ROCKINGHAM — The temperature wasn’t the only thing heating up Thursday morning at Richmond Senior High School.
As summer break continues, each day is one day closer to the start of Richmond Raider football. The team and second-year head coach Brad Denson took another step toward the quickly-approaching season by hosting a 7-on-7 jamboree and lineman challenge.
Welcoming five other programs, Richmond got its first taste of live action against another opponent during the 2025 season. Participating were Cape Fear, Cheraw, Chesterfield, E.E. Smith and Forest Hills high schools.
Each program played four scrimmages Thursday, following a 22-minute running clock format. Starting on their opponent’s 40-yard line, teams had four downs to get a “first down” at the 20-yard line.
Another four downs were awarded for offenses to attempt to find the end zone. Between scrimmages, teams took eight-minute breaks.
The Raiders went 3-1 on the day, defeating Chesterfield, E.E. Smith and Forest Hills. The team’s lone defeat was to Cape Fear, which scored the winning touchdown in the closing seconds.
Senior quarterback Evan Hodges captained the first string offense for Richmond, and split reps with junior quarterback Collin Hill. Not under center was senior Domonic Tillman, who has shifted this season from quarterback to wide receiver and safety.
On the upper practice field, offensive and defensive linemen faced off in a series of 1-on-1 challenges.
“The three biggest things that I look for in the summer are one, do we know what we are doing? Two, are we competing each and every play? And three, are we able to make adjustments on the fly?” Denson said afterward.
“All three of those are things that we can continuously get better at, but for it being early in the summer, I am pleased with all of it.”
In addition to building on those three concepts, Denson said summer football is the time where he and the coaching staff seek out player leadership and fine-tune communication across the board.
“We are searching for leadership,” Denson shared. “We have some guys trying, but we just aren’t consistent with it yet. It will come.
“We are also working to communicate more on both sides of the ball. When we can talk it out, we understand it better and then we can play even faster.”
On the offensive side of the football, Richmond will return the majority of its starters and key playmakers from last season. Denson has set the bar high for the offense, even this early in the summer schedule.
“On offense, I can’t begin to tell you how much I expect out of those kids,” Denson commented. “Most of them have played plenty of Friday night snaps and they are all really smart kids. It’s hard to get them all the ball, which I guess is a good problem for the staff to have.”
An area of focus for Richmond this offseason has been revamping its defense, which unlike the offense, will be without several multi-year starters this fall. Not deterred, Denson noted it will take time and experience for the defense to return to form before long.
“Obviously, on the defensive side we are rebuilding a lot. We have some very skilled and athletic secondary guys, but what they don’t have yet is the Friday night experience,” Denson said. “They competed well today and I am excited to watch them grow throughout the season.
“At linebacker, we don’t have Joe Parsons and K’Mauri Morgan out there anymore, so we need to continue to develop these guys and have them getting better each week. When they take charge of the defense, we are so much better. We will be fine, it’s just some different guys in new roles and they are still learning.”
Following the jamboree, players and coaches from all five schools were served lunch by Wiley Mabe and his cooking staff, along with Richmond’s Moms Club.
“Thank you to each and every person who had a hand in today,” Denson closed. “Coaches, players, trainers, the cooking and serving crews, and anyone else who made it happen.
“It takes us all and that’s why I am proud to be coaching here at Richmond Senior! Now we’re off for a well-needed 10 day break.”
Richmond’s next scheduled 7-on-7 scrimmage and lineman challenge is set for Thursday, July 10 at 10 a.m.
