ROCKINGHAM — The final installment of The Richmond Observer’s special three-part series on the Richmond Senior High School football team’s All-Conference selections will highlight the Raiders’ defensive players.
A total of 17 Raiders were named this season, with senior quarterback Evan Hodges and senior linebacker Terande Spencer taking the top honors as Co-Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.
In addition to Hodges and Spencer, seven offensive players were named to the All-Mid-South Conference team, as well eight defensive players.
While the offense made plenty of splash plays and racked up the scoring this season, Richmond’s defense had the same level of success on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
Despite a year of transition on defense that saw many players become starters for the first time, all eight Raiders earned their first career All-Conference selection.
Those players were seniors Jermaine Bright (linebacker), Jason Gainey (defensive end), Jordan Hamilton (defensive end), Demonte Martin (defensive tackle) and Domonic Tillman (safety); junior Shamir Jones (safety); and sophomores CJ Covington (cornerback) and Ty Covington (cornerback).
Personifying Richmond’s vision of “fast, strong and violent” defense, the eight Raiders kept opposing offenses in check and made the offense’s job easier on Friday nights.
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.
Jermaine Bright: senior inside linebacker
After waiting in the wings as a junior behind former inside linebackers K’Mauri Morgan and Joe Parsons, Bright shined in what proved to be a breakout senior season.
Fast and physical, Bright lowered his shoulder to record 132 total tackles in 12 games. Averaging 11 tackles per game, Bright was the leader of Richmond’s defense in both categories. His 49 solo tackles and 83 assists were 41 total tackles more than Spencer’s second-best 91 tackles.
Bright finished the season third in the MSC in total tackles behind Marquise James (191, Overhills) and Ricky Thrower (147, Overhills). Amongst all players in the 7A classification, Bright was ranked eighth.
Second on the team with 15.0 tackles-for-loss, Bright was also second in quarterback sacks (5.0) and quarterback hurries (7). Defending six passes this season, Bright had one interception in a win over Overhills.
Recording double-digit tackles in six of Richmond’s 12 games, Bright’s best outing was a 21-tackle performance against Jack Britt on homecoming. He had a season-high 4.0 tackles-for-loss against Scotland and had 2.0 sacks in a loss to Rolesville.
Spencer Shaw, Richmond’s inside linebackers coach, praised Bright for being patient and taking advantage of his starting role in 2025. In addition to being a solid linebacker, Shaw said Bright made coaching him a lot of fun.
“It’s been a privilege to watch Jermaine’s growth over the past two seasons,” Shaw said. “After transferring from a school just down the road as a junior, Jermaine spent last year working behind two experienced senior linebackers, learning and making the most of his reps. That patience and hard work paid off in a big way this year.
“Jermaine emerged as one of the most explosive and reliable forces on our defense. He led the Raiders with 132 tackles and finished second on the team with 15 tackles-for-loss and delivered in critical moments with goal-line run-throughs, key pass break ups, and pursuit of the football when it mattered most. His play helped anchor our defense.
“Beyond the numbers, Jermaine was a joy to coach,” Shaw added. “He’s charismatic, competitive and always quick with a well-timed joke. He brought effort and energy to every game. His production on the field made him a crucial part of our defense and a deserving All-Conference selection.”
Jason Gainey, Jordan Hamilton and Demonte Martin: senior defensive linemen
A stout and experienced defensive line this season returned Hamilton and Martin as starters from last season, as Gainey fulfilled the other defensive end role as a starter for the first time. For Hamilton and Martin, who were bypassed on last year’s All-Conference squad, they had something to prove.
Getting the work done in the trenches, all three linemen created pressure game in and game out on opposing offensive lines, many of which had college-bound linemen lined up across from them.
Hamilton was the most productive of the three, totaling 54 tackles in 12 games (4.5 tackles per game). He finished the season with 31 solo tackles and 23 assists. Gainey wasn’t far behind with 40 total tackles in 10 games (4.0 tackles per game) and Martin bulldozed his way through doubleteams for 30 total tackles.
Recording 9.0 tackles-for-loss thanks to his speed and power off the edge, Hamilton was third on the team behind Spencer and Bright. Gainey ranked fifth for the Raiders with 5.0 tackles-for-loss, while Martin had 4.0 TFLs.
Both of Hamilton’s 2.0 quarterback sacks came against Northwest Guilford in Week 4. Gainey and Martin each had 1.0 sack against Scotland and Hoke County, respectively.
An 11-tackle performance against Independence in the playoffs resulted in Hamilton’s best outing of the season. He also had a season-high 3.0 tackles-for-loss against Northwest Guilford.
Gainey had season-highs of six total tackles against Hoggard and Overhills, and his 2.0 drops for a loss against Scotland were also his best. Martin had his best game with seven tackles against Hoke County and recorded 1.0 TFL, one of four games this season.
In the turnover department, Martin was in the right place at the right time to record one interception and one fumble recovery. He made the pick against Overhills, the same game Gainey had his only forced fumble, and Martin recovered a fumble following a strip sack by Spencer against Porter Ridge in the second round of the playoffs.
Defensive line coach Taivon Jones shared his thoughts on the progression of all three players since their sophomore season and the culmination of success they had as seniors.
“I’m extremely proud that all three of our defensive linemen Ham, Monte, and Gainey earned All-Conference honors,” Jones shared. “Each has been a varsity contributor since his sophomore year and has shown tremendous growth as both a player and a young man.
“After being overlooked last year for All-Conference, Ham and Monte came back and dominated and made sure that it did not happen this year. Gainey has a relentless work ethic, one of the best I've ever seen. So I'm also glad that all his hard work also paid off for him.”
Domonic Tillman: senior safety; Shamir Jones: junior safety; CJ Covington and Ty Covington, sophomore cornerbacks
Noted by some as the best secondary Richmond has had in recent memory, Tillman, Jones, CJ Covington and Ty Covington proved to be a force to be reckoned with, especially in the passing game and physicality department.
Part of the defensive makeover in 2025, all four players started at their positions for varsity for the first time. Tillman switched from a three-year QB to play safety, while the other three DBs made the jump from junior varsity to varsity.
Each dominant in his own right, Ty Covington was the one in the spotlight the most. He recorded a team-high seven interceptions this season, including a three-interception performance against Jack Britt. He had at least one interception in four straight games, all against MSC teams. His other pick came early in the season against Scotland.
Ty Covington’s interception total was tied for the MSC lead with Israel Daniel (Overhills) and he was also tied with Daniel, Erick Bonner (Hillside) and Charles Smith (Clayton) for the most INTs in Class 7A.
Jones was second on the team with two interceptions, which he grabbed against Hoggard and Jack Britt. Tillman picked one pass against Overhills, the second of two four-interception games by the defense this season.
CJ Covington faced some of the top wide receivers in the state at cornerback and defended a team-high 11 passes. Ty Covington had seven passes defensed, Jones had six and Tillman swatted away four pass attempts.
Defending three passes against Hoke County was CJ Covington’s best performance, as he knocked away two passes in games against West Forsyth and Pinecrest. Ty Covington also had two games with two defended passes in wins over Jack Britt and Porter Ridge.
Tillman blocked one punt this season against Rolesville and Ty Covington’s lone blocked punt resulted in a scoop and score by teammate Preston Fann for the game-winning touchdown against West Forsyth.
In addition to all of their playmaking, the four defensive backs racked up the following tackle totals — Jones (77, fourth on team), Tillman (52), Ty Covington (47) and CJ Covington (46).
Chris Campolieta is Richmond’s defensive coordinator and also works with the secondary. Knowing that the four defensive backs were on the field this season made his job a little easier knowing who and what other teams would have to contend with on every single play.
“Ty is a next-level athlete who can do things other 10th graders just can’t do athletically,” Campolieta shared. “He made so many big plays for us this year in big moments. Ty has an unbelievable upside in the future for the Raiders.
“Shamir was the leader of the secondary. He’s extremely smart and understands the game well, and he’s very physical. Shamir is also a very savvy player who was always in the right place at the right time to make key plays and tackles.
“CJ proved to be a lockdown cornerback and played against some of the top wide receivers this year. What was impressive was the way he held his own and won a lot of one-on-one battles. CJ is as physical a cornerback as I’ve ever coached — when he hits you he tries to take your soul. He’s extremely versatile and has an amazingly bright future.
“I’m also proud of Toot (Tillman) this year for being a team player,” Campolieta concluded. “He transitioned from quarterback to free safety when we needed to fill that role. Toot did a great job for us this year and made some big plays throughout the year when other DBs were hurt. He was a very physical and athletic player.”
Honorable Mentions
The Raiders also had five total honorable mentions this season. Those players were senior offensive lineman Robert Monroe, junior offensive lineman Jamaury Jones, junior wide receiver Jasiah Cooper, senior linebacker Preston Fann and senior specialist Jake Veach.
