAC quarterbacks are also represented in this week’s matchup, with Richmond’s sophomore Caleb Hood leading most of the individual statistical categories. Hood has SAC-bests in passing yards (1,298), passing yards per game (162.3), touchdowns (16), and is first in completion percentage (.593), interceptions (one) and passer rating (127.9) among SAC quarterbacks who have made at least 10 completions on the season.
On the flip side, Seventy-First’s Kyler Davis, a senior and four-year starter, trails Hood in every category, but is within closing distance in several columns. Davis is second in the SAC in passing yards (1,269), passing yards per game (158.6), touchdowns (13), and is second also in completion percentage (.583) and passer rating (96.9) amongst quarterbacks who have completed at least 10 passes. He’s thrown five interceptions.
“They are very balanced,” Till commented on the Falcons’ offense. “Davis can run, throw, and he’s a good decision maker — he doesn’t get rattled on the blitz and does what he’s asked to do. They’re also physical running from the spread. They line up with at least two receivers, sometimes three or four, and that opens the passing game up.”
Till explained that guys Richmond is preparing for on Seventy-First’s offense are No. 1 wideout Camari Williams, as well as Cameren Townsend, Stephon Johnson and Thomas Hendricks. He added that the Falcons “like to rotate their receivers in and out.”
Richmond and Seventy-First also have the top two running backs in the SAC, as Falcon senior Sincere Bates leads in rushing yards (867), and is second in rushing yards per game (108.4) and touchdowns (nine). The only tailback to have more touchdowns in Richmond’s junior Jaheim Covington, who has crossed the goal line 14 times in eight games, and is coming off back-to-back performances with three touchdowns. Covington is second to Bates in total rushing yards (781) and is fourth in the SAC in rushing yards per game (97.6).
Defensively, Till called the Falcons’ 3-4 defense “big and strong” in the trenches, with senior nose tackle Thomas Washington leading the way. The linebacking and secondary core, which is comprised of two of the top four players in the SAC in interceptions, features Joseph Ferguson (tied for first with three picks) and Devante Wedlock (tied for second with two picks). Joining them is senior linebacker Javen Washington, and Till said “their secondary group has great ball skills and is one of the best in the conference.”
With the hopes of bringing Richmond County a share its first conference title in nearly a decade, Till’s final message is clear.
“Thursday is going to be very physical on both sides of ball — I like to think of it as a boxing analogy — we’ll be throwing punches to see who comes out the other side with a win,” Till said. “Our plan is to go hit them in the mouth, and last all four quarters. I hope the crowd is just as big as it would be on a Friday – these guys are finally getting their chance.
“It’s been eight years since Richmond won a conference championship, and a lot of these guys are 16 years old — that’s half their lifetime, which puts it in perspective,” he concluded. “A win meets one of our major goals this year, and lets our guys know that what they’re doing works and matters — that putting themselves out there, the pain and sacrifice, there is something for that.”
Kickoff is set for Thursday in Fayetteville at 7:30 p.m.
