ROCKINGHAM — A lot of things need to work in favor of the Richmond Raider football team on Friday in order clinch a share of the Sandhills Athletic Conference championship.
But first and foremost for the Raiders, their goal is to win.
The regular season of high school football will draw to a close for Richmond and head coach Bryan Till in the program’s annual showdown with Scotland High School.
Playing the 56th all-time meeting between the two storied programs, the Raiders will look to control what they can in order to give themselves a chance at splitting the conference crown.
Entering Friday’s regular-season finale, Richmond holds a 38-16-1 all-time record against the Fighting Scots. The Raiders have won four of the past five meetings, having lost last season by a single point.
Considered by many to be the “best high school football rivalry” in the state, the meeting between the Raiders and Fighting Scots doesn’t hold the same amount of weight as prior years.
Since reclassification during the 2021-22 school year, Richmond (4A) and Scotland (3A) have been in separate classifications. But that doesn’t mean playoff implications still aren’t a factor either.
But for Till, who is coaching in his seventh meeting between the two teams and carries a 4-2 record in the series, the magic of the rivalry still persists. Also believers in the rivalry are many players and fans from both sides of the county line.
“This rivalry will always matter because it matters so much to the communities,” Till said.
“It does have some important playoff implications in terms of RPI and where either of us could be seeded, so there is importance outside the normal importance of bragging rights for a year.”
Fresh off their bye week, the Raiders will look to keep their season-long winning streak going. Prior to the break, Richmond defeated Hoke County, Union Pines and Lee County high schools.
Although the team played nine games in consecutive weeks, the Raiders used their off week to rest and zero in on what business needs taken care of on Friday.
“We were able to go back over some fundamentals,” Till said of the bye. “We worked on adding in some new things that we haven’t had time for, and most importantly, we gained some needed rest prior to the game.
“I think our guys are very aware that we have to play the entire four quarters and be able to make some big plays in order to win this game,” he added of remembering last year’s late-game defeat.
With a win and a little help, Richmond could share the SAC regular-season title with Pinecrest and Scotland (there are no individual classification champions in a split conference).
In order for that to happen, Pinecrest would have to lose its final game of the season against Union Pines High School so all three teams would have a 5-1 SAC record. Pinecrest (4A) and Scotland (3A) have already secured the conference’s automatic playoff berths.
Through nine games this season, the Fighting Scots and head coach Richard Bailey have won eight of those competitions. Scotland’s only loss came two weeks ago when it fell to current SAC leader Pinecrest in a meeting of unbeaten teams at the time.
The Raider defense, which has held SAC opponents to 13.2 points per game, will face one of its toughest tests on the ground this week. Till said Scotland runs a spread formation, usually with a half back.
Senior running back Zay Jones, a recent selection to the East-West All-Star Game, leads all 3A rushers in the state with 1,896 rushing yards and 210.7 rushing yards per game. His 29 rushing scores also lead the classification.
Junior quarterback Ji’san McPhatter has thrown for 1,168 passing yards (67-of-115) for an average of 129.9 yards per game. Scotland’s top two receivers are juniors Quatavius Everette (29 catches, six touchdowns) and Dajuan Gibson (16 receptions, two TDs).
This season, Scotland is averaging 39.8 points per game on offense, while allowing 20.1 points against on defense.
“They have a very strong running game headed by No. 2 (Jones) and a strong offensive line,” Till commented.
“The big plays they have been able to generate in the passing game to No. 4 (Everette) and No. 3 (Gibson) have been because people are packing the box and those guys have gotten some one-on-one matchups, as well as play-action passes for big plays where guys expect the run.”
On the other side of the ball, Scotland has limited its SAC opponents to 13.4 points per game. The Raiders are averaging 33.6 points per four quarters within the conference.
The Scots’ leading tackler is senior linebacker Malcom McGirt, who has recorded nearly double the amount of tackles (87) than any of his teammates. A dozen of those tackles have been for a loss.
Senior defensive tackle Darreus McDonald and junior linebacker Zion Morrison have each tallied a team-leading 14 tackles-for-loss. McDonald, Morrison and senior Zyquarius Shaw have combined for 13 of Scotland’s 23 sacks this season.
“The defense also has been strong, especially with the defensive line and the run game,” Till said. “No. 52 (McDonald) plays on both offensive line and defensive line, and some of the other offensive linemen will sub in as well.
“They run a similar defense to us with it being 3-3 or 3-4 depending on offensive formations, so there is some familiarity there.”
The Raiders (4-5, 4-1 SAC) and Fighting Scots (8-1, 4-1 SAC) will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the gate or can be purchased at GoFan.co.
Below is information provided by Scotland High School’s administration regarding game day policies at Pate Stadium.
