ROCKINGHAM — A fast start to Thursday’s junior varsity football game helped Richmond Senior High School stay undefeated in conference play.
Hosting Hoke County High School, the JV Raiders battled back and forth with the JV Bucks to notch their third straight win.
Capitalizing on their running game, the JV Raiders secured a 50-40 win in a high-scoring affair.
Freshman running back TJ Watkins scored three rushing touchdowns in the win, while freshman quarterback Damarion Allen added two scores on the ground. Those five combined scores all came in the first half.
Freshman tailback Tyri Wormley added the sixth rushing touchdown in the win. Allen totaled three scores with one passing touchdown, finding freshman receiver Dereon Wiley in the end zone.
Head coach Patrick Hope said the JV Raiders were prepared for a high-scoring Hoke County team and added Richmond did just enough on both sides of the ball to win.
Scoring early and often, Richmond scored on six of its seven first-half possessions to take a 43-18 into halftime. Five of those were on the ground and one was through the air.
On Hoke’s third play of the opening drive, freshman Maurice Lemon intercepted a pass over the middle to give the JV Raiders the ball at the JV Bucks’ 30-yard line.
Three plays later, Watkins scored his first touchdown, a two-yard push up the middle. Freshman kicker Nate Erwin made the point-after attempt to make it 7-0 just under three minutes into the game.
Freshman linebacker Jaxton Watson recorded a sack on Hoke’s next offensive snap, and followed that with a tipped pass on second down after chasing the quarterback to the sideline.
That set up a safety in the end zone on third down when freshman Jazari Dawkins broke through the line and pulled the QB to the ground. Richmond took a 9-0 lead with 8:06 left in the first quarter.
A shallow punt resulted in a short field for the JV Raiders, who scored again just three plays into their second drive. On third down, Allen kept the ball on a designed run and scooted 23 yards to the house. The PAT was no good, but Richmond led 16-0.
Trading possessions, Hoke County capitalized on a lost fumble by Richmond. A one-yard rushing score got the JV Bucks on the board with 90 seconds left in the opening quarter. A dropped two-point try kept the score 16-6.
As the first stanza rolled over into the second, the JV Raiders marched 64 yards on seven plays to extend their lead. Watkins had gains of 14 and 20 yards, respectively, to move the sticks.
Going for it on fourth-and-goal at the three-yard line, Watkins took a direct snap and ran through the left side of the line for his second touchdown. Erwin split the uprights to make it 23-6 a quarter of the way through the second.
The JV Bucks cut into their deficit with a 15-yard passing touchdown on the next drive. The two-point play was stopped again to keep it a 23-12 lead.
Watkins scored once more before the half, capping four-play, 57-yard scoring drive. He and Allen traded a couple of long runs to get inside the red zone.
On first-and-goal from the 10, Watkins took the handoff and ran untouched up the middle for the score. With 4:26 remaining in the half, Richmond led 29-12.
Both teams scored in the final minutes of the half, starting with a long kickoff return by the JV Bucks following Watkins’ third score.
Richmond answered on its next possession with a 65-yard scoring drive that ended in Allen keeping the ball and rushing in from 13 yards. On second down, Allen rolled to his left and picked up some blockers to find the end zone.
An Erwin PAT rebuilt the lead to 36-18, and after Hoke County punted, Richmond scored its lone passing score of the game.
Managing the clock well, the JV Raiders converted a fourth down to keep the drive alive. Getting inside the red zone thanks to a completion from Allen to Watkins, Richmond moved to the nine-yard line.
On a play-action, the defense followed Watkins up the middle, which left Wiley wide open in the left flat. Allen, who kept the ball, slung it out to Wiley, who muscled his way into the end zone down the sideline.
Erwin was good once again on the PAT to pad the JV Raiders lead to 43-18 with 13 seconds to go in the half.
The big first half proved to benefit the JV Raiders, who were outscored 22-7 in the second half. Hoke County found success with its passing game and scored three touchdowns through the air in the final two quarters.
The JV Bucks scored twice to start the third quarter, with the first scoring drive coming after the JV Raiders fumbled the second-half kickoff.
With its lead cut to 43-32, Richmond added an insurance touchdown when Wormley plowed ahead for a one-yard score on fourth-and-goal. A final PAT from Erwin capped Richmond’s scoring.
Hoke County scored once more through the air in the fourth quarter to make it a 10-point game. That score with 7:53 to go would be the last chance the JV Bucks had on offense, as Richmond milked the game clock all the way down to the final buzzer.
The JV Raiders (5-1, 3-0 MSC) host Overhills High School next Thursday for their final home game of the season. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Thursday’s win later this week. All statistics are unofficial.
