Home Local Sports Win No. 499: No. 1 Raiders plunder Pirates behind Hood, Altman’s efforts...

Win No. 499: No. 1 Raiders plunder Pirates behind Hood, Altman’s efforts on homecoming

A 51-7 win over Lumberton saw the Raiders earn their 499th career win.
Deon Cranford — The Richmond Observer.

ROCKINGHAM — Funneling the excitement from the week surrounding Homecoming 2019, the Richmond Senior High School football team did its job by capping the festivities with a big Sandhills Athletic Conference win.

The No. 1 Raiders welcomed in Lumberton High School on Friday and utilized several of their offensive and defensive weapons to sink the Pirates 51-7. Richmond improved to a perfect 9-0 on the season, and 5-0 against SAC teams, but the win also marked the program’s 499th all-time victory.

With a little help from SAC opponent Pinecrest High School, which beat Scotland High School on Thursday, the Raiders now sit alone at the top of the SAC standings.

Since the football team started in 1972, the Raiders have won 499 of their 614 total games. Richmond has lost just 110 games and recorded five ties for an all-time winning percentage of 81.27 percent. Win No. 500 could happen at home next Friday against Seventy-First High School on senior night.

Entering the game against Lumberton (2-7, 0-5 SAC), Richmond head coach Bryan Till acknowledged the Pirates’ struggles this season and said it was imperative for the Raiders to maintain their composure and check off game plan goals while trying to be the best team they could be. 

His team responded on both sides of the ball, racking up 326 yards of total offense, while the defense held the Pirates to just 79 total offensive yards. Richmond’s defense impressed in the first half, limiting Lumberton to -3 yards of offense, while also recording several sacks, tackles for loss and an interception.

“The guys obviously were focused and we were concerned with some of (the homecoming activities),” Till said after the game. “Based on the way we watched them play and the way they were talking on the sidelines, they knew what was going on. I’m pretty proud of those guys for being able to step up and do that.”

Friday was a busy day off the field for the Raiders and their fans, as 31 senior players participated in the homecoming court pep rally at school. Senior defensive end Javon Little was named Homecoming King, and saw his date and senior golfer Hailey Miller earn Homecoming Queen.

That was followed by a community tailgate ahead of the game at Raider Stadium, and halftime saw the classes of 1979, 1984, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1999 and 2009 recognized. During the ceremonial pregame coin toss, the Mills family served as homecoming’s grand marshal, honoring the late Robbie Mills, a longtime carpentry and shop teacher at the high school.

“I love that it’s a great experience for our boys to dress up and get out of their comfort zone a little bit, but still show out in a different way,” Till said of the court and the pep rally. “You look at your opponent on paper and say ‘it’s not a great matchup,’ but the stands were still so full.

“It’s an amazing feeling to see that support,” he added. “Our kids really feel that. That fast start — I can’t overstate how that empowers us to do that.”

While all of the events, including the week-long spirit week celebrations, were welcomed distractions, the Raiders were all business for the 48 minutes on the gridiron. The offense scored a touchdown on seven of its 10 drives, breaking the game open early with three first-quarter touchdowns.

Opting to receive the opening kickoff, the Raiders took just four plays on each of their first three drives to find the end zone. On first down from the Pirates’ 22-yard line on Richmond’s first drive, junior quarterback Caleb Hood connected with junior wide receiver Jakolbe Baldwin on an inside post route for the game’s first score. 

Junior Mack West tacked on the first of his seven point after attempts to give Richmond a 7-0 lead just 2:02 into the night.

Junior linebacker CJ Tillman and senior safety D’Marcus Harrington opened the defense’s night with a tackle for loss on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive. On third down, sophomore linebacker Jaleak Gates, who has stormed his way into the starting rotation the last handful of games, made it into the backfield and sacked Jadarian Chatman for a 10-yard loss to force the first of Lumberton’s seven punts.

Taking over at the Pirates’ 40-yard line, a 22-yard run from senior running back Jaheim Covington put the Raiders in the red zone. Three plays later from the three-yard line, Covington plunged ahead for the first of his two rushing scores of the game. West rang true and Richmond took a 14-0 lead at the 6:11 mark.

The next defensive series was perhaps the most productive on the night for Richmond, starting with another Tillman TFL on first down. Gates barreled through the offensive line on the next play to tackle Chatman for a 12-yard loss on a quarterback option.

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On the next snap, Lumberton opted for a flea flicker, with Chatman pitching the ball to sophomore tailback Taft Powers. Sophomore nose tackle JD Lampley applied pressure on Powers, nearly tipping down the pass. But his presence caused Powers to lob a ball to the Raider diamond at midfield, and senior safety Dereck Barringer caught his first interception of the season.

Taking over at the Pirates’ 48-yard line, a 46-yard hookup between Hood and junior wideout Dalton Stroman put Richmond at the two-yard line a play later. On third and goal from the three, Hood pitched left to junior tailback Jaron Coleman, who dashed into the end zone untouched. Following West’s PAT, Richmond held a 21-0 lead with 2:51 left in the opening stanza.

“Those plays set the tone,” Till explained of the barrage of highlight reel plays from the Raiders early on. “But the biggest thing I like with Dereck’s (interception) was it was a trick play and he could have easily given up. But he stayed on his responsibility, and in a game like this, it shows how focused they are.” 

Another Lumberton three-and-out set up a big punt return by sophomore Kellan Hood, who returned the ball 32 yards inside the red zone. That drive ended in a fumble, just one of three on the night to come up short of a scoring play.

To begin the second quarter, Hood, who finished the night 6-of-7 passing and 126 yards, found Baldwin again for his final passing score. This time, it was a three-yard toss over the middle to a wide-open Baldwin, which was his fifth score of the season.

A near pick by Barringer on the Pirates’ ensuing third down brought up another punt, and Covington made them pay on Richmond’s next play from scrimmage. The 5-9, 190-pound back broke through the line and raced 83 yards to the house. Along the way he broke a handful of tackles, and outstepped one final attempt by Devon McLean at the 25-yard line to record his team-leading 13th rushing score of the year.

Leading 35-0, Richmond got the ball back one more time before the halftime break. Senior quarterback Noah Altman replaced Hood, and went 18 yards in three plays to tally his first passing score. On second and goal from the one, Altman looked left and laced a pass to sophomore Kellan Hood, who caught his first career varsity touchdown. 

West’s PAT put the Raiders up 42-0, effectively starting the running clock that would roll the rest of the game.

The second half moved quickly and the Raiders used one more touchdown and a safety to add their final nine points. With 8:08 left in the third quarter, a high snap on a punt attempt by Lumberton at its own 27-yard line saw punter Jorge Gomez track the ball down and kick it out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

Altman added the final tally on the ground when he surged ahead on a one-yard charge with 8:52 left in regulation. West again was good for the point after, extending his streak of made PATs to 14 in the last two games.

Junior kicker Trevor Moss, who’s the Raiders kickoff and field goal kicker, recorded six touchbacks in the win. That saw him tie the single-season program record with 42 touchbacks. Little, senior Desmond Covington and junior Jah’meek Harden each recorded one quarterback sack.

Just three seconds away from its fourth shutout of the season, the Richmond defense allowed a 53-yard passing touchdown from Chatman to Hayden Hickman down the left sideline. That play was Lumberton’s longest play of the night, and brought its total yards of offense up from just 26 yards.

“(Our defense) stayed very focused on their reads and we didn’t do a lot of things different,” Till said of his defense. “A lot of the formations were similar to last week, and we were flying to the ball and staying in their gaps on blitzes. We did a little better on blitzes tonight.”

Covington was the game’s leading rusher with 117 yards on five carries and two scores. Altman contributed well off the bench, going 5-of-7 passing for 59 yards, and Kellan Hood caught all five of his targets for a game-high 65 yards receiving.

The Raiders will go for win No. 500 next Friday in its final regular-season home game of the fall. Kickoff against the Seventy-First Falcons is set for 7:30 p.m. in what will be Richmond’s breast cancer awareness game.

VIDEO INTERVIEWS: Click each person’s name to hear from head coach Bryan Till, offensive players Noah Altman, Jakolbe Baldwin and Kellan Hood, as well as defensive players Dereck Barringer and JD Lampley.



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.