ROCKINGHAM — “Growth” was the single word Richmond head football coach Bryan Till used to describe the entire 2018 football season following Thursday’s end-of-season team banquet.
In a sport, or more so a program, that never truly stops, the Raiders officially closed the door on their 2018 campaign.
Players, coaches, parents, family members and several esteemed members of the Richmond County community, including school board and Richmond County Schools officials, packed Richmond Senior High School’s cafeteria to celebrate the accomplishments of the last six months.
“I love our kids and everybody doesn’t always get to see that,” Till shared. “Tonight is one of the few times where everyone can come together and see what we’ve built together and worked so hard to achieve.
“This is a really exciting night and I get emotional about it,” he added. “But then you realize it’s the last hoorah for a lot of these guys, so it’s a really special night.”
RCS interim superintendent Dr. Jeff Maples opened the evening by reminding the crowd that “we’re back,” alluding to the Raiders’ successful season. Richmond went 11-2 overall, and posted a perfect 7-0 record in Sandhills Athletic Conference play.
That gave the Raiders their first conference championship in eight years, as well as their first win over rival Scotland High School since 2010, snapping a seven-game skid. Maples also added he’s enjoyed watching the players “become leaders at school and in the community.”
Each of the three teams (freshman, junior varsity and varsity) were recognized, as each player made his way to the podium. Ninth-grade head coach Chris Price, who completed his first season on the job, attributed the program’s winning culture as the reason why he took it in the first place.
Junior varsity head coach Patrick Hope, who finished year No. 2 at the helm, followed by saying JV football is “a way of life in Richmond County.” The JV Raiders went undefeated, and are currently riding a 29-game winning streak, as well as three straight conference championships.
“I tell the guys we run this conference because we’re the only ones to be champions,” he smiled. “We imposed our will and showed it every week.”
Hope closed by referring to his L.I.T. philosophy, which stands for “loyal,” “intense” and “tough.” He explained that this year’s group, which saw 31 of its 42 players attend 100 percent of summer workouts, “kept it going.”
Next was Till’s varsity squad, which he prefaced with thanking each coach individually, having them stand to be recognized. He also thanked his wife, Julie, and made it public for the first time that they were expecting their first child, a daughter, later this year.
“Conference champs,” Till boomed into the microphone after all the players were called. “I am really, really proud of these young men. This is the first time in eight years we won the conference championship -- and the first in seven we beat Scotland.”
Individual and Team Awards
Till made it clear that one of the team’s guiding principles is to always put the team’s needs above any individual’s, but added that sometimes certain players’ efforts warrant accolades. Below is a listing of the awards received by players Thursday:
Highest GPA Awards
As a program, the Raiders compiled a 3.19 GPA this season. RSHS principal Jim Butler noted that “student-athletes do better” in the classroom, despite carrying the extra weight of practice, games, and traveling.
The senior class of 2019 had the best grade level GPA, posting a mark of 3.31. They were followed by the sophomores (3.22), freshmen (3.16) and juniors (3.06).
Butler read off the top five cumulative GPAs for each class, and Till explained the averages were compiled using transcripts, including the first nine-week period of the school year.
Freshmen Top 5: Harley Honeycutt, the NGA quarterback, took top honors for the freshmen. He was followed by Braxton Butler (2), Gabe Altman (3), Jordan Carlyle (4) and Jaden Covington (5).
Sophomore Top 5: Leading the class of 2021 was Caleb Davis. The others were Thomas West (2), Dom Leviner (3), Tremel Jones (4) and Caleb Wilson (5).
Junior Top 5: For the second-straight year, Noah Altman, the varsity team’s back-up quarterback, held the highest GPA in his class. Second was Drew Davis, followed by Derek Allred (3), Gavin Russell (4) and Christian Garcia (5).
Senior Top 5: Trevor Whittington came in as the top GPA earner for the graduating class of 2019. Joining him were Jordyn Wall (2), Kyle Goodwin (3), CJ Goodwin (4) and Jake Ransom (5).
Special Teams Award
Junior linebacker D’Andre Bethea was chosen by the coaching staff as this year’s recipient. Till explained that a lot of what happens on special teams goes unnoticed by the average spectator, and it was Bethea’s work ethic that earned him the award. He recorded 15 total tackles in nine games this season.
2018 Team Captains
Each week, four Raiders were chosen by Till and his staff to represent the team as the game’s captains. That honor was based on the players’ performance the week before. For the season captains, the players voted themselves, choosing two seniors, a junior and a sophomore.
There were seniors Jon Jones (linebacker) and Ransom (center), junior tailback Jaheim Covington and sophomore quarterback Caleb Hood.
“I thought it was great the team chose (a variety) of players,” Till said. “These were guys who contributed from each level and I think that says a lot about our kids. Leadership is about what they do, and it shows the respect their teammates have for them.”
William E. Eustler Award
One of the top individual awards handed out each season is the Coach Eustler Award, which recognizes a player who is well-rounded on and off the field. The award is named after longtime Rockingham High School principal and Richmond’s first athletic director William E. Eustler.
Athletic Director Ricky Young prefaced the award by saying it goes to a player who “is an integral part of the team, who is a good player and a good citizen.”
Voted on by the coaching staff, senior linebacker Jesse Womble was this year’s recipient.
All-SAC Team and Letter Award Winners
Richmond had an SAC-best 18 players named to this year’s squad. Till was also named the SAC’s “Coach of the Year.”
The players were: Ransom, Austin Hart and Jaleel Davis (OL); Bobby Terry, Jakolbe Baldwin and Jordyn Wall (WR); Covington (RB), Hood (QB) and Trevor Moss (K); AJ Isaac, Rasheed Patrick and Divine Nicholson (DL); Jones, Taveon Ellerbe and CJ Tillman (LB); and Dereck Barringer, Xavion Lindsey and D’Marcus Harrington (DB).
Also, 30 players received their varsity letter following a display of “eight meaningful quarters” of play. After receiving their letters, the players recited the “Law of the Raiders.”
To close out the night, Till called all 23 of his seniors to the stage and recited Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If.” In an emotionally charged finale, Till closed by saying, “Guys, I love you. I want for you everything that this program has tried to teach you and everything that this life has to offer.”
“The growth of these young men is the biggest takeaway from this season,” Till said. “There are so many different ways to see how they improved. That’s what it’s really all about and they remind you of that over and over again.
“They worked so hard for everything they achieved,” he concluded. “I am really proud that they were able to win a conference championship and beat Scotland. Those are memories they’ll take with them for a long time.”
