Something felt like it was missing from my daily routine when I closed my classroom door and turned off the lights Friday afternoon.
Oh, that’s right — Richmond Raider football.
Friday would have marked the official start of games for the 2020 high school football season and the hometown Raiders. Richmond was set to make the drive to non-conference Clayton High School and kick off its 48th season and begin its quest for its eighth 4AA state title.
But instead Raider Nation and Raider Magic will have to wait, at least until February. I guess there could be worse things.
Even as a heavy rainstorm pounded my classroom windows late Friday, and I looked out over the freshman team’s football field, I still held some hope in the back of my mind that football would make its much-anticipated return this weekend.
Since Richmond opened its doors in the fall of 1972, there has always been high school football to accompany the opening week of classes. Some years, especially the last handful of seasons, games would have already begun a week or two prior to students returning to the classroom.
For no other reason than to do it, I took the long way home Friday and drove past Raider Stadium. Even through the rain I could see the well-manicured grass, the empty stands and the LED lights waiting to flash that iconic green and gold.
It was eerie — sad, even. I guess it took the reality of today to make me realize that the pulse of our community during the weeks of late summer and early fall will be without the exciting play calls of Bryan Till and Brad Denson, the echo of Jim Butler’s voice and the boom of Kenny Thompson’s touchdown gun.
For the past three seasons, Friday afternoons and evenings have always been a unique routine for me. Like the team, my preparation for football games starts earlier in the week, often with a preview story and analysis of the upcoming opponent.
Then there are all the little things to be sure of before I hit the road — like having rosters printed, game notes sprawled out in my notebook, my clipboard packed, my camera charged and that I have my lucky pen (not necessarily for good luck for the Raiders, but that I have a successful night from a writing standpoint).
Road games and long drives allow for me to get caught up on my podcasts, relive the previous week’s game and formulate possible angles for the game at hand. There’s always a lot of fun outcomes to think about, like who’s going to have a breakout game or what program records might be broken.
Home games mean tailgating and eating some of the best barbeque to be found in the state, shaking hands, standing on the field for pre-game warm ups, chatting with fans and checking in with the student section and Bleacher Creatures.
What I’ve learned is that Raider football games, and any Richmond athletic event for that matter, have become a sense of comfortability and home for me. As I’ve expressed before, I’ve always felt welcomed on the sidelines with all the programs, and it’s something I’ve missed dearly these last five months.
And it’s also a sense of comfortability for thousands of community members, many who have been going to Raider games for much longer than I’ve been covering them.
Ironically, today marks the anniversary of the first Raider game I ever went to as a first-year teacher in 2016. It was a 38-7 win over Anson High School.
While we may be sitting at home this Friday night finding a new routine that doesn’t include filling out Raider Stadium, I’m sure the tradition and lore of Richmond football is strong enough to live on until the season begins in February.
There are only 172 days between now and Feb. 8, the first day of football practice. Or five months and 19 days, but who’s counting?
What I hate most is the fact that so many seniors who have helped strengthen the program the last three years are missing out on one of the biggest aspects of their young lives. At the end of the day, high school sports are all about the student-athletes who put in the time, effort, sweat and tears to bring us the excitement and enjoyment of Friday nights.
To those seniors, and seniors of all Richmond sports in the class of 2021, I want to remind you that Raider Nation is backing you all the way. The benefit of being a one-school county means the entire weight of the community rests on your shoulders, in good times and bad. And the support shown so far should be abundantly clear.
I wish I was standing on the sidelines at Clayton right now, staring up at the always packed Raider fan section. But we’ve made it this far during the pandemic, so I know we’ll be okay to wait a little while longer.
In the meantime, let’s get excited about, and support, the Richmond volleyball and cross country programs. Those seasons are only 76 days away and will be here before we know it.
I’ll see you then, Raider Nation.
