ROCKINGHAM — A new era of youth development football has begun in Richmond County, and with it, a continued partnership between two former Richmond Raider players.
Earlier this spring, a changing of the guard took place within the Raider Elite Youth Football program, Richmond County’s only youth travel football organization.
After four years of leading the program to much success, and eight years total as a local youth coach, John Carter, a local business owner, stepped down. Taking over as commissioner was Derrick Watkins, a former local educator and Richmond Senior High School and college football player.
Raider Elite Youth Football came together in 2020 when Carter merged with Errol Hood, combining their separate youth programs to create a unified effort to help local kids succeed on and off the field.
A three-year varsity player for Richmond, Watkins was a starting safety during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. While at Elizabeth City State College, Watkins moved to cornerback and was a four-year starter for the Vikings.
Returning to his home county after graduation, Watkins started his career in education, something that ultimately drove his desire to coach and work with youngsters. As a classroom teacher, he coached football, basketball and track and field at Rockingham Junior High School and Richmond before moving into school administration.
Around the same time, Donald Pettigrew, the current Richmond boys basketball coach, and Wendell Coker talked to Watkins about playing semi-pro football.
“As crazy as I thought it was at that time, playing semi-pro football turned out to be one of the best football experiences I ever had,” Watkins said. “I played alongside some great players and built friendships that will last forever.”
Following the 2022-23 school year, Watkins left his role after four years as the principal at Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy.
With more than two decades of experience in education, he shifted his focus to still working with children at Early Start Intervention Services, a company that his wife Amber Watkins started to offer therapy to children with autism.
At the suggestion of his oldest son, along with a more flexible work schedule, Watkins decided to take on an elevated role within the Raider Elite Youth Football program. He’d served as one of the organization’s head coaches for several years.
“Honestly, my son, Derrick Watkins Jr., encouraged me to take on the role,” Watkins explained. “According to him, a lot of the players look up to me and I’m one of the calmest coaches on the sideline on Saturdays, so he thought I could fit the role.
“Like many past Raiders, my dream is to watch my son play in the green and gold and have his name called out on Friday nights,” he continued. “While I am proud of Derrick, and he is definitely a hard worker on the football field, for me, Raider Elite is more than that. Since I left my principal position in the school system, Raider Elite has allowed me to continue to work with our youth through football and to continue to try and make a difference in the lives of our young guys.”
With Richmond County’s storied tradition of gridiron success over the past five decades, the expectation for winning seasons and state championship runs at the high school level still holds weight year round.
A dropoff during the last few years for the Richmond Raiders, paired with a state championship drought dating back to 2008, has rekindled discussions for the need for a stronger development program for middle school and elementary school players.
Enter Watkins, a man with the passion and knowledge of the game to accept the challenge, who also has high expectations.
“My vision for the Raider Elite Youth Football program is to become a premier football program that develops next-level talent,” Watkins said. “Our goal is to send players to middle school with the skills and knowledge to play right away and with a good understanding of the game that they can also carry on to the high school level and beyond.
“In addition to physical talent, it is also important for them to be leaders on the field, and in the classroom and community, as well as dependable teammates and students.”
Watkins also has certain expectations for the program’s four age groups — 12U, 10U, 8U and 6U. Many players are set to rejoin the program after successful campaigns last year.
“What I would like to see from each age group is a steady development of players as they move through the age groups,” Watkins explained.
“Our 10U will return several players who were part of the state championship team and national runner-up team. Our 12U team will return several players that were a part of the state runner-up team who also competed in the national championship tournament in Florida.”
Watkins added that the program is “expecting big things” from the 8U group that will be returning several players “that made a huge impact during their 2023 season.” He noted “it’s always exciting” to see what the 6U group will bring.
“That is an age of development, and our little ones are so impressionable,” Watkins shared. “So those are important years, and kids learn and grow so much together. At that young age, they begin to learn to play and win or lose as a team.
“The 2023 10U state championship team started out playing 6U together. We look forward to seeing them continue to play together in Richmond County for many years to come.”
During open workouts this spring, Raider Elite averaged 35 kids, Watkins said, ranging in ages from five to 12. He said the coaching staff was impressed with the discipline and effort those kids put into the workouts. The coaches agreed that “the nucleus was there and that the program can be very competitive across all age groups.”
Another upside prior to the season starting has been the cooperation and instruction of the Richmond Raider program and head coach Brad Denson, who enters his first year at his alma mater.
“Coach Denson has been very receptive to working with our program and that is major,” Watkins said. “We have several coaches who either played with Coach Denson or for him, which is great because everyone is on the same page and dedicated to putting the Raiders and Richmond County back at the top of North Carolina football.”
While the internal support has been great, Raider Elite will need continued support from local football enthusiasts.
“We cannot do it alone. We need the community to back us,” Watkins stated. “We are open to donations and welcome any support for our fundraising events. Things we can use are youth footballs, water bottles, equipment bags and sponsorships for players.
“If someone is not open to or cannot give through financial means, please show your support by giving any of our players an encouraging word, a high-five and tell them how proud you are of them for representing Richmond County in the NCAAU football league. It would mean so much to the program and would make a huge impact for our kids to know they have a fanbase.”
Another way to show support is by attending home games, which Watkins said will be plentiful, and cheering on the future of Richmond County football.
Denson, a two-time state championship quarterback at Richmond and Watkins’ high school teammate, echoed the new youth commissioner’s thoughts on the imperativeness of youth football development for long term success.
“Youth football is huge and how it teaches kids about life and becoming a tough individual is amazing,” Denson said. “With us being a one high school county, the ability we have to shape and mold these youth into future Raiders is exactly what we want. With that comes the need for the teams and coaches and we are able to incorporate what we do here at the high school all the way down to the Little Raiders. Even if it’s only verbiage, that’s a start and it’s something we don't have to teach when they get here.
“The more they know about our system at the younger ages, the more of a jump and head start we have with them when they become high school players. Without the high-level developmental league that John (Carter) has had, I honestly don't know where we would be right now. The Raider Elite Youth program is imperative to our success at the high school level. Other areas of the state will continue to pass us by if we don't do all we can to make this program go.”
Denson plans to get the youth program, as well as the county’s four middle schools — Cordova, Ellerbe, Hamlet and Rockingham — in line with everything being done at the high school. He wants the call formations to be the same, along with calling positions, defensive schemes and techniques the same way.
“The more in line those things are, the more we can teach and build on,” Denson explained. “Think about a math class — you learn the basics one day, then the following day you build off of it. Football is the same way — the basics get taught, then after the basics are mastered, we can add and build off of that.
“The Little Raiders are working to get that concept in their program, and then they can leave and go to middle school football. If the middle schools can adapt to the same thing as the high school, now those guys will come from the Little Raiders and already know things for that middle school program. As they become high school players, they will already know all of the basics and have had it for several years
“I can only imagine how much more in depth we could get at the high school if all of the youth programs built off of each other and came together at the end as one,” Denson continues. “This is the joy and beauty of living in a one high school county. Now we just all have to get on the same page and come together to make this thing go. Football has evolved over the years and we’re not in the 80s or 90s anymore. It’s 2024 and we have to keep up with the times.”
The bottom line for Denson is that it starts with the Raider Elite program. It’s the program the kids want to play for, which he hopes will replicate itself at the older levels.
“Their ultimate goal is playing on Friday nights at Raider Stadium,” Denson said. “The responsibility and work ethic that football teaches, the ability to overcome adversity, and just the overall life skills, are worth everything.
“That all starts with the Little Raiders and keeps building until they are done. At each and every level, I think our main purpose is to produce great young men by teaching them football and all of the other great things that come from it.”
For Watkins, continuing to establish a strong base for the program and teaching fundamentals and advanced skill sets over the next couple of months are key starting points as he takes full grasp of the program.
“In conjunction with our local parks and rec, we can really create a strong pipeline of players for the high school. The key will be parents and guardians allowing their children to participate and supporting the teams’ efforts and mission,” Watkins closed. “We are working to fill our coaching staff for all age groups with knowledgeable and dedicated coaches. And over the last three seasons our program has seen success.
“We feel we are turning the corner by adapting and moving into a more advanced way of coaching our younger players. Gone are the days of lining kids up on one side of the ball and pointing to a player and saying ‘you block him, run sweep right or sweep left or just go deep.’
“Last season, we had multiple offensive sets and multiple defensive sets. Imagine being in a game and your 10-year-old linebackers and safeties are making audible calls mid-cadence to adjust our defense to stop specific plays.
“Our players are learning the game and gaining valuable experience that will help them not only compete against the best, but understand football schemes and terminology that will last throughout their football careers.”
For more information about Raider Elite Youth Football, contact Derrick Watkins at 910-995-7325.
Sports editor's note: A correction was made to the years Watkins played football at Richmond.
