ROCKINGHAM — The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s playoffs wrapped up over the weekend, and with their conclusion, the 2018 All-Sandhills Athletic Conference football team was announced.
Per the SAC’s rules, the All-Conference team isn’t announced until all conference teams are eliminated from playoff contention. Scotland High School was the last remaining of the five SAC schools that made the playoffs, and the Fighting Scots fell to East Forsyth High School 35-28 Saturday in the 4A championship game after a magical playoff run.
For the second season in a row, the Richmond Senior High School football team headlined the All-SAC squad with the most players, as 18 total Raiders earned the postseason honor. Last season, Richmond had 11 players named, as this year’s squad saw a seven-player hike with those wearing Raider green and gold.
Those named were: sophomore Jakolbe Baldwin (WR), junior Dereck Barringer (DB), junior Jaheim Covington (RB), sophomore Jaleel Davis (OL), senior Taveon Ellerbe (LB), junior Austin Hart (OL), senior Antonio Isaac (DE), junior D’Marcus Harrington (DB), sophomore Caleb Hood (QB), senior Jonathan Jones Jr. (LB), junior Xavion Lindsey (DB), sophomore Trevor Moss (K), senior Divine Nicholson (DE), senior Rasheed Patrick (DE), senior Jake Ransom (OL), sophomore CJ Tillman (LB), senior Bobby Terry (WR) and senior Jordyn Wall (WR).
Second-year head coach Bryan Till was recognized as the SAC’s “Coach of the Year” following the Raiders’ 11-2 season that saw them clinch their first conference title since 2010. Hood and Ransom are the only two returning Richmond players, as it’s is their second and third time being named, respectively.
There were a total of 48 players selected to the 2018 All-SAC team, with two more named as the top players of the year. Purnell Swett High School’s Chandler Brayboy (senior wide receiver) was named the “Offensive Player of the Year,” while Jack Britt High School’s Erick Martinez (senior linebacker) earned “Defensive Player of the Year.”
“It’s crazy,” Till said when asked of his initial reaction when he saw Richmond had 18 players named. “It’s almost a miracle –not that our kids aren’t deserving, but from the standpoint that there are so many guys deserving in this conference who could have made it. This shows that our kids made good impressions on the other (SAC) coaches, and it says a lot about what those coaches thought of our kids and how they played this year.”
Richmond’s 18 selections were complimented by an SAC-second best nine selections from Seventy-First High School, seven more from Scotland and six selections from Pinecrest High School. Rounding out the All-SAC team were players from Purnell Swett and Jack Britt (three each) and Lumberton and Hoke County high schools (one each).
The Raiders had three players selected from the defensive back, defensive line, linebacker, offensive line and wide receiver groups, all of which were SAC-highs. Seventy-First also had three offensive linemen chosen.
As explained by Till, football is not like the other high school sports, which allot a certain number of all-conference nominations based on a team’s finish in the conference standings. Instead, the eight head coaches nominate however many players they want, and those selected are voted in by the coaches.
“The thing that’s cool was we didn’t have the Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year,” Till shared. “Having 18 guys chosen is more indicative of our team as a whole. Those who got on the team are quality players, and were a lot of our guys who contributed to our success. It speaks of the makeup of our team, and shows they fulfilled their role at a high level. It was a team effort for us (this year).”
The Raiders had eight offensive players, nine defensive players and one special teams player chosen. On offense, the Raiders were led by Hood and Covington, who both put up statistics that ranked near the top of the conference leaderboard. Hood finished his second year as a starter 129-for-222 passing with SAC-leading numbers in passing yards (1,956) and touchdowns (21) — the latter of which is a career high. Hood also added 594 rushing yards and six rushing scores.
Covington doubled his total carries in 2018, his first season as the Raiders’ No. 1 running back. He took 157 carries and racked up an SAC second-best 22 rushing scores. He also eclipsed the century mark six times and averaged 97.8 yards per game, and finished third in the conference in total rushing yards with 1,174 (7.5 yards per carry).
In front of Hood and Covington were Davis, Hart and Ransom on the offensive line. Often the unsung heroes of a high-caliber offense, the trio of Raider linemen worked in the trenches all season long to afford the Raider offense the opportunity to average 38.5 points per game.
While their individual stats may not be noted often, Davis, Hart and Ransom kept the offense balanced, as it averaged 189.5 rushing yards per game and 157.7 passing yards per game.
Terry and Wall were two wide receivers who were waiting to have breakout senior seasons, and Baldwin joined the varsity ranks for the first time as a sophomore. Baldwin led the team in receptions (35), yards (548) and touchdowns (eight), while Wall finished with 29 catches, 347 yards and two scores.
Terry, who had big nights against now three-time 4AA defending state champion Wake Forest High School and Purnell Swett, wasn’t far behind with 22 receptions, 312 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
The Raider defense was also a large part of the team’s success, as it tallied four shutouts this season, while holding opponents to just 12.8 points per game. Aside from the two losses to Wake Forest and Myers Park High School, the Raiders kept the other 11 opposing teams to a staggeringly low 7.36 points per game.
Jones Jr. led the team with 123 total tackles, 72 of which were solo tackles. He also recorded a team-high 10.3 tackles per game and 19 total tackles for loss. Barringer and Tillman earned roster spots thanks to their solid tackling game, as they were second and third on the team with 74 and 73 tackles, respectively.
Richmond picked the ball off eight times throughout the season, with Lindsey collecting a team-high two interceptions. His intercepted the ball against Purnell Swett, but his biggest play of the season came on an interception in the end zone in the third quarter against Scotland, helping seal the SAC title game. Lindsey finished with 37 total tackles.
Jones snagged the team’s only pick-six of the year, as he returned the ball 26 yards during Richmond’s 49-7 playoff win over Ronald Reagan High School in the second round. Barringer and Tillman also had one interception this season.
Patrick had 10 of Richmond’s 42 total quarterback sacks, with Jones finishing with nine and Nicholson adding six more. Isaac bulldozed his way at nose tackle for four sacks, as he and Patrick ended the year with 41 tackles each. Ellerbe’s 67 tackles were fourth-best on the team, as he also grabbed one interception. Harrington added 32 tackles out of the secondary.
Moss proved to be an asset this season in setting Richmond’s offense up with good field position, as he often stacked opposing teams deep in their own zone. He booted 23 touchbacks on 80 kickoffs, and averaged 46.8 yards per kickoff attempt. He also hit 80 percent of his point after attempts, and drilled four field goals, his long being a 38-yarder.
Richmond defensive backs coach Chris Campolieta tweeted out the full list Monday with the caption, “18 kids on the all conference team this year. 10 of those young men come back with some unfinished business!”
What Campolieta was referring to is that more than half of the Raiders selected this season were underclassmen, and will suit up next season and pursue Richmond’s first 4AA state title since 2008. Five juniors and five sophomores are now rising seniors and juniors on the football team.
For Till, the recognition as “Coach of the Year” is something he appreciates, but was quick to credit his coaching staff for their help in him getting the award. This is his fourth career “Coach of the Year” honor, as he earned it in his first year at Cape Fear High School, while also getting it twice while at Terry Sanford High School.
“It’s a huge honor because we have a great group of coaches in this conference,” Till said. “There were four teams (from the SAC) in third round of the playoffs. This award also says a lot about our coaching staff — there are a lot of guys who are working extremely hard every day, and this shows how much respect our staff gets in a really tough conference.”
For a full listing of the 2018 All-SAC football team, click here.
