FAYETTEVILLE — Setting up a season-best offensive outburst Friday for the Richmond Senior High School football team was a stout defense and several electric special teams play.
Richmond’s focus was dialed in to open its Mid-South Conference schedule, leading to a blowout win on the road at Pine Forest High School, spoiling the homecoming festivities.
Scoring all but six points in the first half, the Raiders dismantled the Trojans 53-8.
Playing the entire second half with a running clock, Richmond also played mostly reserve players during the final two quarters.
Friday’s 45-point win was Richmond’s second running-clock victory of the season, which also happened on the road at Northwest Guilford High School in Week 4.
Recording their third straight victory, the Raiders also had their largest margin of victory (45 points) since defeating Topsail High School by 36 points in the first round of the state playoffs last season.
The win was the program’s first 40+-point win since defeating Hoke County High School 41-0 during the 2023 season.
Unlike the last few victories, the Raiders’ offense relied more on its running game to find the end zone against the Trojans, who lost their fifth game in six tries this season.
Richmond’s ground game accounted for five rushing touchdowns from three players. Senior quarterback Evan Hodges and junior running back Chance Crowder each had two rushing scores early on, while senior running back Christian Everett scored his first career varsity touchdown for the game’s final score in the second half.
Hodges, who entered the night among the top QBs in passing yards in 7A, added to his resume with two passing scores. He linked up with senior wide receivers Amer Morrison and Keonta Pegues for a touchdown apiece, bringing his season total to 14 passing touchdowns.
Richmond’s defense also got in on the scoring during the win, the result of a fumble recovery and return by senior linebacker Terande Spencer.
As head coach Brad Denson noted in his postgame interview, Richmond’s kickoff and punt returners — Pegues, senior Jayden Hamilton and junior Jasiah Cooper — helped give the offense several short fields en route to finding the end zone.
The Raiders needed just six offensive plays to take a 20-0 lead less than six minutes into a 34-point first quarter.
Richmond scored on six of its seven possessions in the first half, as well as on one defensive series. The one offensive series that didn’t result in a score was stopped by the end of the half.
Pine Forest was held to a three-and-out on its first two offensive drives to start the game, which gave Richmond good starting field position both times.
A 31-yard completion from Hodges to Hamilton on the first play from scrimmage for the Raiders moved the ball to the Trojans’ five-yard line. Two plays later, Crowder scored the first of his two first-quarter rushing touchdowns.
On a pitch left from Hodges, Crowder trotted into the end zone untouched from three yards. With 10:18 left in the first quarter, senior Jake Veach connected on his first point-after attempt to make it 7-0.
Pine Forest’s second drive was stalled by a tackle-for-loss on second down by Spencer, which led to another punt. Returning the kick, Pegues nearly went the distance from around midfield and returned it to the Trojans’ 15-yard line.
Needing just one play to score, Hodges showed off his dance moves with a 15-yard rushing touchdown on the keeper. Going to his left, Hodges sprinted upfield and carried a defender across the goal line for the first of his two rushing scores.
The PAT was no good, but Richmond got into a double-digit lead 13-0.
Senior defensive end Jordan Hamilton made a tackle-for-loss on third down on Pine Forest’s next series. Electing to go for it on fourth-and-four from their own 26-yard line, the Trojans turned it over on downs when sophomore CJ Covington and junior Elijah Ingram recorded another negative-yardage play by the defense.
Taking over at the Trojans’ 25-yard line, Hodges got the ball inside the red zone on a first-down completion to Cooper. On the next snap, Crowder plowed ahead from three yards for his second touchdown.
Veach made the PAT to extend the lead to 20-0 with 6:32 to go in the opening stanza.
Richmond’s defense was responsible for the next score, which came just 32 seconds later. A bad snap couldn’t be handled by Pine Forest quarterback Jaidon Moore, leading to a fumble deep in the Trojans’ own territory.
Applying pressure and in pursuit on the play, Spencer was there for the scoop-and-score, dashing into the end zone from about 20 yards. Again, Veach was good to make it 27-0.
The defense went back to work and limited the Trojans to just five plays and another punt. That led to Hodges’ first passing score of the game to Morrison.
A five-play, 66-yard drive was moved along by two rushes by sophomore Ty Covington and another Hodges keeper.
On first down at the opponent’s 39-yard line, Hodges hit Morrison in stride down the left sideline. Making a few moves in the open field, Morrison bullied his way inside the five-yard line and dove into the end zone with a defender on his back.
Veach’s PAT with 3:09 to go in the first quarter put Richmond up 34-0.
Pine Forest’s lone score of the game came on its next drive, a 32-yard rushing score by Moore. A successful passing play from Moore to Kamari Lofton on the two-point conversion made a little dent in Richmond’s lead, 34-8.
Hamilton was next up for a splash return play on the ensuing kickoff, racing all the way down to the Pine Forest 35-yard line. Richmond’s matched its longest scoring drive to that point in the game with another five-play trip.
On first-and-15 from the Trojans’ 17-yard line, Hodges scampered down the side of the field after deciding to keep the ball and crossed into the end zone. With the PAT wide right, Richmond opened its lead to 40-8 with 11:22 remaining in the second quarter.
Spencer had 1.5 sacks on Richmond’s next defensive series, sharing the half-sack with fellow senior linebacker Jermaine Bright. Pine Forest managed to get near midfield but had to punt it away, one of its five punts in the first half.
Richmond’s last scoring drive of the first half came on the ensuing series. Following a personal foul penalty, the Raiders faced a third-and-17 situation at their own 33-yard line.
Unfazed, Hodges threw a screen pass to Pegues in the right flat and the senior receiver did the rest. Picking up a block from Hamilton, Pegues turned on the jets and moved outside the numbers to race 67 yards down the right sideline to find pay dirt.
Adding his final PAT of the game, Veach gave Richmond its largest lead of the first half, 47-8, with just over five minutes to go before the break.
In the closing 2:30 of the half, junior defensive back Adan King collected Richmond’s second and final defensive takeaway of the game. Jumping a route over the middle of the field, King nabbed his first career varsity interception and gave the Raiders possession at their own 23-yard line, stopping a potential scoring drive.
As time expired in the half, Veach attempted a 42-yard field goal, but it was blocked at the line.
Starting the second half with the ball, Cooper almost completed the sweep of scoring across offense, defense and special teams. He took the second-half kickoff all the way down to the Pine Forest eight-yard line before being pushed out of bounds.
That stop allowed Everett to take back-to-back handoffs from freshman quarterback Damarion Allen, with the second resulting in a six-yard rushing score through the heart of the line.
Attempting the PAT with around 9:00 to go in the third was freshman kicker Nate Erwin, who just missed his first career attempt by hitting the left post.
With the accelerated clock, Pine Forest possessed the ball for the remainder of the third quarter and for much of the first half of the fourth stanza.
Richmond’s offense got back onto the field and a couple of runs by senior Tyrese Collins helped move the sticks and set up the victory formation.
A big week awaits the Raiders (4-2, 1-0 MSC), who will celebrate homecoming next Friday at Raider Stadium. Richmond will host Jack Britt High School (3-3, 0-1 MSC).
Jack Britt lost its conference opener 29-21 to Pinecrest High School Friday.
The latest edition of the long, storied history between Richmond and the Buccaneers is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a preview article later in the week. Photos of Friday’s victory over Pine Forest later this weekend.
Sports editor’s note: Official stats were not available at the time of publication.
