FAYETTEVILLE — The Richmond Senior High School junior varsity football team started its “new season” the same way it did in mid-August — with a win.
Returning to the field Thursday after its Week 6 bye, Richmond and head coach Patrick Hope kicked off Mid-South Conference action at Pine Forest High School.
The game was played in Fayetteville due to upgrades being made to Richmond’s track and field facilities.
Dominating from start to finish, the JV Raiders defeated the JV Trojans 37-0 behind a running clock. It marked the first shutout victory of the season for Richmond in five games.
Richmond did most of its scoring in the first half, jumping out to a 30-0 lead at the break. A final score in the third quarter started the running clock.
“This was a great way to start conference after a bye,” Hope said. “We played well in all three phases tonight and were able to play over 60 players.”
The JV Raiders scored twice in the first quarter, both times through the air by freshman quarterback Damarion Allen.
On Richmond’s third offensive play of the game, following a defensive stop, Allen connected with freshman wide receiver Dereon Wiley for an 89-yard catch-and-run to the end zone.
Freshman kicker Nate Erwin, who was perfect on point-after attempts in the game, added his first to make it 7-0.
Two plays into Richmond’s next drive, the offense found pay dirt again. The defense set up the score when it was able to stop a fake punt attempt.
This time, Allen aired out a 29-yard passing score to freshman wideout Josiah Gilbert for the score. Another PAT from Erwin extended the lead to 14-0.
Richmond ran up the score in the second quarter with two rushing touchdowns and a defensive score.
Sophomore running back Donovan Jones finished a drive with a 14-yard rushing score, the first of his two total touchdowns in the win. Erwin was good again to put the JV Raiders up 21 points.
On a turnover on downs, the Richmond defense got into the backfield and made the fourth-down stop in the end zone. The safety added two more points to give the JV Raiders a commanding 23-0 lead.
Once more before the half, a handoff to freshman tailback TJ Watkins led to another successful scoring drive. Watkins broke through the line from three yards out, and with Erwin’s PAT, the JV Raiders entered the half ahead 30-0.
Freshman quarterback Jacob Stogner joined the scoring mix late in the third quarter when he threw his first score of the season to Jones. The touchdown pass was good from 22 yards.
For a final time, Erwin split the uprights to give the JV Raiders a 37-0 lead. The rest of the game unfolded quietly with the running clock rolling.
The JV Raiders (4-1, 1-0 MSC) play on the road at Jack Britt High School (2-3, 0-1 MSC) next Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Game information provided by head coach Patrick Hope.
