ROCKINGHAM — The 50th season of Richmond Raider football begins a week from Friday, and the team is eying its fourth-straight conference championship title under head coach Bryan Till.
Having won the outright Sandhills Athletic Conference championship each of the past three seasons, the Raiders will try to repeat again in the newly aligned 3A/4A SAC. It’s the first time in program history the team will play in a split conference.
Featuring four 3A teams and three 4A teams, the Raiders will play six conference games and four non-conference contests to round out its 10-game regular season.
High school football in North Carolina will return to a normal fall campaign after last year’s season was pushed to a February start due to the pandemic. The Raiders played just five games, going 4-1 and making it to the second round of the 4A East state playoffs.
Since that time, Till and the Raiders have been trying to adjust to the offseason schedule by hitting the weight room and gearing up for the new season. Much of June was spent conditioning, while July saw the team work out on the field and play a handful of 7-on-7 scrimmages.
“We’re getting better and there’s a lot of improvement in a lot of areas,” Till said following Wednesday’s practice. “Things are running like they should, and our kids are being coached up and they’re grasping our concepts.
“It’s been two years since we’ve played football, had camps and dealt with the heat,” he added. “There are a lot of guys learning how to manage playing football right now. We’re excited to be back and have done a lot of strength and conditioning to get ready.”
Fifth-year head coach Bryan Till (left) and offensive coordinator Brad Denson talk during a 7-on-7 in July. (Kyle Pillar)
The new SAC saw the departure of teams like Jack Britt, Lumberton, Purnell Swett and Seventy-First, but retained Hoke County, Pinecrest and rival Scotland, which is now 3A.
New to the Raiders’ conference schedule are 3A programs Lee County, Southern Lee and Union Pines, all formerly of the Tri-County Conference.
Last season, Richmond, Pinecrest, Scotland and Lee County all made the postseason. The Yellow Jackets, which were the 2019 3AA state runner-ups and won their conference last year, join the Raiders in the same conference for the first time since 1992.
“The competition level stays about the same,” Till said of the new conference. “Jack Britt and Seventy-First were really good, but what we lost we got back in terms of success from the 3A schools.”
One area the Raiders are working on this season is building depth on both sides of the ball, seeing several players contribute on offense and defense.
“There’s still six rounds of playoffs, so there’s the potential to play 16 games and depth is huge in that aspect,” Till said. “Building our depth throughout the season on the field and in the weight room will allow us to prepare for that.
“We have guys who are going to play offensive and defensive line, or see time at running back and cornerback. Being two or three deep at certain positions can help us down the line.
“It’s about the quality of play and being competitive, and we want to continue to put the best 11 players on the field at all times on both sides of the ball.”
One of those players is senior Braxton Butler, a third-year offensive lineman who has started at center the last two years and made All-Conference as a junior.
Part of an O-Line that Till called “really big and really strong,” and that moves well, Butler said the new challenge of playing both ways is exciting.
“I’ll be at center, right guard and play some nose tackle on defense,” Butler said. “That should be fun, but it also means I have to be prepared and know what I have to do. It’s important that I know all of my assignments on both sides of the ball.
“On offense I’m trying to help everyone know their roles, and on defense I’m still learning. I’m making sure I listen and take in as much as I can.”
Other returners to the offensive front that will protect senior quarterback Kellan Hood and the running backs are second-year starters Jaiden Covington (senior, left guard) and Jeffery Linton (junior, left tackle).
Senior Lance Shephard will see time at right guard, with junior Tyson Holloway playing right tackle and fellow junior Ethan Clayton filling in at different spots.
Members of the offensive line work on footwork drills on Tuesday. (Kyle Pillar)
“There are three returning starters on the offensive line and all of us have experience playing on Friday nights,” Covington explained. “We practice hard every day, know our assignments and have the best O-Line coach in the state.
“As a unit, we’re a dominant offensive line. We can run the ball and teams will have a hard time trying to get through us since we’re strong and physical.”
Hood will captain the offense under center for the second straight season, and return after making All-Conference last winter. He threw for 694 yards and 8 touchdowns last year, while adding 135 yards on the ground and 4 rushing scores.
Now graduated are former SAC Offensive Player of the Year Tremel Jones (Wingate) and All-SAC receiver Dalton Stroman (App State). The Richmond wide receiving group returns just one starter in senior Trey Thomas, who had one catch for 11 yards as a junior.
Till said there will be “a lot of guys fighting for spots,” including senior Cason Douglas, who is making the switch to receiver from cornerback. Junior Jadden Jenks and sophomore Jada Zimmerman, who “has a lot of potential,” will be outside receivers.
In the slot, the Raiders will use seniors Javares Stanback, Chris Ellerbe and Jaylan McDonald, sophomore Rondell Neal and Tomas Kvapil, a foreign exchange student from the Czech Republic.
Senior running back Nasir Crumpton will take over the primary role in the backfield after rushing for 74 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries as a junior. Joining him will be junior newcomer Taye Spencer.
Till called both running backs “strong and shifty,” noting they both run a 4.5/4.6 40-yard dash and are “compact guys who can squat 400 pounds.”
“I expect we’ll be just as good as last year,” Hood explained. “We have some young receivers and new running backs, but I think they’ll step up and we’ll have a good season.
“I’m hoping to be able to lead my team and have a successful senior season. We want to win the conference and the state championship, and we have the guys to do it.”
Senior QB Kellan Hood delivers a pass during practice this week. (Kyle Pillar)
Richmond’s defense will shift back to a 3-4 formation under second-year defensive coordinator James Johnson. Till said the decision was personnel based.
Anchoring the defensive line will be three-year starter and East Carolina University commit J.D. Lampley. Coming off an All-Conference season as a junior, Lampley will switch from nose tackle to defensive end and look to build on his 18 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 2 quarterback sacks.
Assisting Lampley will be a variety of younger players, including senior defensive end Jordan Carlyle, junior nose tackle Uriah McDonald, senior Ahmaad Morrison, junior Jabari Hester and sophomores Johnny Lunceford and Jacoby Martin.
“We’ve had a full offseason to prepare for the new season and I think by not having a lot of down time, it really helped our defense prepare,” Lampley said. “Everyone is really focused and working hard to learn his position.
“I want to be more vocal on the field this year and be a leader to my teammates through the way I play,” he added. “By making the plays I’m supposed to and keeping everyone energized, I think our defense will help us win a lot of games.”
The linebacking group returns seniors Gabe Altman (All-SAC selection) and Mikey Baldwin, two starters from last season. Till said Altman is a “great player who will be huge” for the team’s success, while Baldwin “is a buzzsaw who runs hard to the ball.”
Altman and Baldwin each had 27 tackles and two sacks last season, and Altman added six tackles for loss. They’ll look to lead the defense after C.J. Tillman, who led the team with 39 tackles and two interceptions, graduated.
Other linebackers who will see action this fall include Jacoby Martin, senior Ke’Sean Ingram, juniors Zyion Baldwin and Frazion Steele, sophomore Marquan Martin and freshman Joe Parsons.
The Raiders’ secondary is “better than we were last year,” according to Till. Senior Kelay Lindsey and junior Emerson Wall will return as the team’s safeties, as Wall was second on the team last year with 28 tackles. Both players defended two passes a season ago.
Jaleak Gates returns to the team for his senior season and is switching from linebacker to cornerback. Junior Brandon Askins, who will still see time in the backfield, is also making the move to the outside on defense.
Sophomore David McNair is getting reps at cornerback, while junior Messiah Shaw and sophomore Jamison Jones are also expected to see playing time in the secondary.
Senior Jaleak Gates works on cornerback drills with secondary coach Chris Campolieta. (Kyle Pillar)
“We have a nice defensive front and at linebacker we lost C.J., but I was fortunate to spend some time with him and learn how he does things,” Altman said. “Hopefully I can carry that on this year.
“Our secondary has some good experience and I think we’ll be pretty solid there,” he added. “As long as we play physical defense like Richmond is known for, and keep our emphasis on running hard to the ball, we should be successful.”
Senior Alex Medina will take over the kickoff and extra point responsibilities after Trevor Moss (Campbell) and Mack West (Coastal Carolina) graduated. Medina is a third-year varsity soccer player.
Thomas and Hood will serve as the team’s punters, which Till said could keep opposing defenses at bay with Hood’s ability to run and throw on potential fakes.
“Our No. 1 goal is always to win the conference and the state title,” Till said. “We’re going to have to win every week and try our best to go undefeated in the conference. We really need to prepare for the big moments and show up when it’s time to play.”
Richmond’s road to chasing its eighth state title will open on Friday, Aug. 20, at reigning 3AA state champion Mount Tabor High School. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will continue its coverage of the Richmond varsity and junior varsity football teams this fall.
Below is the complete 2021 schedule for the Richmond football team. Home games are bold and conference games are denoted with an asterisk.
Friday, Aug. 20 @ Mount Tabor, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 28 @ Butler, 7:30 p.m. (Game to be played at Memorial Stadium)
Friday, Sept. 3 vs. Cardinal Gibbons, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 10 vs. South View, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 17 vs. Southern Lee, 7:30 p.m. *
Friday, Sept. 24 vs. Pinecrest, 7:30 p.m. *
Friday, Oct. 1 @ Hoke County, 7:30 p.m. *
Friday, Oct. 8 @ Union Pines, 7:30 p.m. *
Friday, Oct. 15 vs. Lee County, 7:30 p.m. *
Bye Week
Friday, Oct. 29 @ Scotland, 7:30 p.m. *
