ROCKINGHAM — Chalk sessions took the place of outdoor practices until the weather cooperated for the Richmond Senior High School football team.
Monday marked the first official day of spring practices for the Raiders and head coach Brad Denson, but the team didn’t hit the field until Wednesday.
Entering his second season leading the team, Denson has had a full offseason to collect his thoughts to continue shaping spring conditioning to fit his vision. Last year, Denson inherited the program in February.
Wednesday’s nearly two-hour long practice split the Raiders up into position groups similar to a regular-season practice. It culminated with a full team practice running through game situations on both sides of the football.
Denson said the team’s focus during the next few weeks will be to continue team development and chemistry, and get conditioned for summer football. More installs and specifics will be applied on offense and defense closer to the regular season.
A notable change at practice was rising senior Domonic Tillman not wearing a purple practice jersey. Tillman, who has split game reps at quarterback with fellow rising senior Evan Hodges the past two years, is expected to play a larger role as a wide receiver this season.
Taking snaps under center was rising junior Collin Hill, who will make the transition to the varsity level this season. Tillman did make a few throws from the quarterback spot during different drills.
The Raider football team will continue its spring practices until next Thursday before taking a break and transitioning into summer workouts in June.
