ROCKINGHAM — Leading up to the start of the new season, the energy within the Richmond Raider football program is vastly different than it’s been the past few years.
Much of that shift in anticipation has been the doing of Brad Denson, Richmond’s first-year head coach, and his amplified coaching staff.
Since taking over his alma mater in February, Denson has been adamant about keeping the “tradition of excellence” rooted in Richmond’s culture alive, while also adding some new wrinkles to help restore the program.
The Raiders are now within a week of starting the 2024 season and will look to stop an unprecedented trend in their 52 previous seasons of finishing below the .500 mark.
In each of the past two seasons, Richmond ended the campaign with a playoff berth but a 5-6 overall record under former head coach Bryan Till.
Those two seasons have been the only times the Raiders have not had a winning record in consecutive years in program history. It marked just the third time since the inaugural 1972 season that Richmond finished under .500.
While Denson said the turnaround starts with more than just a single player or coach, his expectations this fall aren’t shying away from getting Richmond back to its powerhouse ways.
With another year of growth as a program, an intensified weight room regimen and several returning starters in key roles, the basic expectation within Richmond’s locker room is to win a Sandhills Athletic Conference championship.
Having finished second in the SAC standings last season, a game behind Pinecrest High School, the Raiders will have to first contend with a daunting non-conference schedule during their first four games.
Up first will be Seventy-First High School, the reigning North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 3A state runner-up. That will be followed by a gauntlet featuring Butler, Cardinal Gibbons and Myers Park high schools.
Cardinal Gibbons was an NCHSAA 4A final four team last season and Butler just missed out after being eliminated in the fourth round. Myers Park, like Richmond, exited in the first round.
Expected to be physical games against strong teams, Denson used the logic that the only way for Richmond to get better is by playing top-tier talent.
Perhaps able to establish wins during the non-conference and conference runs will be four returning All-SAC selections from last year, three of whom are on defense — senior linebackers Joe Parsons and K’Mauri Morgan, senior defensive end Zach Gardner and junior wide receiver/specialist Jayden Hamilton.
Parsons, a four-year varsity starter, also returns as the reigning SAC defensive player of the year and Richmond’s statistical leader in several defensive categories. Gardner, Morgan and Hamilton each enter their third year as varsity starters.
Along with Parsons and All-Conference honorable mention Terande Spencer, a junior linebacker, the defensive group accounted for 43.2% (281/650) of Richmond’s total tackles and 69.2% (18/26) of the team’s total quarterback sacks in 2023.
Throughout the preseason, including a pair of scrimmages last week against South Garner and West Florence high schools, the Raider defense has been the pace setter and has allowed the offense to follow.
Chris Campolieta will resume his role as Richmond’s defensive coordinator and be assisted by a host of coaches who include Chris Dennis, Taivon Jones and Spencer Shaw, among others.
In the secondary, senior defensive backs AJ Covington and Keidreion Crump return and have been called “the voice” of the defense. Those two will look to replace the void left by former defensive backs Jamison Jones (All-SAC) and Marquan Martin.
Senior Zy Martin has also had a strong pre-season and is another player expected to bolster the linebacking group.
Calling “the box” its strongest asset, Denson noted that the front seven on defense will look to do a lot of damage this season. Along the front line with Gardner will be defensive tackles Tate Simpson (senior) and Demonte Martin (junior), both of whom return with a lot of snaps played last season.
The Raiders will be without three-time All-SAC defensive end Jacoby Martin, who graduated, and former defensive end Tim Sloan.
Offensively, the Raiders have continued to show promise with a group that is dominated by underclassmen who begin their second or third varsity seasons. In conjunction with Denson, Kemp McSween will also help coordinate the offense this year.
Other assistant coaches are Greg Williams, the associate head coach, Patrick Hope and John Rich.
Denson noted recently that junior quarterbacks Evan Hodges and Domonic Tillman have gone stride-for-stride with one another through spring and summer practices. The pair, now working with QB coach Jay Jones, has split reps for the majority of the pre-season.
While a starter has yet to be publicly named for Friday’s season opener, Denson added that just because Hodges or Tillman may start, it doesn’t mean the other won’t see snaps during games.
Tillman was the primary starter in 2023, passing for 1,076 yards on 91 completions and eight touchdowns. He added 221 rushing yards and seven rushing scores, while Hodges threw four scores and recorded one on the ground.
A host of running backs are expected to be used out of the backfield, starting with senior Jordan Bostick, the Raiders’ returning leader. He had 258 rushing yards on 44 carries as a junior with three scores, while backing up former All-SAC running back Jaliel Green (1,065 yards, 10 TDs).
Other rushers who will look to contribute are senior Javion Smith and sophomore Chance Crowder, who is making the move to varsity this season.
Richmond’s receiving corps, which showed just a sliver of what it can potentially do this season during Friday’s scrimmage, also has depth, speed and experience. With the departure of All-SAC wideout Javian Drake, Hamilton and fellow junior Keonta Pegues are likely the top two targets.
As sophomores, Hamilton and Pegues were the second and third leading receivers on the team, respectively. Hamilton made 23 grabs for 351 yards and three scores, while Pegues hauled in 14 grabs for 97 yards and one TD.
Seniors Nicholas Griggs and Travion Smith, and juniors Amer Morrison and Jake Veach, are among the several players who will see time on the field as receivers and blockers.
Along the offensive line, returners include seniors Hayden Taylor and Lincoln Smith, who is under center to replace former All-SAC center Johnny Lunceford. Juniors Tyler McKenzie and Daylyn Robinson are back as starters, as the line lost another All-Conference selection in Gray Maultsby.
Senior Billy West will captain the special teams unit as he enters his fourth season as a varsity kicker. Responsible for kickoffs, extra points and punts again this season, West will be a one-man crew that went 28-for-33 on PATs last fall.
West also converted on two field goals, his season-long coming in at 36 yards against Cardinal Gibbons.
The Raiders kick off their official 10-game campaign Friday, Aug. 23, at Seventy-First. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a game preview later this week.
SEASON SCHEDULE: Click here for an always up-to-date schedule for the Richmond football team.
The Richmond Observer will continue its award-winning coverage of the varsity and junior varsity football teams this fall.
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