ROCKINGHAM – When the 4A bracket was released in 1988, all eyes were on the defending state champion Garner High School Trojans.
Most of the prognosticators of the time had the Trojans running the table, and since Garner was the team that ousted Richmond from the postseason a year before, the Raiders definitely wanted to advance to a potential quarterfinal meeting with Trojans for a little payback.
The Millbrook High School Wildcats had other ideas. Millbrook shocked the Trojans and the state when they defeated Garner 7-6 in the second round of the playoffs, snapping the Trojans’ 26-game winning streak. The absence of Garner did not slow down Richmond’s desire to win it all.
The Raiders had decimated their 1988 opponents, outscoring them by nearly 400 points (465-68). They coasted through the first two rounds of the playoffs with big wins over Oxford-Webb and a really good Northern Durham squad.
Millbrook had the one-two punch of Shrine Bowl quarterback Todd Decker and highly recruited wide receiver William Brooks. The Wildcats’ defense, which featured a couple of Division I bound linebackers, had also proven themselves by shutting down an explosive Garner offense. All of the hype motivated Raider Nation to head north to Raleigh to see if their mighty Raiders could stand up to the team that dethroned the Trojans.
It will not go down as one of the largest groups of Raider fans to attend a game in Richmond history, but at the time, it probably seemed like it. An hour before kickoff, the visitors’ stands had already filled to capacity and fans were positioning themselves at the fence. To help accommodate the green and gold clad crowd, Millbrook school officials roped off part of the home stands for the visitors from Rockingham to help with the overflow.
There were so many Raider fans sitting on the home side that the cheerleaders broke into two groups, sending several girls to the Millbrook side of the field to cheer on the Raiders. The trip was well worth it for the Raider faithful as they watched their team move into the Eastern final by easily beating the Wildcats 35-14.
Despite the game being played in Raleigh, two different media outlets called it a “home game” for the Raiders because of the large crowd. Raider head coach Daryl Barnes would go on later to say, “the Raiders never play away from home.”
Decker, who passed for 2,139 yards and 24 touchdowns on the season, threw three interceptions against the Raiders in the loss.
The Raiders would get another great showing from their defense in the semifinal game against current conference foe Seventy-First High School. Coach Bobby Poss’ Falcons entered the contest averaging 27 points per game and featuring two running backs that had recorded over 1,500 yards on the season.
The Raider defense limited Seventy-First to just 189 total yards and recovered three fumbles in a 35-7 thumping that sent Richmond to the title game. The Falcons’ only score came in the game’s final moments.
The Raiders’ state title opponent was a familiar one. Once again, Richmond squared off against the Lions of West Charlotte for the 4A crown, but this time, the game was played at a neutral site on the campus of Wake Forest University. Like the 1978 meeting, neither team was expected to be in the championship game. Garner was the favorite in the East and Coach Bruce Hardin’s Lions failed to even win their own conference that season.
West Charlotte was averaging 30 points per game in the post season, but the Raider defense came up big once again. Despite the Lions moving the ball inside of the Richmond 10-yard line twice during the game, the Raider defense kept West Charlotte off of the scoreboard. The 17-0 Raider victory earned the school its second state championship and its first ever undefeated season.
Unlike the 1978 state title season, the 1988 Raiders had fewer nail-biting moments. Richmond scored 552 points during its undefeated season, which was nearly 200 points more than it had scored in any season prior. The Raiders’ average margin of victory was 31 points, and they defeated each of their five postseason opponents by 17 points or more.
On offense, the 1988 Raiders were led by junior quarterback Mike Thomas. Thomas completed 50 percent of his passes on the season for 1,114 yards and nine touchdowns. He also added 643 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. He was named the SEC Player of the year and the offensive MVP of the state title game.
Tight end Oscar Sturgis and wide receiver Health Altman were Thomas’ top go-to guys. Sturgis only finished the season with 20 receptions, but accumulated 562 yards and four touchdowns – an average of 28.1 yards per catch. Altman had 20 receptions for 473 yards and five touchdowns – an average of 23.65 yards per catch.
Kicker Ricky Nantz booted 61 PATs and three field goals on the season, but also spent some time at quarterback as well. While Thomas took two games off nursing an injury, Nantz passed for 348 yards and three touchdowns.
Also, who could forget Walter “Flip” Ellerbe? Ellerbe finished the season with 1,154 yards and 16 touchdowns on 168 carries. Marcus Cox rushed for 696 yards on 138 carries and reached pay dirt 15 times. Eric Thomas had 48 carries for 569 yards and eight touchdowns.
The defense ended the season having allowed only 5.93 points per game, which is a school record that the 1988 team still holds. That defensive unit was led by defensive back AJ McDonald, outside linebacker Wilson Goodwin, defensive end John Braswell and defensive lineman Donald Moore.
Moore was named the defensive player of the game following the state title game against West Charlotte.
Richmond and Garner managed to meet one another in the state title game a decade later. For more on that game, check the Richmond Observer tomorrow as our series on the “eight” seasons continues with a look back at the 1998 championship team.
