ROCKINGHAM – If “Raider Magic” holds true the way it has through the first nine games of the 2018 football season, then the Richmond Senior High School varsity football team will achieve something Saturday it hasn’t accomplished since 2010.
As the calendar flips into the first week of November, the No. 5 Raiders will host archrival and unranked Scotland High School in a primetime Saturday matchup at Raider Stadium. Besides being one of the most anticipated high school matchups across the state, the hype surrounding Saturday’s game comes with Sandhills Athletic Conference championship expectations. With a win, Richmond will win the SAC regular season title outright, snapping the Fighting Scots’ seven-year run.
Not letting a wacky fall schedule impact its winning ways this season, Richmond (8-1, 5-0 SAC) is hot off a 49-14 win last Thursday against SAC second-place team Seventy-First High School, which secured the team’s seventh-straight win. It’s the longest winning streak for the Raiders since they won six games in a row in 2015.
“The whole team is excited to play Scotland,” head coach Bryan Till said Wednesday as he nodded toward a buzzing locker room. “The guys are pumped up and there’s a lot of energy. We’ve had to tone them down a little bit because they’re so ready to play. We’re focused, and right now we’re making sure the energy is in the right spot.
“The team was a little bummed that the game got bumped back because they’re so excited,” he added of the weather moving the game to Saturday night. “But it’ll be big to clinch the conference championship outright and beat Scotland while doing it — it’s been seven years, so this is an exciting opportunity.”
Till is one of the most energizing individuals inside the Raider locker room, and for anyone who watches him on the sideline during games, knows he’s invested just as much as his players are in taking home the title.
“Last week was a huge game against Seventy-First, and we all but won the conference title,” he said. “But mathematically, we can’t clinch unless we win one of our last two games. It would be huge to do it against Scotland, as playing them certainly raises the stakes.”
When the Raiders and the Fighting Scots (4-4, 3-2 SAC) met in Laurinburg last year, it was Scotland that pulled away 69-47 in a game that saw the most points scored in the longtime rivalry. While the Raiders held their own for a majority of that game, the feeling surrounding this year’s matchup leans much more in favor of the green and gold.
It’s no secret around the Sandhills that the Scots are having an off year, as Richard Bailey’s team has lost twice as many conference games in 2018 than it did over the past seven seasons combined. From 2011 through 2017, Scotland didn’t lose a single conference game, going a perfect 37-0. But thanks to graduated players and the injury bug, this year’s squad has dropped SAC games to Seventy-First and Pinecrest high schools, teams Richmond defeated by a combined score of 80-14.
“They’ve already lost two conference games this season,” Till said. “But that has zero bearing on how we approach the game or how we’re preparing. Scotland might be having an off year by their (recent) standards, but we know they’re going to play fast and physical against us.”
The Raiders are also a different team, but in the opposite direction, as Till credited the program’s willingness to buy into what he and his staff are trying to accomplish.
“We’re a different football team, and there’s so much enthusiasm from our guys,” Till noted. “Last year when we played Scotland, we were 7-3. The big thing that’s different is our belief that we can win, and the understanding of our system. Our kids have committed hard to not slack off, and that’s now a habit and a part of who they are. At this point, it wouldn’t feel right if they didn’t commit on the football field.”
When compared side-by-side, the two teams’ offenses are drastically different, as the Raiders are much more impressive through the air and on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Caleb Hood continues to be near the top of the SAC in several passing categories, and leads the touchdown category (18). He’s second in total passing yards (1,423) and passing yards per game (158.1). Scotland sophomore quarterback Tyler Barfield ranks near the bottom of the conference, throwing just 253 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in five games.
Raider junior running back Jaheim Covington ran for season highs in yards (158) and touchdowns (four) against Seventy-First, as he’s first in the SAC in total rushing scores (18) and second in total rushing yards (944). Fighting Scots Joseph McKoy and Syheam McQueen, who returned from injury just three games ago, lead their team with 502 and 182 rushing yards, respectively.
“Scotland is a physical team and they’re well-coached,” Till said. “We know they’re going to bring a smashmouth, old-school approach of running the football down our throats. They can also play good defense, and it’s our job to see if we can match that for four quarters. No one has challenged them the last few years, so this is our chance to do that.”
Senior quarterback Bruce Wall is out for the season with a knee injury, so Till expects the likes of McQueen and McKoy to carry the weight of the Scotland offense. He noted his defense is also preparing for sophomore running back Darrius Dockery, and explained that Scotland likes to run a lot of direct snaps to its tailbacks.
Defensively, the Scots’ “secondary plays well” and Hood and company will have to be aware of junior defensive end Jason Romero, who is committed to Duke. Till explained the Scots “run a lot of four-man fronts and cover two defense,” and that Bailey is “doing a good job on the defensive side of the ball.”
This week’s game will also be Richmond’s annual senior night, as 24 seniors will be recognized ahead of kickoff. Another special group of guests will be in attendance, as the four “eight year” state championship teams from 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2008 will be on hand.
“This is a big game for the state of North Carolina in general, and a Saturday game should draw a big crowd,” Till concluded. “Senior night and the reunion teams add to the atmosphere — you want games to be important, but you want your kids to feel like they’re leaving an impact.
“Games like this, whether it’s the seniors or the former players coming back, it shows our kids that they can have an impact on their community. We want our kids to feel tied to the championship teams, and really want them to cherish this moment and be a part of something bigger and special.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Raider Stadium.
