ROCKINGHAM — Friday’s Week 2 meeting between the Richmond Raiders and Anson Bearcats will be the 42nd time the two football teams will meet in the “Battle for the Pee Dee,” and history is on Richmond Senior High School’s side.
Entering the non-conference game, the Raiders have a 39-2 all-time record against their Wadesboro counterparts. A win would secure Richmond’s 40th career victory against Anson, and if the Raiders were to score 21 points, they would reach 1,400 total points scored in the rivalry (currently have outscored Anson 1,379-409).
Although the teams haven’t met since the 2016 season, which snapped a 32-year streak of them playing one another, Richmond has won the last 12 meetings dating back to 2004. The Raiders and head coach Bryan Till opened the 2019 campaign with a convincing 48-2 win against Clayton High School last week, and they’re looking to do more damage against the Bearcats.
Earlier this week, Richmond moved up to the No. 1 spot in the East in HighSchoolOT.com's rankings following Wake Forest High School's upset loss to Cardinal Gibbons High School.
There is a lot of history involving the two rural communities separated by the Pee Dee River, both on the football field and off it. That close proximity of the two towns created a fierce rivalry in the early days of the schools’ history that will be rekindled on Friday night.
“The competition of the rivalry has been up and down, but the importance (of it) to these two communities hasn't,” Till explained. “Richmond was created out of Anson in the early years of the state, and it was because of the divide the Pee Dee created. That divide has never really changed.
“The familiarity for our kids and generations of players and families could have an impact,” he added. “I have even heard faculty members from different areas talking in our building about the game and past games.”
While Richmond has dominated the rivalry in terms of wins and losses, Till is still expecting the Bearcats and head coach Ralph Jackson to bring a strong fight on their home field. Anson (2A/3A Rocky River Conference) saw its season opener delayed a day due to weather, and eventually fell to Monroe High School last Saturday 35-24.
Till, who also serves as Richmond’s defensive coordinator, had his defense preparing for a duo of Anson seniors who put up big numbers against Monroe. The Bearcats are led by quarterback Wesley Lear and running back Dequan Sturdivant.
In Week 1, Sturdivant collected 176 rushing yards on 23 carries while also scoring three touchdowns. Lear completed four passes for 110 yards and connected with senior wide receiver Tyrek Hardison for a passing touchdown.
“(Lear) and (Sturdivant) are very good football players,” Till said. “But they ran almost two different offenses between the scrimmage and the first game. The scrimmage was all under center I-formation and the first game was all spread.
“They were very effective at moving the ball and scoring in spread, so I would expect to see that,” he added. “However, we are preparing for it all. On defense, they were in a four-man front in both games, so we are preparing mostly for that with a few wrinkles.”
The last time the two teams met, former Richmond quarterback Leon Zeigler completed passes to six different receivers, which was then a school record. Current junior quarterback Caleb Hood tied that record in 2018’s opener against Reagan High School.
Hood is also closing in on Zeigler’s program record of 315 career completions. Following seven completions for 199 yards against Clayton, Hood enters Friday’s game just 47 passes short of making the record his own.
In the past nine seasons, the Bearcats have not recorded a single winning season. During that stretch, Anson has won a total of 30 games, an average of just over three wins per season.
On Richmond’s sideline, Till said fans can expect to see no major changes in the lineup and that “everyone is healthy but a little sore from the first week back in the weight room.”
Against Clayton, all three phases of Richmond (offense, defense and special teams) clicked on all cylinders, and Till is expecting the same type of effort this week. Reigning Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week Dalton Stroman, a junior wide receiver, will look to add to his team-high two touchdown receptions.
In the backfield, senior running back Jaheim Covington and junior Jaron Coleman will look to be an effective one-two punch again this week. Covington found the end zone twice against Clayton and Coleman scored his first varsity touchdown in the win over the Comets.
“We just hope to continue to play well each week,” Till closed. “We try to correct mistakes and keep doing well what we have done. We really approach each week separately so last week has very little bearing on this week other than making corrections.”
The rivalry between the Raiders and Bearcats will get underway in Wadesboro on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Follow the Richmond Observer on Twitter at @ROSports_ for live in-game updates.
