ROCKINGHAM – Over the weekend, several high school football programs, including the Richmond Raiders, took to Twitter to announce their upcoming 2019 football schedules.
Sports contributor Deon Cranford highlights some of the changes and some interesting facts about the upcoming games slated for this fall.
No. 1 – New schedule: generally high school programs operate on a two-year basis, adding new teams and dropping old ones in the non-conference matchups. Richmond is dropping opponents Ronald Reagan and Pine Forest high schools (went 5-0 against them, including playoffs). The Raiders also won’t play three-time defending 4AA state champion Wake Forest High School.
No. 2 – The new teams: Cardinal Gibbons and Clayton high schools. Richmond has never played either. They will be all-time opponents 89 (Clayton) and 90 (Cardinal Gibbons).
No. 3 – Strength of schedule: Both newly added schools traditionally have an overall weak strength of schedule.
No. 4 – Cardinal Gibbons: Cardinal Gibbons has been pretty successful since Steven Wright took the head coaching job in 2011. The Crusaders have had an above .500 record every year but one (6-6, 2014) since he took over. However, they have only won two playoff games in the last five years, and both were in 2016 before losing in round three to Cape Fear High School.
No. 5 – Color clash: Not only are Cardinal Gibbons’ colors green and gold like Richmond’s, but they are Kelly green and gold, an exact match to the Raiders’ colors.
No. 6 – Clayton: The Comets were 9-3 in 2018, but seven of their nine wins were against teams that won four games or less. They only beat one team that finished above .500. They did find some success in 2017 when they went 13-1 and advanced to the third round of the playoffs.
The last time Clayton advanced to the third round prior to 2017 was all the way back in 2005. They were the NCHSAA 2A state champions in 1989, but have only won a total of 13 playoff game since (30 seasons). Also, it has only put double digits in the win column five times in the past 30 seasons.
No. 7 – The rivalry against Anson High School returns. Both teams will make a trip across the Pee Dee River in the coming seasons, starting with the Raiders in August.
No. 8 – David W. Butler High School stays on the schedule for the seventh year in a row. The Raiders won 2018’s road matchup 30-19.
Here’s Richmond’s week-by-week schedule of the 2019, per its Twitter account (dates and times to be announced):
Week 1: home vs. Clayton (season and home opener)
Week 2: away at Anson
Week 3: home vs. Butler
Week 4: away at Cardinal Gibbons
Week 5: open
Week 6: home vs. Purnell Swett (Sandhills Athletic Conference opener)
Week 7: home vs. Pinecrest (SAC)
Week 8: away at Jack Britt (SAC)
Week 9: away at Hoke County (SAC)
Week 10: home vs. Lumberton (SAC)
Week 11: home vs. Seventy-First (SAC and Senior Night)
Week 12: away at Scotland (SAC and regular season finale)
