ROCKINGHAM — High School football will get back to its regularly scheduled programming this week, at least in parts of the state.
Richmond Senior High School and the other member schools of the Sandhills Athletic Conference were largely unaffected by Hurricane Helene, which will allow for football return to Friday night.
The Raiders weathered a downpour last Thursday on the road at Pinecrest High School to improve to 2-0 within the conference and keep their hope at an undefeated run alive.
Taking care of its 4A rivals in statement fashion, Richmond and head coach Brad Denson will return home for the first time since Sept. 13 for the first of consecutive home games.
Visiting Raider Stadium Friday will be Hoke County High School, which sits tied for the worst record in the SAC entering Week 7.
The uncharacteristic football schedule last week proved to work in the Raiders’ favor, and Denson noted that the momentum has carried over into preparation for the Bucks.
However, now past the midpoint of the season and with its bye week still three weeks away, Richmond is in the throes of a midseason grind.
“Our energy has been good for the most part, but we are at that point of the season where it really becomes a grind,” Denson explained. “We have been going every day since Aug. 1 and essentially been banging on each other and opponents since then, so we are having to push through some bangs and bruises and soreness.
“That’s part of our ‘be tough’ slogan, just something we will fight through,” he added. “With that, the energy in the weight room and on the field has been good. We are excited about getting back on our home turf and playing in front of our people.”
Through their first two conference games against Southern Lee and Pinecrest, the Raiders have won by an average of 31.5 points.
While the Bucks are four games under the .500 mark, Denson pointed out that Hoke County’s athleticism has made it a formidable opponent despite its overall record. Part of the Bucks’ misfortune, he said, has been the inability to close out games.
“Hoke is very athletic, which they always are, but they have some schemes and calls that can give us a hard time combined with their athleticism,” Denson shared. “Another thing is that most of their losses are one-score losses, meaning they were right there to win the game. Against Seventy-First it was 7-0 at the half and ended 21-0. We will have to play a great game in order to come out on top.
“Anytime you leave a team in the game, they will gain confidence,” he continued. “They have been right there and just haven’t been able to finish the job. We have to play our game, the way it is supposed to be played, and everything else will take care of itself.”
In three of their five losses, the Bucks have fallen by five points or less. They lost 27-22 in Week 1 to Jack Britt, fell 25-21 to South View a week later and came up short 24-20 against Lee County last week.
Hoke County’s lone win this season was in Week 3 against Douglas Byrd High School, a 53-12 thumping.
When head coach George Small and the Bucks visit Richmond Friday, they’ll be searching for their first conference win since a seven-point victory in the penultimate week of the regular season in 2023.
Richmond holds a 47-1 all-time record against Hoke County, having won the last 11 straight meetings since the Bucks won their only game in the series in 2012. The Raiders blanked Hoke County 41-0 last season, part of back-to-back shutouts against the Bucks and Union Pines High School.
Returning to lead the Bucks’ offense will be senior quarterback Brandon Saunders. A dual-threat quarterback, he’s thrown 65-of-108 for 764 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. On the ground, Saunders has added four scores and 246 rushing yards.
Hoke County’s other two leading ball carriers are junior Favor Anab (59 carries, 329 yards, five TDs) and junior Darius Breeden (22 rushes, 108 yards, two scores).
Four wide receivers enter the week with double-digit receptions, but have only combined for three receiving scores. Senior Tycen Vick leads the team with 13 grabs for 171 yards and two TDs, followed by junior Jordan Mitchell (12 catches, 121 yards) and junior William Leak (11 snags, 120 yards).
Chad Royster has 10 catches for 82 yards and Mikequavious Biggers has proven to be a deep threat, catching nine balls for 114 yards.
“On offense, they will have some good schemes and they execute those well,” Denson said. “We have to be aware of the QB for sure, he is a dual threat guy who can do both.
“They have several skill guys on the perimeter who are not that big but can go and can run. We have to know our assignments and play mistake free in order to account for each of them.”
On the other side of the ball, Hoke County has allowed 25.7 points per game. The Bucks’ defense will face a maturing Richmond offense that has put up 42.0 points per game under the split responsibilities of junior quarterback Evan Hodges and Domonic Tillman, along with a host of running backs and developing wide receivers.
Denson expects the trench game to be tough, which will put the spotlight on the Raiders’ offensive line, which has proven reliable against some tough defenses this season.
Senior cornerback Darrien Frazier’s 40 tackles lead all of Hoke County’s players, while sophomore linebacker Dontrell Mims’ 5.0 tackles-for-loss lead the team. Through six games, the Bucks have sacked opposing quarterbacks just four times.
“Defensively, they keep the front the same for the most part,” Denson noted. “On the back end, they will change the coverages from a zone look to a man look.we must be able to see those and make sure we aren’t running ourselves into something we can’t handle.
“I think their defensive line is the best part of the defense, so our offensive line will have to play a great game up front.”
Richmond’s defensive leaders include senior K’Mauri Morgan (72 tackles, 8.0 TFL), junior Terande Spencer (55 tackles, 20 TFL), senior Joe Parsons (52 tackles, 4 TFL) and AJ Covington (38 tackles).
Richmond has recorded 13 quarterback sacks this fall, led by Spencer’s eight. Parsons (2), Morgan (1) and juniors Jordan Hamilton (1) and Jason Gainey (1) round out the pressure.
Senior defensive backs Jarah Cook and Keidreion Crump have two-thirds of Richmond’s six interceptions, pulling in two apiece.
“We need all of Raider Nation in the stands Friday night,” Denson closed. “The weather looks great and we are fortunate to be able to take the field and play the game.
“Our neighbors to the west are not as fortunate and our thoughts and prayers are with them as they battle through everything. Come out and support these guys this week!”
Richmond (4-2, 2-0 SAC) and Hoke County (1-5, 0-2 SAC) will kickoff under the lights Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 apiece and available at the gate (cash) or on GoFan.
