CHAPEL HILL — Everything head coach Brad Denson said to the Richmond Senior High School football team during his postgame speech Friday was fact.
With the inaugural Mid-South Championship conference title freshly cemented over Pinecrest High School, Denson reminded the Raiders that their focus was now shifting to preparing for a second-round home playoff game.
A day later than initially anticipated, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association finalized its playoff brackets late Sunday afternoon.
Like Denson predicted, Richmond received a first-round bye in the 7A West bracket. The Raiders were tabbed as the No. 6 seed out of 24 teams in the West.
Under the new realignment’s postseason format, the top eight teams in the East and West brackets received a first-round bye.
That gives Richmond (8-2) an additional week to practice and prepare for its second round opponent, which will be the winner of No. 11 Porter Ridge High School (6-4) and No. 22 Cuthbertson High School (3-7).
The Raiders are guaranteed at least one more home game this season, which will be played Friday, Nov. 14.
The NCHSAA used each program’s final ratings performance index (RPI) to seed playoff brackets. The formula uses a team’s winning percentage, its opponents winning percentage and its opponents’ opponents winning percentage to calculate the final RPI.
Richmond’s final RPI of 0.679810 ranked it 31st in the state in all classifications. Amongst 7A programs, the Raiders had the eight-highest final RPI.
The Richmond Observer will publish a more detailed preview article next week following the outcome of the Porter Ridge/Cuthbertson game.
