ROCKINGHAM — The old adage of “good things come in threes” proved true for the Richmond Raider football team on Friday.
Senior night was a success for the Raiders, who collected their third consecutive win of the season at home against Lee County High School.
The Sandhills Athletic Conference game, which extended the team’s season-long winning streak, featured a balanced diet of offensive and defensive production, which led to a 34-13 victory for Richmond and head coach Bryan Till.
Prior to the opening kick, the Raiders’ 22 senior players were recognized for their contributions to the program. The Richmond Observer will publish a separate photo gallery article.
All of the seniors lined up as captains for the coin toss. Walking to midfield were Johnny Lunceford, Jamison Jones, Lester Crawford and Marquan Martin.
Not needing a game-winning drive like last season’s two-point win over the Yellow Jackets (4-4, 1-3 SAC), the Raiders scored four times on the ground and once through the air and held a sizable cushion most of the game.
The defense, which wasn’t able to record its third straight shutout, managed to create three positive turnovers for the second consecutive outing (two interceptions, one fumble).
A sloppy start by Richmond thanks to a fumble on its first possession near the red zone didn’t lead to any bad results, as Lee County went three-and-out on its first drive.
Junior inside linebackers K’Mauri Morgan and Joe Parsons both made stops in the backfield to force the punt.
The Raiders moved the ball again on their second drive, but it stalled on two incompletions on third and fourth downs at the Lee County 20-yard line.
Like it has in the past two weeks, Richmond’s defense created an early opportunity for the Raiders to score. Sophomore linebacker Terande Spencer fell on a fumble by quarterback Jack Martin two plays into the next drive.
On Richomnd’s first snap deep in Lee County territory, senior running back Jaliel Green (22 rushes, 152 yards) found a hole in the line and ran 15 yards to the end zone for the first of Richmond’s two first-half rushing scores.
The point-after attempt was no good as Richmond took a 6-0 lead with 1:37 to go in the opening quarter.
Another three-and-out by Richmond’s defense, one of two in the first half, featured a pass breakup by Martin, one of a handful for him on the night.
Backed up at their own five-yard line, Lee County’s punt was taken by sophomore returner Jayden Hamilton at the 39-yard line, who raced down the left sideline for a 24-yard return.
Starting at the Yellow Jacket’s 15-yard line, a five-play scoring drive ended with sophomore quarterback Domonic Tillman rushing in from four yards.
Just prior to the score a late hit out of bounds by Lee County on Green moved the sticks inside the five.
Junior kicker Billy West connected on the PAT to extend Richmond’s lead to 13-0 less than a minute into the second stanza.
Entering the game, Richmond’s defense hadn’t allowed a point in 10 quarters, and after blanking Lee County in the first on Friday, the stretch moved to 11.
That impressive streak, however, ended on the Yellow Jackets’ next possession. Despite a sack from senior defensive end Jacoby Martin, a 15-yard penalty helped the visitors move the ball.
On second and goal from the three-yard line, Terrance McKendall rushed it in to make it a 13-7 game after the PAT.
With 7:49 to go in the first half, that score would hold until halftime. The Raiders punted on their two remaining drives and Lee County punted once and ran out the clock.
A red zone stop by Richmond’s defense, aided by a pair of false starts by the Yellow Jackets, led to a turnover on downs to start the second half. Jack Martin’s pass in the end zone intended for Raymond Knotts was broken up by junior defensive back AJ Covington.
Getting the ball at their own 25-yard line, the Raiders marched 75 yards on nine plays to add to their lead. Four consecutive plays of 10+ yards late in the drive moved the chains to the 16-yard line.
On first down, Tillman threw his lone passing score of the game to senior wideout Javian Drake. Slipping behind a defender, Drake jumped up to haul in his fifth score of the season in the back corner of the end zone.
West was true again on the extra point and Richmond jumped ahead 20-7 with 5:42 left in the third.
Covington proved to be a defensive catalyst for the second week in a row, intercepting the first of his two second-half passes on Lee County’s next drive. He also had a pick in last week’s win over Union Pines.
Giving the Raiders the ball back at their 22-yard line, the offense was efficient to go 78 yards on just five plays to score again.
Green was responsible for the house call, running up the middle of the field before moving to his left for a 51-yard touchdown run. Inside the five-yard line, he muscled his way past the defense to fall into the end zone.
West’s PAT made it 27-7 with little more than a minute to go before the start of the final quarter.
Lee County, which accumulated 258 yards of total offense, ran 15 plays on its next series but came up empty.
On fourth-and-one at Richmond’s five-yard line, Jack Martin handed the ball to Brandon Baldwin who was stuffed at the line by a host of Raiders to force the turnover on downs.
The Yellow Jackets got the ball back after a Richmond punt and McKendall scored his second touchdown of the game. On a pitch to the right, he cut the edge for a two-yard score.
After an unsuccessful PAT and Richmond ahead 27-13, the Raiders’ offense added one more score for insurance.
The eight-play, 65-yard drive was helped by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Green and junior running back Jordan Bostick (four carries, 35 yards) split the rushing duties on the series.
Bostick broke loose for a 19-yard gain and moved down to the one-yard line with the help of junior right tackle Gray Maultsby, who pushed the pile forward the final several yards.
Tillman, who accounted for three total touchdowns, recorded his second rushing score on the next snap. The one-yard run, coupled with West’s PAT, accounted for the final points of the game.
With under a minute to go in regulation, Jack Martin completed a 34-yard pass to Jayden Hill. But on the next play, Covington intercepted the ball. Catching it at the two-yard line, he returned it to the Lee County 43-yard line.
Richmond lined up in victory formation, which saw Tillman take a knee to secure the win.
Tillman went 16-for-24 through the air and completed passes to six different receivers for 150 yards. Drake nabbed six catches for 72 yards, sophomore Keonta Pegues caught four passes for 24 yards and Hamilton hauled in three grabs for 27 yards.
Green, senior Linden Garcia and junior Nicholas Griggs each had one catch and combined for 27 yards.
Both teams ran 60 plays on offense, with Richmond registering 337 total yards (187 rushing, 150 passing).
The second-place Raiders (4-5, 4-1 SAC) will get some much needed rest on their bye week before closing the regular season at longtime rival Scotland High School (7-1, 3-1 SAC) on the road on Oct. 27.
The Fighting Scots fell to third place in the SAC following Friday’s loss to Pinecrest High School. Kickoff from Pate Stadium will start at 7:30 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish photo galleries of senior night and Friday’s victory over Lee County on Saturday.
