FAYETTEVILLE — The goal of Friday’s scrimmage for the Richmond Raiders was to knock the rust off and see where the team’s pieces fit best ahead of the new season.
Playing in the Cumberland County Schools Jamboree at Terry Sanford High School, the Raiders outscored the host Bulldogs in the 50-minute pre-season contest.
Under a running clock, the Raiders found the end zone twice in three series, while the defense stopped Terry Sanford on three of its four drives.
The opening two series for each team allowed the offense a guaranteed 10 plays, and the remaining series for the Raiders and Bulldogs were game-like situations requiring first downs to maintain possession.
Head coach Bryan Till and his coaching staff spent the night evaluating players in different positions, but also making sure everyone participated in as many plays as possible.
“We got a lot of guys reps,” Till said. “Even in the first 10 plays, we had guys changing after three or four reps trying to get a lot of guys time at different spots.
“The big thing after tonight is we’ll be able to go back and evaluate the guys after what we saw,” he added. “We’ll look at where guys played their best and that will allow us to put the pieces in the right spots.”
Terry Sanford scored on the ninth play of its opening 10-play drive, and the Raider offense moved deep into the red zone on its first series but failed to find the end zone.
Senior Kellan Hood and junior Emoni McBride split reps at quarterback on all three series.
Richmond’s defense stood tall on the Bulldogs’ second drive, holding the Bulldogs deep in their own end. The front seven crashed hard to the hard on several running plays, and senior linebacker Ke’Sean Ingram ended the second drive with a quarterback sack.
McBride started the first five plays of Richmond’s second drive, and junior tailback Brandon Askins broke loose for a big rushing gain on the sixth play to move the Raiders to the 26-yard line.
Two plays later, Hood rolled out to his left and connected with senior wide receiver Cason Douglas on a busted coverage play for a touchdown in the back left corner of the end zone.
“There is some conditional work we have to do, and the heat was the equalizer,” Till explained. “Whether you’re in shape or not, the heat will drag you down. After the first series it wasn’t too bad.
“There is an added phase of angst and excitement, and people don’t think of that. I want us to continue to get better with handling the nerves so we don’t have so many young guys out of breath.”
Switching to game-like situations, the Raider defense stopped Terry Sanford after one first down on its final drive. Senior linebacker Mikey Baldwin opened with a tackle for loss and fellow senior Jordan Carlyle ended the drive with a stop on fourth down.
The Raider offense capped the scrimmage with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive that saw success from senior running back Nasir Crumpton and junior tailback Taye Spencer.
Crumpton opened the drive with a 13-yard gain down the right sideline, and Hood kept the ball for a 22-yard scramble. Spencer added runs of 11 and 5 yards to move the Raiders inside the red zone.
An offsides call, coupled with a 10-yard plunge by Spencer, set up a one-yard rushing score by Hood with 1:20 remaining.
“Kellan stood out by the way he moved around and understood the offense,” Till noted. “I was really pleased with the running backs and the way they ran the ball late as they got their legs under them and in the rhythm of things.”
Richmond will now shift its focus to game week preparation for Mount Tabor High School. The Raiders open their season against the defending 3AA state champions on the road Friday at 7 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a preview of the game later this week.
Below are photos taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar during Richmond’s scrimmage against Terry Sanford on Friday.
