FAYETTEVILLE — Going outside of the Sandhills Athletic Conference to find an opponent, the Richmond Senior High School junior varsity football team scored 38 unanswered points in Thursday’s win.
With Lumberton High School not fielding a JV team this spring, the Raiders and head coach Patrick Hope traveled to Cape Fear High School.
Using both sides of the ball to score, Richmond handed the Colts a 44-12 loss to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Sophomore quarterback Emmanuel Gilliam threw for three touchdowns in the win, finding three different receivers in the process. Fellow sophomore running back Taye Spencer added two rushing scores.
Catching the touchdown passes were freshman Rondell Neal and sophomores Cincere Wall and Jamarion Bryant.
Freshman defensive back Jamison Jones picked off two passes, returning one 20 yards to the house for a defensive score.
“The game was a great pick up for us,” Hope said. “We were in a battle early and didn't flinch, scoring 38 unanswered points. Our offense found its rhythm early, and Emmanuel played his best game as a Raider QB with three passing TDs.
“The offensive line blocked well, and the receivers had complete effort blocking and catching passes,” he added. “Our defense did a great job applying pressure and made them play behind the sticks, forcing third-and-long situations and two turnovers.”
On the Raiders’ opening drive, Gilliam found Neal from 12 yards out for an early score. The two-point try was no good and Richmond held a 6-0 lead.
Cape Fear would answer with a pair of passing scores in the first quarter to take a 12-6 advantage. The Richmond defense thwarted both two-point conversion attempts.
In the second stanza, Gilliam connected with Wall on a 25-yard passing touchdown to knot the game. A two-point try from freshman tailback Jaliel Green was good, putting the Raiders ahead by two points.
Spencer joined the first-half scoring with the first of his two touchdowns on the ground, punching the ball in from six yards out. Sophomore Jadden Jenks caught the two-point conversion pass and the Raiders carried a 22-12 lead into the locker room.
Only one touchdown was scored in the third quarter, a 30-yard pass from Gilliam to Bryant. Again, Green was called on for the two-point try and crossed the goal line successfully to extend Richmond’s lead to 30-12.
For good measure, the Raiders tacked on two insurance scores in the final quarter. Jones started with his interception return (conversion no good), and Spencer found a hole in the line to race in from 20 yards out. Green’s attempt on the conversion was good, capping the game’s scoring.
The JV Raiders’ final game of the season will be on Tuesday, March 30, at rival Scotland High School. It’s a make-up from Feb. 25, with kickoff set for 6 p.m.
Coach Patrick Hope contributed stats and game information to this article.
