RALEIGH — The intensity of the second-round showdown between the Richmond Raiders and Cardinal Gibbons didn’t disappoint Friday — but the No. 4 Raiders saw their postseason run come to an end.
Playing in its first road playoff game since the second round of the 2016 postseason, Richmond couldn’t overcome a slow start on both sides of the ball and fell to the No. 1 Crusaders 28-14.
Cardinal Gibbons jumped out to a 21-0 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the first half, but head coach Bryan Till said he was impressed by the way the Raiders responded and the resiliency of his players to not stop fighting.
“We got down early, and it was frustrating, but it was amazing to watch our kids come back to each other and coach one another back up,” Till said. “And they’ve done that all year. I can’t be more impressed with our kids and how they handled things this season.
“We settled in during the second half and made a couple coverage checks and adjustments from what we were doing in the first half,” he added. “That helped, but it took our kids a little bit to be able to adjust to their speed.”
Heading into the game, Till noted the amount of offensive formations the Crusaders run would be challenging to cover. Cardinal Gibbons scored three touchdowns on their first four possessions.
Despite kicker Trevor Moss and punter Mack West pinning Cardinal Gibbons inside the 20-yard line all three times, the Crusaders answered with scoring drives of 80, 82 and 89 yards, respectively.
Crusader quarterback Connor Clark opened with a 13-yard passing score to Brock Biestek on the team’s opening drive, which was followed by an eight-yard rushing score out of the wildcat formation by Blake Raphael early in the second quarter.
Clark connected with Jake Taylor on a 22-yard catch and run late in the second quarter to put Cardinal Gibbons ahead by three possessions. Just prior to the second touchdown pass, junior cornerback Cason Douglas broke up a pass.
“The difference was there were so many sets we saw tonight, and in a shortened season with an entirely new secondary, they hadn’t seen anything like this before in terms of the number of motions and offensive sets,” Till explained.
“Normally, we’d have played Butler early in the season and Pinecrest gives you a bunch of funky sets,” he added. “And then there’s a lot of variability with Jack Britt and Scotland, so those types of things our kids were learning on the fly since we didn’t see a lot of that this year.”
After punting on their first three tries, the Raiders found the end zone in the closing minutes of the first half. Starting at their own 28-yard line, the Raiders used a six-yard run from senior running back Jaron Coleman and a 17-yard reception by senior Jarod Morrison to move to the Cardinal Gibbons’ 49-yard line.
Two plays later, junior quarterback Kellan Hood made some Raider Magin happen when he scrambled and tossed the ball to senior wideout Dalton Stroman in the left flat. Stroman caught the ball and made a short gain, but fumbled the ball forward down the field.
There to scoop it up was fellow senior wide receiver Tremel Jones, who collected the bouncing ball at the 37-yard line and raced down the left sideline to the house. West added the extra point, cutting Richmond’s deficit to 21-7 with 1:53 left in the first half.
Senior WR Dalton Stroman (2) takes a toss from QB Kellan Hood, which started the Raiders’ first touchdown.
“Overall, we played a good season even though we didn’t have a lot of time for preparation,” Stroman, an App State signee, said. “We didn’t play teams like (Cardinal Gibbons) this season, and we tried to execute the best we could.
“We had a really good team this year,” he added. “It was a great journey being a Raider and I wish the juniors and other players good luck next season.”
The start of the second half saw the two teams trade possession on turnovers through the first four series.
The Crusaders intercepted a pass on Richmond’s first two possessions, but junior cornerback Traveon Short thwarted a potential score when he fell onto a Raphael fumble in the end zone following the first pick.
Senior linebacker C.J. Tillman shifted the momentum back in Richmond’s favor just three plays after Hood’s second interception. Dropping into coverage, Tillman jumped up and intercepted the pass attempt at the Richmond 43-yard line.
Tillman’s pick, his second in as many playoff games, started a 13-play, 57-yard touchdown drive for the Raiders. That drive featured two fourth-and-long conversions to pull the Raiders within one score.
Junior CB Traveon Short grabs a fumble recovery in the end zone during Friday’s playoff game.
“The defenses played well on both sides in the second half and we were giving each other some different looks,” Till said. “The turnovers that happened in the middle showed what type of teams played tonight — battling for everything they could.
“All the turnovers were created, especially some nice drops by linebackers like C.J.’s interception,” he added. “We read the coverages really well and reacted quickly.”
With 2:20 left in the third, Hood scrambled straight ahead for a first down on fourth-and-five to move the ball to the Crusaders’ 36-yard line. Four plays later, offensive coordinator Brad Denson called “an old school hook and ladder” play on fourth-and seven.
Hood made a quick pass to Jones, who turned and pitched the ball off to a sweeping Coleman, who got down to the 15-yard line. Two plays later, Hood muscled his way into the end zone on a 14-yard carry, spinning off a defender before crossing the goal line.
West’s PAT rang true and the Raiders trailed just 21-14 with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter.
Junior QB Kellan Hood (7) beats Chelton Coley (4) inside the left edge of the end zone for a score.
Richmond would get three more offensive drives to try and tie the game, but they resulted in a punt, a fumble and an interception, respectively.
Junior defensive lineman J.D. Lampley made two plays late to keep the Raiders in contention. He made a tackle for loss after a short completion to running back Donovan Shepard to force a punt.
On the next drive, he broke through the line on third down and knocked down a Clark pass attempt to make the Crusaders kick it away again.
The Crusaders scored their final touchdown with 1:58 remaining on a tailback wheel route to Shepard, a 36-yard catch and run on fourth down.
“We fought until the end and controlled what we could control,” senior safety Isaiah Jones said. “The best part about this year was being able to come back together and play as a team.”
Hood finished the night 9-of-17 passing for 76 yards and three interceptions, while also adding 47 yards on the ground and a touchdown. The junior QB collected 123 of Richmond’s 182 yards of total offense.
Coleman’s 52 yards on 15 carries led the team, and Stroman’s four receptions for 39 yards were a team-high. Jones had three catches, Coleman had one catch for 18 yards and Morrison added a reception for 17 yards.
Clark went 17-of-24 through the air for 214 yards and three scores. Shepard had 91 yards on 21 carries and Biestek had nine catches for 90 yards.
“Everybody fought hard and it was a close game,” senior offensive lineman and N.C. State signee Jaleel Davis said. “The way we worked hard every day and tried our best is what made this season a success for us.”
With the loss, Richmond’s 2021 spring season came to an end with a 4-1 overall record, which featured its third straight Sandhills Athletic Conference championship.
Head coach Bryan Till addresses the team with an postgame speech following Friday’s loss.
“I don’t think love is a strong enough word for how we feel about these kids and their commitment,” Till closed. “I don’t have the words to describe the amount of passion we have for them and what they’ve done for our program this year.”
That feeling was mutual as players, family members, fans and coaches listened to an impassioned postgame speech from Till, which highlighted the team’s success in overcoming an unconventional spring season impacted by the coronavirus.
But right around the corner is late spring and summer workouts, as the Raiders hope to return to a normal fall schedule later this year.
The Richmond Observer will publish a season recap, as well as the Raiders who make the SAC All-Conference team in the coming week.
