ROCKINGHAM - The first team on the docket for the Richmond Senior High School varsity football team is the same one from a season ago -- and head coach Bryan Till is expecting similar results.
Last August, the Raiders opened the 2017 season by making the trip to Pfafftown, N.C., and defeated Ronald Reagan High School in Till’s debut. It was also the first career win for then-freshman starting quarterback Caleb Hood, as the Raiders exploded for 28 points in the third quarter en route to a 45-24 victory.
Ronald Reagan, whose mascot is also the Raiders, competes in the 4A Central Piedmont Conference and is coached by Josh McGee. After their opening game loss to Richmond, Reagan would finish the season 3-8 overall and a last-place finish in the conference standings.
And while Reagan’s team from a year ago may not have made a dent against its opponents, Till isn’t counting them off as an easy win. The Reagan Raiders will have starting junior quarterback Gabriel Hollingsworth under center, as Richmond faced backup quarterback Riley White in 2017 when Hollingsworth was injured. Till also made a point of Reagan’s speed.
“They’re bringing back their starting quarterback, who was injured to start the season last year,” Till noted. “And he’s pretty dang good -- (Hollingsworth) is one of the top quarterbacks in his class in the state of North Carolina.
“They also have a ton of speed,” he added. “Reagan had the fastest 4x200 meter team in country this year, and three of those guys are back for football. Two of them are on offense. And one plays cornerback, but has the ability to play offense -- so we may see all three out on the field at the same time.”
With his defense growing week by week throughout the course of the summer, Till said what his players can do to combat Reagan’s speed is “understanding where the speed is” and “being in position to take away space.” He also explained that it takes players time to get up to breakaway speeds, so he hopes his defense will be able to “trap” guys before they can take off.
The Raiders spent time looking at film of Reagan, as Till noted it’s limited to scrimmage film and last year’s game film. A part of the preparation process for Week 1 has been to get ready for “all kinds of stuff that could be there that we don’t know about.”
“We’re trying to scout them out and do what we think is best,” Till explained. “As coaches, it’s our job to fill in the voids of the unknown. The big thing is getting creative as coaches to prepare for what we think we might see.”
The Richmond Raiders are coming off their final preseason scrimmage against East Forsyth High School nearly a week ago at BB&T Field at Wake Forest University. As noted in that event’s recap, Till said it was great experience for his players to mature and become acclimated with areas of the game that can’t be simulated in practice.
This time around, Richmond won’t have graduated running back Dante Miller in the backfield, as he rushed for 206 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns against Reagan last year. But stepping up to fill his shoes will be junior tailback Jaheim Covington, who in that same game, tallied 103 yards on the ground and two of his eight total touchdowns on the season.
Varsity newcomer running back Lacyrus Ellerbe, who was the lead man on the junior varsity team last season, will back up Covington, as senior Bobby Terry (wide receiver/running back) will be out Week 1 as he’s rehabbing a leg injury.
Hood, who was selected to the the All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team at the end of his freshman year, only attempted nine passes in his debut last year. He went 7-for-9 with 88 passing yards and one touchdown. But with a year under his belt, Hood has grown into his position, something that has warranted more responsibility from Till.
“What we’re going to run depends on what they’re going to give us,” Till said. “Our offense can run off of multiple decisions -- if they’re light in the box, we’ll run it more. But if they’re heavy, that lets Caleb work out on the perimeters. He understands a lot more than at this point last year, so he’s got more freedom.”
Looking to bounce back from a 7-5 season, Till and his players know that one game at a time is the best mentality to have -- and that’s how they’ll start the season Friday.
“It’s extremely important for us to go out there and win our first game,” Till said. “We had a great summer, and I want the kids to take it on the field so they can see that their commitment pays off. We’ve learned some lessons this summer, and I think we’re ready.
“Winning Week 1 is big and does matter because it’s good for the school system if teams are winning,” he concluded. “Volleyball won its first match, so we want to keep that positive energy (on campus) going.”
Kickoff against Reagan is Friday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. Follow ROSports on Twitter (@ROSports_) for live updates.
