ROCKINGHAM — Football Friday is almost here for the Richmond Raiders, who will return to the road at Lumberton High School for their third game of the season.
In what will be the Raiders’ first back-to-back Friday night games in 15 months, Richmond and head coach Bryan Till are still looking to soak in every minute of the shortened season. Chasing their third straight Sandhills Athletic Conference title, the Raiders’ next obstacle is the Pirates (0-2).
Currently tied with Jack Britt High School for second place in the standings, the Raiders (2-0) will take on a Lumberton team that is coming off a 52-point shutout loss to Pinecrest High School.
As the Raiders approach what would be Week 4 of the conference slate, Till said the uncharacteristic schedule this spring isn’t providing the team with any sense of regular rhythm. But it’s not stopping Richmond from surging ahead.
“Normally, I think it would be huge, but at this point there will be no regular rhythm,” Till said. “This week we play Friday, next week we play Thursday, and then Monday and Friday again. I think the key here is more of just a mentality that we will take on all situations that are given to us.”
Till added that when preparing for a team like Lumberton, record and statistics aside, the basics remain the same week to week. He said the Raiders don't train any differently, especially when Lumberton runs a spread-based offense like many of the other teams in the SAC.
The Pirates, coached by Adam Deese, haven’t beaten Richmond since the 1986 season. The Raiders are coming off a 52-14 win over Hoke County High School last week, a game that saw the defense settle in and control the game’s tempo.
With Richmond’s new 4-3 scheme up front and a developing secondary, the Raiders will look to continue to grow against a Pirates offense that has struggled this season.
“The Pirates will utilize both a spread and power I, short yardage attack,” Till said of what the Raiders are preparing for. “The spread attack will usually feature an H-back and tight end as opposed to four wide receivers. They also utilize running backs by committee since most of those guys play defense as well.”
Lumberton has used players such as Quintez Shipman, Joshua Mclaurin and Jadarian Chatman out of the backfield.
“Our D-Line has been an extremely strong unit and I want to recognize the efforts that both they and Coach (Milton) Swinnie have made to play at a high level,” Till said. (Senior) Isaiah Jones has had very strong play at strong safety.
“Our run defense has been outstanding. We have to continue to contain the QB on pass rush and continue to grow in our coverage, which I think we have done from game one to game two.”
On defense, Lumberton runs a 3-3 stack and a 3-4 variation, Till noted. That defense will go up against a Richmond offense that is averaging 47 points per game, 218.5 passing yards per game from junior quarterback Kellan Hood and 187 rushing yards per game, with senior tailback Jaron Coleman gaining a team-best 68.5 rushing yards per game.
Richmond’s 52 points against Hoke County were a season high, and the most in a game since scoring 51 points against Lumberton last season. Hood, who has just started two games under center, has completed 66% of his passes, is averaging 15.5 completions per game and has a quarterback rating of 117.1.
One of the team’s biggest playmakers has been senior wideout Tremel Jones, who leads the team with 14 receptions, 241 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Fellow senior Dalton Stroman is right behind him with 13 catches for 137 yards, one score and had a kickoff return against the Bucks.
“Kellan's efficiency at QB has been particularly strong, as well as Tremel’s ability to break big plays,” Till said. “We need to continue to get better on third down on offense. And our offensive line has protected Kellan extremely well.”
Two areas of concern after the first two games for the Raiders have been execution on both sides of the ball, as well as trying to limit penalty yards. Till said the team addressed them by practicing more on the areas that have shown deficiencies.
He added the team spends time looking back at game film to mark how those issues can affect the game, and also serve as a way for players to learn from their mistakes.
Kickoff against the Pirates is set for 6 p.m. Friday, with tickets being sold at the gate. Only 900 tickets will be sold and fans can begin entering the stadium at 5:15 p.m.
