ROCKINGHAM — Of the 17 total Richmond Senior High School football players selected to the 2025 Mid-South All-Conference team this year, eight of them were on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage.
As reported in the first installment of this three-part series, senior quarterback Evan Hodges was named the MSC’s “Co-Offensive Player of the Year” following a breakout and record-setting performance in 12 games.
Like Hodges said in the previous article, his success couldn’t have been obtained without the help of the rest of the offensive cast. Among those players were seven other Raiders who were named All-Conference.
Leading the group was senior wide receiver Jayden Hamilton, who secured his third career All-Conference nod. Picking up their second career accolade were senior offensive linemen Tyler McKenzie and Daylyn Robinson, as well as senior wideout Keonta Pegues.
First-time All-Conference picks were junior running back Chance Crowder, senior wide receiver Amer Morrison and junior offensive lineman Kamel Tillman.
All of the Raiders listed were key parts in a productive offensive machine this season that dominated against MSC teams and lit up the scoreboard frequently and with a lot of excitement.
Richmond finished the season with a 9-3 overall record, a 5-0 mark in the MSC to go along with the conference crown and returned to the third round of the state playoffs.
Chance Crowder: junior running back
Stepping into the starting running back role this season, Crowder blossomed near the midway point of the season after a slow first few games.
Not only the rushing leader for the Raiders, Crowder was among the best tailbacks in the conference. In 12 games, Crowder had 815 rushing yards on 135 carries with 18 touchdowns.
He was ranked second in the MSC in total rushing scores behind Co-Offensive Player of the Year Chris Najm from Pinecrest (24 rushing TDs). Crowder averaged 6.04 yards per touch (top 10 in the MSC) and picked up 67.9 yards per game, which was third-best in the conference.
Recording three performances with 100+ rushing yards, Crowder had them against Scotland (107 yards), Jack Britt (101yards) and Pinecrest (156 yards, single-game career-high). Two yards shy of the century mark in the playoffs against Porter Ridge, Crowder tied a single-game program record with six all-purpose touchdowns, five of which were rushing.
Scoring three touchdowns through the first five games, Crowder heated up his scoring when MSC action started in Week 7. Four of the five conference games were multi-score performances, including two rushing TDs against Pine Forest, Jack Britt and Pinecrest.
Against Hoke County, Crowder rushed for a then career-high three rushing scores in the win before setting his new mark against Porter Ridge.
Using his hands, Crowder caught 17 passes for 166 yards this season, including a 124-yard receiving game in the opener at Hoggard. He scored three touchdowns through the air — one each against Hoggard, Rolesville and Porter Ridge.
Five different times this season Crowder recorded 100+ all-purpose yards (Hoggard, Scotland, Jack Britt, Pinecrest and Porter Ridge).
Dale Denson, a longtime coach in Richmond County, works with Crowder and the other running backs. Impressed by Crowder’s rise from third string as a sophomore to taking on the starting role as a junior, Denson said Crowder is quiet by nature but lets his play do all of the talking.
Challenging him every day to get better, Denson said Crowder would respond, all while never missing a day of practice the past two years.
Noting that the only thing that will stop Crowder’s success is Crowder himself, Denson said not to judge a book by its cover because Crowder “is a positive out of that saying.”
“Chance has a great understanding of the blocking schemes up front, and besides (Hodges), Chance had the knowledge of everyone else's assignments,” Denson said. “He also has great hands out of the backfield, as shown by his 17 catches on the season.
“This year Chance was number one from day one and he took advantage of being number one. I think his best game was the conference championship versus Pinecrest. Chance’s effort in the weight room is at the top of the scale.
“Chance will be a big part of the Raiders’ success in 2026,” Denson continued. “His maturity, knowledge of the game and work ethic will help keep the Raiders on top again. He will be relied on even more to become a leader every day. His improvement and confidence grew from week to week this season and my challenge to Chance will be to keep working in that weight room, keep those grades up and don't be satisfied with what he did this year.”
Jayden Hamilton, Amer Morrison: senior outside receivers
Richmond’s main group of wide receivers was really a four-headed monster that ripped apart opposing defenses all season long. Hamilton and Morrison flew down the outside passing lanes, while Pegues stayed in the slot with junior honorable mention Jasiah Cooper.
All four wide receivers combined to set a new program record this fall. For the first time in 54 seasons, the Raiders had four wide receivers with at least 30 catches — Morrison (45), Hamilton (37), Pegues (37) and Cooper (35).
Morrison was the frontman of the wide receiver corps, leading the team, the conference and even the 7A classification in some categories.
With his 45 receptions, Morrison hauled in a single-season career-best 1,015 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. Those were both conference-best numbers, and Morrison was also the leader in receiving yards in the entire 7A slate of receivers.
Hamilton wasn’t far behind his fellow senior teammate, pulling in 708 receiving yards (second-best in the MSC) and six receiving touchdowns. That touchdown count tied Hamilton for second most in the conference, tying him with Pegues, who had 608 receiving yards.
Referred to as “Yin” and “Yang,” Morrison and Hamilton gave opposing defenses and secondaries a lot of trouble with their speed and route running outside the numbers.
Averaging 22.6 yards per catch, Morrison ranked in the top five in 7A in that statistic. He averaged 84.6 receiving yards per game, the best in the MSC by nearly 17 yards per game.
Morrison scored at least one touchdown in nine games and had multiple receiving scores in three outings — Northwest Guilford (2), West Forsyth (2) and Pinecrest (single-game career-high 3).
Twice in the later part of the season Morrison eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark (Pinecrest, Independence). In all but one game, Morrison caught at least three passes. His six receptions against West Forsyth and Independence were a career-high.
Hamilton moved from slot receiver to an outside receiver this season to make room for Cooper in the middle. Successful despite the position change, Hamilton added to the spark and depth of the receiving corps.
Third in the conference with 59.0 receiving yards per game, Hamilton trailed only Pine Forest’s Perry Moore (67.8 yards per game) and Morrison. His 19.14 yards per reception were second-best in the MSC.
Using his speed and athleticism to get open, Hamilton caught three touchdowns in three games early in the season, had another one on homecoming, and caught a season-high two touchdowns in the beatdown of Pinecrest in the conference championship game.
The Pinecrest game (144 yards) and Porter Ridge game (128 yards) were his two biggest games this season. He caught a personal-best 10 receptions as part of a comeback win late in the second round layoff game against Porter Ridge. Ten of his 12 outings resulted in multiple catches.
Hamilton’s single-highest output of production was against the Pirates in mid-November when he totaled 259 all-purpose yards (128 receiving yards, 141 kickoff return yards).
John Rich, who coaches outside receivers, praised Morrison’s knowledge of the game, sharing he earned the nickname “Coach” because he knows so much about every player’s role on every snap. Of Hamilton, Rich said in the one season he’s worked with him since moving from slot receiver, he’s been impressed by Hamilton’s athletic versatility and passion to be successful.
“I’m so proud of these two guys,” Rich said. “True student-athletes don’t come around very often so I’m very thankful to have been able to work with them. I’ve had ‘Coach’ Amer for four years and witnessed first hand the growth from his ninth grade year to his senior year.
“I borrowed Jay this season from Coach (Greg) Williams. The fact that you could probably just plug him at any skill position offensively or defensively says a lot about how smart he is. What stands out the most about Jay is his passion to be successful.
“Jay is hard on himself at times, but it’s because he wants to be great at everything he does. Which is why he’s a standout athlete in three sports and in the classroom.”
Keonta “Bob” Pegues: senior slot receiver
Crisscrossing routes over the middle of the field and setting up some masterclass blocking for his teammates, Pegues served as a Swiss army knife for the Raiders on offense and special teams.
In addition to his success with 37 catches, 608 receiving yards and six touchdowns, Pegues was Richmond’s go-to player for kickoff and punt returns, as well as some trick plays when needed.
Making a catch in all 12 games, including 10 games with two or more receptions, Pegues averaged 50.7 yards per game, putting him fourth in the MSC standings. He pulled in receptions that averaged 16.4 yards per catch and had three or more catches seven times.
Pegues’ two 100+ yard games came against Northwest Guilford (105 yards) and Hoke County (single-game career-high 141 receiving yards). He collected five receptions in a game twice (Rolesville, Overhills) and caught a single-game best six catches at Overhills.
All six of Pegues receiving touchdowns were spread across six games — Scotland, Northwest Guilford, West Forsyth, Pine Forest, Hoke County and Overhills.
Four different times this season, Pegues recorded 100+ all-purpose yards between his catches and returns — Hoggard (135 yards), Northwest Guilford (118 yards), Pine Forest (110 yards) and a career-best 199 yards at Hoke County.
Taking on a split role as the team’s punter this season with Hodges, Pegues punted eight times and averaged 34.0 yards per kick. Further showing off his versatility, Pegues threw for a touchdown against Rolesville and rushed for a score at home against Scotland.
Having coached high school football in some capacity for more than three decades, Williams said it’s been a pleasure working with Pegues the last couple of years at the slot position. Calling Pegues an “extraordinary player,” Williams praised his ultra-utility role this season on not only offense, but both sides of special teams, as well as Pegues’ drive and determination.
“Bob became a starter at slot receiver early in his sophomore season and has been a mainstay for us since then,” Williams said. “He has been a great leader as well referenced by him being a team captain for the last two seasons.
“As for this season, Bob not only played slot receiver, but he returned kickoffs and punts, and punted for us. He was a special player in a lot of ways. To give an idea of how diverse he was, he not only had six touchdown receptions, but he also had a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown and a two-point conversion pass. Bob was an outstanding blocker and it’s rare to find a receiver who can block as well as he did.
“Bob is really smart, very coachable and as tough as nails,” Williams continued. “He has to be one of the toughest players I've ever coached in 36 years. I know that he is one of the few kids, maybe the only kid, I've ever coached who never wanted to take a break at practice. He loves football that much and loves to compete. He will be missed here, but he is going to be a gem for some football team at the collegiate level.”
Tyler McKenzie, Daylyn Robison: senior offensive linemen; Kamel Tillman: junior offensive lineman
Although no official statistics are kept for offensive linemen, Richmond’s three All-MSC linemen made their presence known and felt all season long against a host of tough teams and defenses.
McKenzie and Robinson both anchored the line for their third straight varsity season, while Tillman protected Hodges and the backfield for his second consecutive season.
Robinson played left tackle and protected Hodges’ blind side and also played on the defensive line when called upon. Tillman played right tackle on the opposite side.
Undergoing one of the biggest changes this season, McKenzie switched from his guard position from the past two seasons to center. Responsible for getting each offensive play started with the snap, McKenzie transitioned with little issue and still provided quality blocking up front.
As a unit, the three All-Conference linemen paved the way to one of the more explosive Richmond offenses in recent memory. The o-line gave skill position players enough time to record 3,024 total passing yards (252.0 yards per game) and 1,778 total rushing yards (148.2 yards per game) this season.
The offense totaled 471 points across its 12 games and averaged 39.3 points per four quarters. That average was bumped up to 50.0 points per game in MSC play.
There for every snap and every score, most of the time pancaking opposing defensive players, McKenzie, Robinson and Tillman personified the HOGS persona (honor our great strength).
Longtime offensive line coach Kemp McSween has seen a lot of players come and go along the o-line, and the three All-Conference selections this season are among the best he’s ever coached.
Crediting each player with doing his respective job throughout the season, McSween shared his thoughts on McKenzie, Robinson and Tillman getting the tough jobs done in the trenches.
“This season Tyler moved from guard to center and did a great job of keeping our offensive line on the same page,” McSween shared. “What stood out most was his love for playing offensive line. Tyler is extremely proud to be a HOG and values the HOG brotherhood in Richmond County.
“Daylyn played with tremendous passion and always had fun on the field. He’s the only offensive lineman I’ve seen score a touchdown, be the first player down on a kickoff and make a goal line tackle for loss. He’s a unique and gifted athlete, and we’ll miss both him and Tyler.
“And Mel is one of the best pass protectors I’ve ever coached,” McSween added. “He was regularly asked to block some of the most highly-touted defensive players in the state and was successful against them all. It will be nice having him back for another season.”
Honorable Mentions
The Raiders also had five total honorable mentions this season, three of whom were on offense. Those players were senior offensive lineman Robert Monroe, junior offensive lineman Jamaury Jones and Cooper.
The Richmond Observer will complete its All-Conference football series in the coming days with its defense article.
