ROCKINGHAM — Phase one of four is complete for the Richmond Senior High School football team in the 2018 4AA state playoffs. And the road to the state championship game now runs through Raider Stadium.
Off a first-round bye, the No. 2 Raiders welcomed in No. 10 Ronald Reagan High School Friday in the second round of the postseason with a specific “business-like” game plan in mind. And thanks to following that plan comprised of an explosive first-half offense and a stout defense, Richmond advanced past the Reagan Raiders in convincing fashion 49-7. It was also Raider head coach Bryan Till’s first playoff victory as the head of the program.
With the win, the Raiders (11-1) won the first of four games needed to win the NCHSAA state title, which would be the program’s eighth championship in school history. Friday’s matchup was the second time the two Raider programs played this year, as it bookended Reagan’s season with two losses. In Week 1, Richmond knocked off Reagan 54-18, as Till’s team outscored its Forsyth County opponent 103-25 in the two contests.
Not only did the second-round win extend the Raiders’ season, but it also marked the team’s 10th-straight win, the longest winning streak since 2014 when Paul Hoggard’s team opened the season with a perfect 10-0 slate. It’s also the first time Richmond has punched its ticket to the third round of the playoffs since 2015, and is the 26th time since the school opened in 1972 that the Raiders will play in the third round.
No. 1 Mallard Creek High School fell to No. 8 Hough High School in the second round 19-7, which now makes No. 2 Richmond the top-ranked team in the West Bracket. The Raiders will carry home field advantage for the rest of the postseason, save for the state title game at Wallace Wade Stadium.
“The guys came out and handled their business and they knew their assignments,” an elated Till said following the win. “I’m proud of how they did that, and proud of all facets of the game. Trevor (Moss) kicked the ball really well tonight and set us up in great field position on defense.
“Offensively, Caleb Hood threw the ball really well tonight,” he continued on his sophomore quarterback who accounted for five total scores. “That’s what was more open, so we took advantage of it. (Hood) was able to execute in that facet of the game tonight. We had a very business-like approach at practice this week, we had a lot of fun, and you saw that tonight.”
Reagan (8-5) entered the night riding a wave of momentum after knocking off No. 7 West Forsyth High School, its Central Piedmont Conference rival, in the opening round a week ago. Head coach Josh McGee’s team also deemed the win as the beginning of its “redemption tour,” but that plan was foiled and momentum was instead shifted in Richmond’s favor thanks to three turnovers caused in a 2:02 span in the second quarter by Till’s Raiders.
The Richmond Raiders scored all seven of their touchdowns in the first half, and used a running clock during the entire second half to eliminate Reagan. Hood and company scored on six of its first seven possessions, and got some help from senior linebacker Jonathan Jones Jr., who returned a Gabriel Hollingsworth interception 26 yards for a score.
On defense, Richmond held Reagan to just 90 yards of total offense, nabbed two interceptions, and also saw Jones scoop up a Tazhae Woods fumble recovery on the next offensive play following his pick-six. The Richmond offense tallied 378 yards of total offense, with 249 yards coming through the air, and 129 yards on the ground.
Richmond scored on its first five possessions, with the first one capping off an opening eight-play, 63-yard drive. Hood connected with senior wide receiver Jordyn Wall from 12 yards out to put the Raiders up 7-0 following Moss’ point after attempt just over five minutes into the game.
Following the first of two consecutive Reagan three-and-outs, Hood scored the first of his game-high three rushing touchdowns on the next Richmond drive. Big gains by sophomore wide receivers Jakolbe Baldwin (24 yards) and Dalton Stroman (18 yards) put Richmond in the red zone, and back-to-back runs by junior tailback Jaheim Covington set up Hood’s two-yard score.
Leading 14-0 at the start of the second quarter, Hood captained Richmond’s longest scoring drive of the night, an 11-play, 69-yard march, on the Raiders’ third possession. A nifty double pass between Hood and senior receiver Bobby Terry went for a 15-yard gain, and junior running back LaCyrus Ellerbe joined the action with a 13-yard pickup.
Covington would score his lone rushing touchdown of the night, his 21st of the season, on an impressive five-yard carry, muscling his way through a wall of defenders before crossing the goal line on his third effort. With 10:02 remaining in the second quarter, Richmond led 21-0.
Reagan would score on its next possession and give McGee’s Raiders some life, as Hollingsworth kept the ball and rushed in from seven yards. CJ Hill’s PAT rang true, and cut the deficit to just 14 points with 8:05 to go before the half. But from that point on, it was all green and gold.
Just two plays after Reagan’s touchdown, Hood connected with senior wide receiver Preston Coker in the left flat, who in turn burned several Reagan defenders down the left sideline, resulting in a 66-yard catch and run to the end zone with 7:17 on the clock.
Just seven seconds after the score, Jones jumped a Hollingsworth pass and ran it back to make it 35-7 in favor of the home team. Jones kept the fans on their feet when he wasted no time collecting a loose ball on the next Reagan play from scrimmage, giving Richmond possession at Reagan’s 13-yard line.
“I just backed out and saw where (the receiver) was going,” Jones said of his interception. “I read the pass and picked the ball off. All I was thinking was I wanted to score. I feel good about being able to make those two plays and help the team out in a big way. We made a big statement on defense tonight.”
Jonathan Jones Jr. smiles after his back-to-back turnovers in the second quarter.
Till explained that Jones’ interception came from making adjustments on a missed opportunity from earlier in the half.
“The pick-six was big because they actually had us on that same play earlier,” Till explained. “They dropped it and we talked about it on the sideline -- Jon was able to realize that and jump it, and his instincts are great, which he has shown all year. Then we come back and stretch things out on the handoff, and Jon, who is always around the ball, jumped on it.”
The fumble recovery gave way to Hood punching it in from two yards out three plays later, and sophomore linebacker CJ Tillman made the final splash play of the night on the next Reagan drive when he made a leaping backward interception on third-and-10 at the Reagan 42-yard line with 5:08 to go in the second quarter.
The game’s scoring came to an end in the final minute of the half, seeing the Raiders go 29 yards in 13 seconds. Catches by Stroman (19 yards) and Covington (nine yards) put the ball at the one-yard line, and Hood capped off his impressive performance by waltzing into the end zone untouched.
Out of the half time break, Till sat the majority of his starters, and put junior quarterback Noah Altman under center. Neither team scored in the second half, as the running clock expedited Richmond’s victory.
Hood finished the night 12-of-15 passing with 222 yards, two touchdowns and four completions of 20 or more yards. He added 41 yards on 10 rushing attempts, scoring three more times, and picked up six first downs with his legs.
“Reagan had a bunch of open zones tonight, Coach Till put me in a good situation, and we executed really well,” Hood said of his performance. “It’s pretty good when the offensive line can open holes like they did tonight to allow me to score (three rushing touchdowns).”
Richmond used a total of eight players in the ground game, with Hood’s 41 being a team-high. Covington added 35 yards on eight carries, and Ellerbe tacked on 24 yards on four attempts.
Equally as impressive were the seven Raider receivers who caught a pass, with five of them catching two or more. Coker finished with two catches for 66 yards, while Stroman’s two catches for 37 yards was second on the team. Terry led all receivers with three receptions.
Moss finished the game with six of his eight kickoffs resulting in a touchback, as he averaged 57.6 yards on each kickoff.
Up next for the Raiders will be No. 6 Myers Park High School (12-1), which upset No. 3 David W. Butler High School 33-8 in the second round.
Kickoff for the third-round matchup against the Mustangs will be at Raider Stadium on Friday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. ROSports will publish a game preview midweek and update on pre-sale ticket information as it’s provided.
