PEMBROKE, N.C. - The Richmond Senior High School varsity football program marked another goal off its 2018 checklist Friday on the road at Purnell Swett High School.
At the onset of the season, the No. 3 Raiders and head coach Bryan Till wanted to win the Sandhills Athletic Conference title and end an eighth-year drought, which they did last week against rival Scotland High School in 23-8 fashion.
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Another preseason goal was to finish the season undefeated in SAC play. On Friday, the first time the team had played on its regularly scheduled night in three weeks, Richmond capped off the perfect record with a 41-0 win over the Rams in the regular season finale.
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And now having won nine games in a row to close out the season, Richmond (10-1, 7-0 SAC) sits in a pretty good spot to receive the No. 1 seed in the Western Regional bracket in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4AA state playoffs. That’s a big turn around from last year’s No. 8 seeding, and another slash across the paper.
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The game against the Rams (3-8, 1-6 SAC) was a makeup from Sept. 21, which was rained out from Hurricane Florence. While it didn’t hold any weight in terms of shifting around the conference standings, Till made sure his team entered the night aware of what it needed to do to finish the season strong against a scrappy Rams team.
The 41-point victory was the sixth time this season the Raiders defeated a team by at least 30 points, and the third time by at least 41 points, and the win over the Rams was Richmond’s third-largest margin of victory (Hoke County 53 points, Lumberton 42 points). The defense, coordinated by Till, also recorded its fourth shutout of the season.
Richmond scored 20 points in the first half, before adding 21 in the second half.
“We set our goals at the beginning of the season and we’ve met them (one at a time),” Till said of his team’s perfect conference record. “Now we start that ‘third season’ with the playoffs. We’ve gone through our non-conference and conference schedules, so now it’s time to look at the playoffs and see what our goals are there. It’s time to reset and get ready to go.
“The guys (on defense) still take a lot of pride in getting the shutout,” he added. “They focused in as the drives went, but I’d like to have seen us start off a little better. But as a coach, it’s hard to be upset when you blank an opponent. They rang the bell when they needed to.”
One of Richmond’s goals heading into the game was to get off to a fast start, and it seemed that way as the Raider offense drove 64 yards in eight plays to the Rams’ one-yard line. With starting tailback Jaheim Covington taking the night off ahead of the playoffs, it was junior LaCyrus Ellerbe who got the call behind sophomore quarterback Caleb Hood. However, on first-and-goal at the one, Ellerbe fumbled the ball and it was returned by Purnell Swett’s Brock Woods to the 16-yard line.
The early-game hiccup was redeemed by the Richmond defense just 10 plays later. Rams junior quarterback Micah Carter moved the ball inside the Richmond 45-yard line on a fourth-and-six completion to Jaylen Locklear, but threw into tight coverage a couple of plays later, which resulted in a pick. Raider junior free safety Dereck Barringer tipped the pass attempt to Tobias Epps, and fellow junior safety teammate Xavion Lindsey hauled in the ball at the Richmond 27-yard line to stall the drive.
Dereck Barringer (20) tips a pass over Tobias Epps that resulted in an interception.
It was Lindsey’s second interception in as many games, and just like his pick in the third quarter against Scotland, it swayed momentum that resulted in a Raider score. Hood and company went 73 yards in just five plays, seeing senior Bobby Terry race 42 yards down the right sideline on a pitch from Hood to break the scoreless tie with 2:53 to go in the first quarter.
On the ensuing Rams drive, senior defensive end Rasheed Patrick sacked Carter to end the first frame, and after the Rams converted on their second fourth-and-short situation of the night, junior D’Marcus Harrington broke up a pass on fourth-and-12 to give the Raiders the ball back at their own 46-yard line. For the second time on the night, solid defensive play would lead to a Raider score.
Sophomore wide receiver Jakolbe Baldwin appeared to score on a 32-yard hook up from Hood, but the play was negated due to too many Rams on the field. Ellerbe cleaned up the mess six plays later by bursting up the middle and running off a block by Dalton Stroman, spearing his way into the end zone from 18 yards away. Trevor Moss’ point after attempt was no good, giving Richmond a 13-0 lead with 4:51 to go before halftime.
Before the intermission, another interception, this time by junior Zyier Baldwin in the middle of the field at the Richmond 47-yard line, which was set up by pressure on Carter by sophomore linebacker CJ Tillman, gave the Raiders the ball with 57 seconds left on the clock.
Hood, who finished the game 10-of-15 passing with 164 yards, hit Stroman (18-yard gain) and Jordyn Wall (29-yard gain) on back-to-back plays to give the Raiders a first and goal at the six-yard line. Terry got the call two plays later and lowered his shoulder to burst into the end zone untouched for a five-yard score, his second of his game-high three touchdowns. With 24 seconds left before halftime, it was 20-0 Richmond.
“Running back was my normal position, so this was like being back in middle school,” Terry smiled after the game. “I was just thinking ‘no matter what happens, I just wanted to get in the end zone.’ This is a good statement, but we didn’t play our best game -- we just need to come to practice and listen to our coaches.”
Out of the break, with the Raiders in control of the game, Ellerbe found the end zone for the second and final time at the 9:41 mark of the third quarter. After a short punt by the Rams gave Richmond the ball at the Purnell Swett 34-yard line, Hood scampered ahead on first down for a 12-yard pickup. On the next snap, Ellerbe ducked behind a block set by Gavin Russell to squeeze through the line and explode for a 22-yard touchdown to put the Raiders up 27-0.
The only other score in the third quarter for Richmond came on what became the “Bobby Terry show,” as the senior utility player collected 45 rushing yards on runs of 23, 17 and five yards. The six-play, 56-yard march was aided by catches by Baldwin and Wall, and finished with Terry ending his scoring performance on a five-yard push.
“We’ve always known what Bobby can do for us,” Till said of his senior player. “He’s been steady in this program mentally and his focus is great. He’s been up and down with injuries the last two years, so it was great to get him the ball tonight. He had a big game against Wake Forest, and tonight was good for him to get some work in at tailback.”
Till sent in several backup players in the fourth quarter, with junior quarterback Noah Altman replacing Hood under center. Trailing 34-0, the Rams went for it on fourth-and-14 at their own four-yard line, but Carter’s pass attempt hit the turf incomplete. Getting the ball on the turnover on downs, Altman handed the ball off to Ellerbe on consecutive plays, but the second one popped loose and was recovered in the end zone by the Rams.
The fumble didn’t cause any damage, as Altman would score the game’s final touchdown on the next Raider drive. Going 43 yards in seven plays, Altman took the quarterback keeper in from three yards out on second-and-goal, sliding just inside the right pile on. Altman’s first rushing score of the season gave Richmond a 41-0 lead with 2:08 to go in regulation.
On the stat sheet, the Raiders racked up 381 yards of total offense, with 217 yards coming on the ground game from five players. Ellerbe led the way with a season-high 133 yards on 16 carries and two scores, while Terry notched 59 yards on three rushes and added three touchdowns. Sophomore Jah’meek Harding, who came in during the second half, picked up 31 yards on three touches.
Hood linked up with five different receivers, as Baldwin reeled in a team-high 47 yards on three receptions. Wall was in his shadow, tacking on 45 receiving yards also on three snags. Terry, who is primarily a receiver, chipped in with two receptions for 40 yards. On defense, Richmond tallied three sacks in the win.
Purnell Swett was without star player Chandler Brayboy, and it was Matthew Locklear who collected all 31 of Purnell Swett's rushing yards. Carter finished 5-of-11 passing with 76 yards.
With the regular season in the books, Richmond finished with three more wins than it did a season ago. Facing the same competition, it picked up wins against Butler, Jack Britt and Scotland high schools, teams that beat the Raiders in 2017.
The reporting deadline for the NCHSAA playoffs is Saturday. Richmond is guaranteed a first-round bye, but Till said his team will have to wait and see how the cards fall with seeding. The official brackets are expected to come out sometime Saturday afternoon or early evening. ROSports will report on the brackets as they’re released.
