ROCKINGHAM — The No. 14 seed Richmond Senior Raiders turned a half-time deficit into a final victory against the No. 19 seed Wolves of Ballantyne Ridge at home Friday.
The Raiders secured the 35-27 win in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletics Association 7A football playoffs.
Heading into the game, Richmond’s record was 3-2 in the Mid-South 7A/8A Conference and 4-6 overall. Ballantyne Ridge, which opened in 2024, ended the regular season fourth (2-3) in the Southwestern 7A/8A conference and an overall record of 4-6.
The Wolves were the first to make it on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter with a pick six from Nathan Nwasike. The follow-up extra point had Ballantyne Ridge up 7-0.
The Raiders advanced down the field with Chance Crowder rushing 11 yards for Richmond’s first touchdown, followed by a PAT from Ashton Mabe to tie the game at 7-all.
With less than a minute in the half, Wolves quarterback Ryder Polson found Zion Caesar for another TD and the PAT put the team up 14-7.
The Wolves regained possession of the ball after another interception in the closing seconds of the first half.
In the first play after kick-off in the second half, sophomore quarterback Damarion Allen kept the ball and ran 55 yards to the end zone. The PAT attempt failed, leaving the Raiders trailing by a point.
The Raiders shut down the Wolves’ next drive, forcing an unsuccessful field goal attempt. After regaining possession, Elijah Ingram scored on a 54-yard rushing TD, which was followed up by a 2-point conversion from Cam Coley, giving Richmond the 21-14 lead.
Elijah Ingram stands in the end zone after rushing 54 yards for a touchdown.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Caesar scored again on the Wolves next drive and the extra point tied the game up for the second time at 21-all.
As the clock counted down the closing two minutes of the third quarter, the Raiders made their way back down the field resulting in another Crowder TD and Mabe PAT, with Richmond again taking the lead at 28-21.
With four minutes left in the game, Polston brought the Wolves into striking distance with a two-yard TD, but a failed conversion attempt kept Ballantyne Ridge a point behind Richmond with a score of 28-27.
Richmond scored again on the next drive with another Crowder-Mabe combo to put the Raiders ahead 34-27 — which is what the scoreboard read when the buzzer sounded.
Sophomore Nathan Erwin kicks the Raiders' final extra point of the game against Ballantyne Ridge.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
“(This was) the first time that team’s been to the playoffs and I told this group all week, ‘You’re going to get any and everything they’ve got —they have nothing to lose,’” Raiders head coach Brad Denson said following the game. ‘“I knew we were going to get crazy effort from them.”
But when it comes to pre-playoff stats, Denson said, “You can throw the records out the window.” …
“Everybody’s 0 and 0 — it’s win and survive and figure out how to see the next week,” Denson continued. “The goal of the game is to get one more point than they’ve got.”
Denson said he was proud of his team’s “gutsy effort” to get the win and advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Coach Brad Denson talks to the team after the win over Ballantyne Ridge.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Richmond travels to Mooresville on Friday to take on the undefeated Lake Norman Wildcats. Lake Norman, No. 3 seed, is ranked No. 10 in the state and went 5-0 in the North Piedmont 6A/7A Conference and 10-0 for the season.
The Raiders varsity soccer team fell 5-0 to Lake Norman in the second round of that playoff bracket.
“Obviously, they’re a really good team … but that’s why you play the game,” Denson said, repeating that the goal is to have one more point than the other team by the end. “It doesn’t really matter how pretty or how ugly it is.”
Jack Britt is also still alive in the 7A playoffs, with a 42-7 first-round win over R.J. Reynolds. The Buccaneers move on to challenge the Reagan Raiders in Pfafftown.Overhills fell 42-10 to Holly Springs.
See more photos from the game at the RO's Facebook page and at buzzer-beat.com.
