ROCKINGHAM — The threat of rain moved Richmond’s game against Union Pines up two days, but that didn’t stop the Raiders from pouring on the offense to remain perfect in Sandhills Athletic Conference play.
No. 3 Richmond used seven rushing touchdowns, a passing score and two special teams trips to the end zone to help put the game out of reach, freezing the Vikings 69-6 behind a running clock.
The seven rushing touchdowns were a season-high through six games, with senior quarterback Kellan Hood and senior running back Nasir Crumpton each scoring three times on the ground.
Junior tailback Taye Spencer was responsible for the other rushing touchdown. Senior all-purpose player Javares Stanback added a kickoff return, punt return and a receiving touchdown in the win.
Stanback sparked the offense, touching the ball on the first two plays for Richmond, both resulting in a touchdown. On the opening kickoff, Stanback raced 70-yards to the house to score just 12 seconds into the game.
Senior Javares Stanback (13) returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Following a short punt on Union Pines’ first drive, Stanback caught a forward pitch from Hood on the Raiders’ first play from scrimmage. Working his way to the right sideline, Stanback scored on a 44-yard catch and run.
Freshman kicker Billy West, who tied the program’s single-game record with nine made point-after attempts in his varsity debut, split the uprights for the first time to make it a 13-0 lead with 9:36 to play.
Union Pines (1-6, 0-2 SAC) struggled to get its offense going against a dominant Raider defense, and was stopped on third down on its next drive by seniors J.D. Lampley and Ke’Sean Ingram to force another punt.
On the night, the Vikings recorded just 65 yards of total offense (48 rushing, 17 passing), compared to Richmond’s 389 yards of total offense (246 rushing, 143 passing).
The Vikings scored their lone touchdown of the game following a fumble by Richmond on the next drive. Taking over at the Raiders’ 25-yard line, junior quarterback Ben Finkelstein found sophomore Eric Jernigan a couple plays later on a 6-yard passing score.
The two-point try was no good and the Vikings trailed 13-6 with 6:32 on the clock in the opening frame.
A drive later, freshman linebacker Joe Parsons recovered a fumble by Russ Schaper at midfield. That led to another Richmond touchdown just four plays later.
Spencer carried the ball three times on the drive, picking up gains of 8 yards and 34 yards, moving the ball down to the 8-yard line. His third carry resulted in a touchdown run up the middle, followed by another West PAT.
Freshman Billy West (86) connects on his first of nine PATs in Richmond’s win. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Leading 20-6 with 2:17 remaining in the first quarter, the Raider defense forced another three-and-out. On the ensuing punt, Stanback caught the ball at Union Pines’ 46-yard line and extended Richmond’s lead with another special teams score.
With 49.4 ticks left, West kicked true again and put the Raiders ahead 27-6.
Richmond added four more touchdowns in the second quarter, starting with Hood’s first from 6-yards out. Starting at their own 29-yard line, passes to senior receivers Trey Thomas (25 yards), Stanback (15 yards) and Chris Ellerbe (25 yards) put the ball inside the 10-yard line.
Hood took the snap and worked his way through a hole up the middle to make it a 34-6 lead with 8:47 left in the first half.
Senior quarterback Kellan Hood rushes for one of his three scores in Wednesday’s victory. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Richmond’s defense pinned Union Pines deep in its own zone, using a tackle-for-loss by sophomore defensive end Jacoby Martin and a quarterback hurry from Lampley to force a fourth down.
The Vikings went for it on 4th-and-12 and turned the ball over at their own 31-yard line after an incompletion. Hood scored three plays later from 17 yards out, splitting to his left, following a 14-yard completion to junior wideout Jadden Jenks.
Parsons blocked a punt attempt by Union Pines on its next drive, setting up another Richmond touchdown. Hood capped his night with his third rushing touchdown, a keeper from 9 yards out.
West hit the PAT and gave the Raiders a 48-6 lead with 3:42 left in the second quarter.
Before the end of the half, Crumpton would score his first rushing touchdown on a 5-yard plunge, and junior cornerback Brandon Askins intercepted a pass by Finkelstein with 30.2 seconds left.
Junior Brandon Askins intercepts a pass right before halftime. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
The entire second half was played under a running clock, and freshman Zach Gardner blocked a punt on the Vikings’ first drive to start the third quarter. That set up a 2-yard rushing score from Crumpton with 6:05 remaining in the third stanza.
Crumpton put the exclamation point on the win with a 29-yard score on a handoff from junior quarterback Emoni McBride.
The team’s 10th total touchdown came with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter. West added his ninth and record-breaking PAT moments later.
Richmond’s defense forced five punts, four turnovers on downs, two fumbles and an interception.
Finkelstein was 2-for-8 with 17 passing yards and Noland Chappell collected 42 rushing yards on 10 carries to lead the Vikings.
Crumpton’s 87 rushing yards on 9 carries led the Raiders, while Spencer wasn’t far behind with 74 yards on 5 rushes. Hood added 32 yards on 3 runs and was 6-of-11 for 144 yards passing.
Six Richmond receivers caught at least one pass, with Stanback’s two grabs for 59 yards leading the way. Thomas and Ellerbe each caught one pass for 25 yards and senior Cason Douglas caught one ball for 21 yards.
Senior running back Nasir Crumpton nears the end zone on his 29-yard rushing score. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Richmond (6-1, 3-0 SAC) will continue its game-packed 11-day stretch with another home game on Tuesday against Southern Lee High School.
That game is a make-up from Sept. 17 when the Cavaliers (0-5, 0-2 SAC) were under COVID-19 protocols. It will also serve as Richmond’s homecoming game.
VIDEO INTERVIEWS — Click the links below to hear from players and coaches following Wednesday’s win.
Kellan Hood & Javares Stanback
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Wednesday’s game later this week. For updates on all Richmond County sports, follow us on Twitter @ROSports_.
Note: The Richmond junior varsity football team will not play this week. Instead, the JV Raiders and Union Pines have rescheduled for Thursday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m. in Cameron.
