ROCKINGHAM – The Richmond Senior High School football team clinched its first conference title since 2010 last Saturday in a highly-anticipated matchup against archrival Scotland High School — but the season isn’t done for the Raiders.
The 23-8 win over the Fighting Scots ended a seven-year losing streak to the Laurinburg team, but more importantly, it all but gave the Raiders a guaranteed top-seeding in the 4AA state playoffs and a first-round bye. While many people are looking ahead to the postseason and how the brackets will fall, with Richmond likely to be in the Western Region, head coach Bryan Till and the Raiders aren’t overlooking their next game against Purnell Swett High School.
In the regular season finale Friday, the Raiders (9-1, 6-0 SAC) will look to close the season out on a nine-game winning streak on the road visiting the Rams (3-7, 1-5 SAC). The two Sandhills Athletic Conference teams couldn’t be on more opposite ends of the conference standings, as Richmond sits alone at the top, and Purnell Swett is tied with Lumberton High School for second-to-last place.
The game was originally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 21, but Hurricane Florence pushed it back and the NCHSAA extended the season one week to allow teams to make up conference games.
Despite the difference in the two teams’ records, Till expects his team to stick to what it’s become accustomed to. A win would secure an undefeated season in conference play, something that also hasn’t been accomplished since 2010 when the Raiders went 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
“We have to go into the game with our goals and standards in mind,” Till explained. “It doesn’t matter what (Purnell Swett’s) record is — we want to go out and be excellent and great on the field no matter what the circumstance is. And I believe this is a chance to show that before the playoffs start.”
Till acknowledge that the stereotypical “trap game” exists, that any team on any given night has the opportunity to win. But he also believes that a quick start against the Rams will alleviate any chances of being upset.
“Our guys come out with such a high quality of play and intensity,” Till explained. “In every conference game this year, even the Scotland game, we’ve gotten off to a fast start. By now, we’re used to doing that — and that’s a part of our identity. We want to continue to be who we are regardless of who we’re playing.”
Speaking of fast starts and big wins, Richmond is averaging a staggering 39.3 points per game against SAC opponents this year (the most being 53 points against Hoke County), while the defense has held five of its six opponents to eight points or fewer during the same stretch (including two shutouts). The closest game was the 15-point win over Scotland, but the Raiders have won their last six games by an average of 33.2 points.
“Our defense’s confidence is sky high right now,” Till said. “They’re not cocky — it’s just that they have a desire from keeping teams from scoring — a true desire. For them, it’s not all about big hits, and we saw that more against Scotland. These kids study and know their responsibilities, and play faster in the second half when they adjust and realize where the mistakes are in the middle of the game.
“Offensively, we don’t have a preference of being a running or passing football team,” he added of his high-octane offense. “We can be good at one or the other. I just want to possess the ball – we’ll take what the other teams give us, and we’re blessed to have the personnel to do that.”
The Rams are coached by Jon Sherman and have had a busy week leading up to their game against the Raiders. Purnell Swett has played two games in the last week (Friday and Tuesday), falling both times to Lumberton and Northside-Jacksonville high schools. The late-game add-on against Northside-Jacksonville was an effort to try and swing the Rams into the playoffs, but it now looks unlikely with the two losses.
While Till is confident that the Raiders can put a cap on the regular season with a win against the Rams, he’s making sure that his players don’t lose sight of what’s in front of them — which, right now, is senior all-around player Chandler Brayboy.
Brayboy is the go-to wide receiver for the Rams, and doubles as a free safety on defense. But what has caught Till’s eye is Brayboy’s ability to be a threat in every phase of the game.
“He plays in all three phases of the game,” Till said. “And he lines up everywhere — wide receiver, tailback, quarterback, free safety and does kickoff and punt returns.Our goal this week is to find him every play and contain him. We’ll have certain guys (on defense) whose job is to stick with him no matter what he does.”
Also going both ways for the Rams are Ben Brooks (cornerback, wide receiver), Matthew Locklear (linebacker, running back) and Austin Chavis (defensive end, tight end). In preparing for Sherman’s team, Till noted the Rams “bring different schemes” by “wrapping their guards and tackles” on certain plays, something the Raiders haven’t seen before and have to get ready to face. Brayboy is also used as a decoy on offense, and the Rams use a run-pass option on offense.
“When you face a team 1-5 in conference it changes how you play,” Till concluded. “But if we want to be the best, the reality is we have to do what we’ve been doing consistently all season.”
Kickoff is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Purnell Swett High School in Pembroke, N.C. The reporting date for the playoffs is Saturday, and TIll explained he anticipates Richmond hosting a second-round game the Friday after Thanksgiving. ROSports will report the official playoff brackets as they’re announced.
