SOUTHERN PINES — The only blemishes on the Richmond junior varsity football team’s conference record the past two seasons have been caused by Pinecrest High School.
Similar to their meeting with the JV Patriots in 2024, the JV Raiders let a large first-half lead slip away Thursday. This time, however, it was in the Mid-South Conference championship game.
Leading by as many as 21 points in the second half, Richmond squandered its chance at the conference crown and lost 36-35 in overtime.
It was a matter of inches that decided the outcome, as a successful two-point conversion by the JV Patriots on their first overtime drive gave them a one-point victory.
The loss for Richmond extended its outright conference championship drought to four seasons. The JV Raiders’ last share of the conference title was with Pinecrest and Scotland High School in 2022.
Thursday’s meeting between the neighboring county schools was a tale of two halves. Richmond dominated the first half and the start of the third quarter before Pinecrest surged back to knot the score 28-28 at the end of regulation.
Both teams outscored the other 21-7 in either half, starting with the JV Raiders in the opening two quarters. Richmond’s largest lead of the game was a 28-7 advantage near the midway point of the third.
Pinecrest scored its three second-half touchdowns between the 4:43 mark of the third quarter and the 10:38 mark of the fourth.
All four of Richmond’s touchdowns in regulation were scored on the ground. Sophomore running back Donovan Jones led the team with two rushing scores, with freshman quarterback Damarion Allen and freshman running back TJ Watkins each scoring once.
Allen threw the team’s only passing touchdown of the game in overtime, a contested catch by freshman wideout Deron Wiley.
Following the game during his final postgame huddle with the team, head coach Patrick Hope told the JV Raiders he was proud of them despite not getting the outcome Richmond wanted.
“It’s supposed to hurt,” Hope said of the loss. “The effort was there and I’m proud of each one of you for that. No one has played (Pinecrest) the way we did all season.”
Holding up his hand with his thumb and forefinger a couple inches apart, Hope summed up the outcome.
“It came down to one play, and we were this close to things going our way,” Hope said. “This season is not a failure because we didn’t win tonight.
“The way you act now is what’s going to matter. Lean on each other and continue to get better and better. This is a hard lesson to learn, but you need to keep working hard the rest of the fall and in the spring.”
Finding success on the ground in the first half, Richmond used a trio of players to take a 21-7 lead into the break.
An 8-play, 65-yard opening scoring drive was moved along by a fourth-down completion from Allen to Wiley to get to the Pinecrest 14-yard line.
Three plays later, Allen made the read and kept the ball, rushing into the end zone from 12 yards. He shouldered off two would-be tacklers inside the five to give Richmond the early lead.
The point-after attempt by freshman Nate Erwin was blocked to make it 6-0 with 8:05 on the clock.
Pinecrest scored its only first-half touchdown two plays into its first drive. The quarterback found a hole and rushed 56 yards across the goal line. The following PAT was good to put Richmond down 7-6 less than a minute after it scored.
A bad snap on fourth down on Richmond’s next drive while attempting a punt gave the JV Patriots the ball at the Richmond 11-yard line. Standing tall, the JV Raiders stopped four consecutive running plays to keep Pinecrest out of the end zone.
Leading the charge on fourth down were sophomore Ikema Smith and freshman Jaxton Watson to force the turnover on downs, the first of four in the half by the JV Patriots.
Getting the ball back at their three-yard line, the JV Raiders needed just four plays to regain the lead.
Allen picked up a first down and some breathing room on third-and-seven, moving the ball to Richmond’s 19-yard line. On the next snap, Jones went into turbo mode and went 81 yards for the house call.
Breaking through the initial line of scrimmage, Jones shed a handful of JV Patriot defenders. Using his speed, he cut to the outside around the 30-yard line and raced the remainder of the way down the right side of the field to score.
Hope called for a two-point conversion, which was successful. Allen was pitched the ball out of the wildcat and rolled to his right to connect with freshman Julius Bowden to make it 14-7 with 11:43 to go in the second.
A three-and-out was punted away by Pinecrest on its next drive, which continued a stretch of five straight drives to end the half without scoring.
The JV Patriots later tried to convert on fourth-and-10 at Richmond’s 33-yard line, but Jones was there to drag the quarterback down well short of the line to gain.
That stop led to a 70-yard scoring drive that took six plays. Jones had a 26-yard gain on the ground to get across midfield and down to the Pinecrest 30-yard line. A play later, Allen scrambled for a 17-yard pick up to get in the red zone.
Watkins capped the three-touchdown first half on the next snap, going straight up the middle for a 13-yard rushing score. He carried two defenders into the end zone with him.
Erwin was good on the PAT to make it a 21-7 lead with just over three minutes to go in the half.
Pinecrest got into Richmond’s territory in the closing minutes, but stops on third and fourth downs stalled the JV Patriots. Forcing the turnover on downs were freshmen Cassidy Robinson and Julian Ingram, who combined to tackle the QB on fourth down.
The first half ended with an Allen interception on Richmond’s next offensive play, which was followed by an unsuccessful four-play drive by Pinecrest before the horn sounded.
Momentum continued in Richmond’s favor to start the third quarter. After a tackle-for-loss by freshman Zakai Wilson set up third-and-long, freshman Maurice Lemon intercepted a long pass attempt on the opening drive. Making the pick near Richmond’s 20-yard line, Lemon returned it 15 yards to start the next series.
Richmond’s only defensive takeaway in the game resulted in its only touchdown of the second half. Jones was responsible for all of the 65 yards of offense, which culminated in a 40-yard scoring dash on the second play.
Bursting up the middle, Jones shook loose a few defenders before racing outside the numbers and down the right sideline. With a defender trailing him inside the five-yard line, Jones won the foot race inside the right pylon for his second score.
Erwin’s PAT made it a 28-7 lead with 7:50 remaining in the third.
The game’s momentum started to shift on Pinecrest’s next series, which ended in a 37-yard rushing score on fourth down.
Recovering an onside kick attempt, the JV Patriots scored their next touchdown just 25 seconds later. A QB keeper went 47 yards to the end zone on the first play of the drive.
With 4:18 to play in the third, Richmond’s lead was cut to 28-21.
The JV Raiders punted from their own end zone on the ensuing series, which gave Pinecrest a short field and the chance to knot the score. The JV Patriots went 52 yards on nine plays as the third quarter rolled into the fourth.
A 22-yard rushing score for Pinecrest, coupled with a successful PAT, tied the game 28-28 with 10:38 left in regulation.
Richmond had chances to score on both of its final two drives of the game.
The first series saw the JV Raiders get down to the Pinecrest four-yard line, but two false starts made it fourth-and-long from the 14-yard line. A pass attempt in the end zone by Allen was knocked away by the defense to give the JV Patriots the ball back.
Pinecrest crossed midfield and made it as far as the Richmond 31-yard line. But on third down, Lemon led a horde of defenders to stack up the ball carrier and force fourth down. The JV Patriots went for it, but the rushing attempt was well short of the first-down marker.
Getting the ball back with 29.6 seconds on the clock, Richmond moved into Pinecrest territory after a 29-yard rush by Jones. On the final play of regulation, Allen completed a pass to freshman Josiah Gilbert, who made it to the 11-yard line before being tackled and zeroes flashed on the clock.
Getting the first possession in overtime, and starting at the JV Patriots’ 10-yard line, Richmond ran the ball twice with Jones to set up third-and-goal from the eight-yard line.
Scrambling away from a collapsed pocket, Allen extended the third down play and fired a touchdown pass to Wiley. Having to create space during the scramble, Wiley rerouted himself and caught the score while being tackled from behind.
Erwin was cool on the PAT, kicking it down the middle of the uprights to regain a 35-28 lead.
Pinecrest ended the conference championship with a rushing score two plays into its first overtime series. Opting for the two-points and the win, the ball carrier was able to round the right edge and extend the ball across the goal line despite being dragged down by freshman Cam Everett.
The JV Raiders finished the season with a 7-2 overall record and a 4-1 record against MSC teams.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Thursday’s MSC championship game later this weekend.
Sports editor’s note: No roster was available for Pinecrest on MaxPreps.
