ROCKINGHAM — The focus and preparation of the Richmond Raider football team has been dialed in on Porter Ridge High School for a better part of the past two weeks, a plan that was almost upended in the first round of the state playoffs.
Fortunately for the Raiders and head coach Brad Denson, their extensive look into the Pirates paid off when Porter Ridge survived an upset scare against Cuthbertson High School last Friday.
In what will be a battle between two swashbuckling mascots on the gridiron this Friday, No. 6 Richmond will look to force the No. 11 Pirates off the plank and into the sea of defeated playoff teams.
The second round of the NCHSAA 7A West playoffs will feature the first ever meeting, postseason or otherwise, between Richmond and Porter Ridge with a trip to the third round on the line.
No strangers to playing deep into November, especially last year’s return to the third round under the NCHSAA’s previous four-classification format, the Raiders will look to benefit from their first-round bye this season and advance.
“The bye was great,” Denson shared. “We got a good three days of practice that were short and sweet, which allowed for guys to heal up, reenergize and get ready for round two. During that week, we concentrated on the fundamentals, all while having fun at practice.
“It’s kind of hard during a bye week to prepare for the following week when you don't know who the opponent will be. The guys and staff handled that well, and as far as our focus level, I think it’s there. The guys and staff understand that everyone is 0-0 now and it’s win or go home.”
Denson shared an anecdote of a senior player sending out a message to all the other seniors stating “How the time is now. There is no other chance, this is it.”
As part of the 32 remaining teams in 7A playoff bracket fighting for a December run and the state’s inaugural 7A title, Richmond got back to its regular game week schedule Monday and has since begun prepping for the Pirates and head coach Michael Hertz.
Aside from having film traded to them by Porter Ridge ahead of Week 5’s game with West Forsyth, the only common opponent between the Raiders and Pirates this season, Denson admitted that not much was known initially about this week’s opponent.
Several members of Richmond’s coaching staff scouted the Pirates in their 26-16 win over No. 22 Cuthbertson in the first round. Additionally, film was traded to Richmond of that first-round matchup, which has since given the Raiders a better visualization of what they’ll see Friday.
“Now that we have the playoff traded film, it does give us a better idea of what to prepare for,” Denson said. “We feel as though we have a good beat on what they want to do. However, we always have to be ready to make the adjustments on what they could do.”
While it’s been two months since either team has played West Forsyth, for context, the Raiders earned a 36-30 win thanks to erasing a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Porter Ridge, however, was never really in its game with the Titans, losing 42-14 in Week 3.
The Pirates barely survived Cuthbertson’s upset bid, taking a 16-16 tie at the end of the third quarter before scoring the game’s final 10 points. When asked what that particular playoff performance implies about Porter Ridge, Denson plainly said “nothing really.”
“At this point of the year, it’s all about getting one more point than the opponent when that final horn sounds,” Denson explained. “That was the second time this season Porter Ridge had played Cuthbertson and winning twice (against the same team) is always hard to do in the course of the same season.
“There is no such thing as a pretty win or an ugly win in the playoffs. It’s simply a win or a loss at this point.”
Good, bad, pretty, ugly or indifferent, the objective come Friday night for Denson and the Raiders is pretty clear — just win.
Another outside factor playing into the second-round meeting is, with the exception of a shakeup in the 7A West bracket, Friday’s game at Raider Stadium will be the last one for the Raiders on their home field this season.
“It for sure has some emotions attached to it,” Denson stated. “Barring an upset, these seniors will play their final game on that field and walk off of it for the last time. The reality of that hits when you stop and think about it.
“From where this group has come from four years ago to now, it is truly something special. Not just the growth of them on the field, but the growth in these guys as people is remarkable.
“I think it’s a goal of all of ours to make sure they walk off with a win on Friday night,” he added. “They deserve it, they deserve for the stands to be packed out, and they deserve a crowd to be supportive of them as they chase this win.”
The pursuit of taking the wind out of the Pirates’ sails starts with a seven-game winning streak for Richmond that spans back to Week 4 of the regular season. Porter Ridge, conversely, has lost two of its last three games.
Richmond (8-2) and Porter Ridge (7-4) bring two very different offensive styles to the table.
The Raiders have made their mark through the air with senior quarterback Evan Hodges, who is ranked as the No. 2 QB in passing yards and touchdowns thrown in 7A (2,371 yards, 26 TDs), and a trio of senior wide receivers who all have more than 500 receiving yards this season — Amer Morrison (801 yards, 12 TDs), Jayden Hamilton (570 yards, 6 TDs) and Keonta Pegues (502 yards, 6 TDs).
Porter Ridge relies more on the ground game and senior utility player Rai’Shawn Elmore, an East Carolina University commit. Elmore leads the team with 731 rushing yards and 17 TDs, and is also the top Pirate in receptions (32) and receiving yards (404).
Through 10 games this season, Richmond is scoring at a clip of 40.5 points per game and is allowing 23.0 points against. In 11 games, Porter Ridge's averages are 22.9 points on offense and 18.7 points against on defense.
“(Elmore) is who we have to stop,” Denson said plainly. “He plays everywhere. He will line up at wide receiver, then running back, then QB, and then go over and play safety on defense. He is a player and we must be able to contain him.”
Additional players the Raiders have scouted for this week at practice are junior quarterback Keenan Sullivan, junior running back and slot receiver Kam Hayden, and junior Arthur Scott out of the backfield.
“Those three are good players, but they are not what (Elmore) is,” Denson explained. “They will run some option stuff, so we must play our assignments well. If we don't do that, they will hit us for big plays.
“Discipline in what we are responsible for will be huge come Friday night. Our staff has put together a good game plan that is pretty simple for the guys. Hopefully, that will allow them to go out and play fast and physical.”
Additional keys, Denson continued, will be to create turnovers on defense, get off the field on third down and limit penalties.
Since their Week 5 win over West Forsyth, the Raiders have created 17 takeaways on defense (12 interceptions, 5 fumble recoveries). Twice, against Jack Britt and Overhills, the defense pulled in four interceptions. A season-high three fumble recoveries were scooped up in their most recent win against Pinecrest.
Sullivan is averaging just 69 passing yards per game this season and has thrown six touchdowns to two interceptions. Able to run when needed, Sullivan has rushed for 292 yards and two scores.
Scott’s workload has seen him carry the ball 82 times for 315 yards and one score. Senior Christian Myers is the only other 100+ yard receiver this season, grabbing nine catches for 141 yards and a team-high three receiving scores.
Looking to slow down Elmore and the Pirates will be a Richmond defense led by its own ECU commit, senior edge rusher Terande Spencer, and breakout senior inside linebacker Jermaine Bright.
Ranked 10th in total tackles in 7A with 112 dragdowns, Bright has formed a nice duo with Spencer to help stop opposing defenses. Spencer has 22 tackles-for-loss in nine games played, followed by Bright (14). Senior defensive end Jordan Hamilton has also made his name known in the backfield, hitting ball carriers for a loss nine times.
That trio of players for Richmond has combined for 15 sacks and 25 QB hurries. Senior edge Jason Gainey and senior nose tackle Demonte Martin have paired up for 13 QB rushes and each have one QB sack.
Staring across the trenches at Richmond’s robust and scrappy offensive line, which includes ECU-offered junior right tackle Kamel Tillman, is a Porter Ridge defense which hasn’t seemed to deviate much from its strategy throughout the season.
“They are an even front team with four down linemen,” Denson said. “It looks as though they have done that for most of the year. Coverage wise, they want to be a two-high team and not give up the over-the-top ball. We can't be greedy and must take what they give us.
“They have several guys on that side who I think are really good players. The two who stand out the most are the two defensive tackles, No. 72 (Evan McCarthy) and No. 77 (Dawson James). Both of these guys are good in size and they are strong kids. We have to be able to move them in the run game and protect against them in the pass game.
“No. 6 (William Taylor) at the Sam linebacker spot is also one we have to watch out for,” Denson continued. “He is long, can run and looks to be a very smart player. (Elmore), their best player, will also align at the safety position, so we will have to play a very good game for sure.”
Stating that Richmond’s offensive game plan is “no secret and simple,” Denson’s play calling will look to get the Raiders the ball in space and let them work like they have all season. Protection of the ball, third-down conversions and scoring on every possession are also musts, he said.
Hodges enters the second round following a career performance against Pinecrest two weeks ago, which saw him set single-game personal-bests in completion percentage (.750), passing yards (378), yards per completion (31.5) and he tied his career-high of five passing scores.
Helping pick apart opposing defenses will be Morrison, Hamilton and Pegues, along with junior wideout Jasiah Cooper. Morrison is coming off a career night of 189 receiving yards on four catches for three touchdowns, while Hamilton caught two scores and had a career-high 144 receiving yards on four grabs.
“Raider Nation, we need you guys there,” Denson closed. “These players need you there. The work they have put in over the course of the year is deserving of those stands being full. They feed off of your energy.
“Say what you want, but there is no better high school football atmosphere than Raider Stadium. Show up, show out and cheer these guys on to a playoff victory. And remember, game time is 7 p.m.”
Kickoff between the No.6 Raiders (8-2) and No. 11 Pirates (7-4) is scheduled for 7 p.m., a half hour earlier than Richmond’s other home games this season.
