ROCKINGHAM — Making a statement following the first Mid-South Conference football season, the Richmond Senior High School football team swept the board for the top individual postseason accolades.
As first reported by the Richmond Observer on its Facebook page Nov. 22, the Raiders had 17 players and one coach named to the 2025 All-Mid-South Conference team.
Topping the list were senior quarterback Evan Hodges, senior linebacker Terande Spencer and head coach Brad Denson.
Spencer, who signed with East Carolina University last week, was named the conference’s “Defensive Player of the Year.” It was the second time in as many seasons he won the award, having also been named the Sandhills Athletic Conference’s top defensive player last year.
For Hodges, who had a breakout and record-setting season, he made his first career All-Conference team by being named “Co-Offensive Player of the Year.” Pinecrest High School’s running back Chris Najm shared the honor.
Denson returned to the spotlight as the MSC’s “Coach of the Year,” which was his second selection in as many seasons as the Raiders’ head coach. Like Spencer’s first award, Denson’s first came as part of the previous SAC.
Richmond recorded a 9-3 overall record this season and won the inaugural MSC championship with a perfect 5-0 run through the conference schedule. The Raiders also returned to the third round of the state playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Evan Hodges: Co-Offensive Player of the Year
When given the chance to captain the offense for the first time on his own, Hodges showed just how capable and efficient he could be. Named QB1 ahead of the season, Hodges no longer had to split reps with teammate Domonic Tillman, who moved to the defense’s secondary.
A leader on and off the field, Hodges felt it was imperative for himself to be a student of the game and spend time not only crafting his physical skills, but also his mental understanding of the game.
Describing himself as a “film junkie.” Hodges spent a lot of time outside of practice studying Richmond’s film, as well as film of other opponents. That detail, among others, is what Hodges thinks helped set him apart during the season.
“It feels great to earn this during my senior season and it’s definitely a blessing to receive it,” Hodges said. “I think what makes me deserving is my work ethic, my teammates and all the people who helped me accomplish it.
“My teammates and I worked hard in and out every week, and on the weekends I would get extra work to help me Monday through Friday. I love watching film and spent a lot of time doing that.”
Starting all 12 games for the Raiders, Hodges set two new single-season program records in the process — total passing yards (2,922) and total completions (172). More on surpassing those records can be read here.
Averaging 243.5 passing yards per game, which was 80.9 yards per game higher than the MSC’s next highest average held by Jaidon Moore (Pine Forest), Hodges completed 66.2% of his passes for 28 passing touchdowns.
No other quarterback in the MSC reached a .660 completion percentage this season, and Hodges had 10 more passing scores than second-ranked Gavin Stokes of Jack Britt. Moore’s 139 completions were the closest to Hodges’ new program record.
Compared to other QBs in the 7A classification, Hodges led the state in passing yards and completions. He was tied with two other quarterbacks for the most passing touchdowns and was second in 7A in passing yards per game and completion percentage.
Of all quarterbacks in all classifications, Hodges finished the season as the sixth-best passer in total passing yards.
In a season full of personal-best performances, Hodges used a stout offensive line and a talented arsenal of wide receivers to put up big numbers.
In 12 games, Hodges threw for at least 200 yards in seven games and had four outings where he had at least 330 passing yards. Those big numbers were put up against Porter Ridge (339), Hoke County (361), Northwest Guilford (373) and Pinecrest (378) in the MSC championship game.
Throwing at least one passing score in 11 games, Hodges recorded nine multi-touchdown games. He threw for two scores against Hoke County, Jack Britt, Pine Forest, Porter Ridge and Scotland.
Hodges threw three touchdowns in wins over Overhills and West Forsyth and set his single-game career-high of five passing touchdowns in a game twice — picking apart the defenses of Northwest Guilford and Pinecrest.
Ending the season 172-for-260 through the air, Hodges completed at least 60% of his throws in 10 games. In six games, he hit his targets at least 70% of the time — Northwest Guilford (70.0%), West Forsyth (70.6%), Scotland (71.4%), Hoke County (72.7%), Pinecrest (75.0%) and Porter Ridge (75.8%).
Similar to his touchdown ratio, Hodges had double-digit completions in 11 of 12 games this season. Averaging 14.3 completions per game, his single-game career-high was set with 25 completions (on 33 attempts) in the playoffs against Porter Ridge.
Able to run when needed, Hodges finished the season with 348 rushing yards on 45 carries. Averaging 29.0 rushing yards per game, he scored three rushing touchdowns on the season, including two against Pine Forest.
When asked about his roles as the quarterback and a senior captain, Hodges said in addition to being humbled to be respected so much by his teammates, those titles also allowed him to grow as a person.
“Being the leader of the offense and a team captain has taught me to take responsibility, be a good teammate and to be an example to others,” Hodges explained. “These skills will apply to me as an adult, and with football, it’s more than just a sport. I feel like football has taught me a lot of lessons that will apply to my life later down the road.”
Denson, who played quarterback in high school, noted that Hodges not only had great physical skill to get the job done, but also had a lot of intangibles that made him successful this season.
“For Evan to receive this award, it really shows the work and dedication he had to his team and position,” Denson explained. “Evan is one of those guys who has the athletic ability to beat you, but he puts so much into the game and his preparation with his mind. He really understands the whole picture, not just his position.
“He knows the protections, the run schemes and anything else that comes with the game plan. Evan had some really good players to get the ball to, and he also had an offensive line that was pretty darn good in protecting him.
“Evan also has a very detailed QB coach in Coach (Jay) Jones that gets him prepared each and every week,” Denson added. “I do know this – whichever college decides to give him a chance will be getting an absolute steal. Congrats to Evan, who is very deserving of this award.”
Terande Spencer: Defensive Player of the Year (2x)
Linebacker Terande Spencer crosses into the end zone after recovering a fumble against Pine Forest in Week 7.
Kyle A. Pillar - Sports Editor
Since joining the varsity level as a sophomore, Spencer has made it well-known that he loves smashmouth football and that he can decipher opposing offenses with relative ease no matter what the circumstances.
In his third year lining up at outside linebacker, Spencer proved this season that opposing offenses could throw everything and the kitchen sink at him, but he would still find a way to make plays and disrupt quarterbacks, running backs and passing lanes.
Perhaps more impressive, Spencer didn’t let a knee injury suffered during Richmond’s home game against Rolesville in Week 3 stop him from getting after it. An injury that Denson said “required surgery,” Spencer put the team over his own well-being and opted to play through the pain and have the surgery done in the offseason.
“It’s exciting and it feels great to finish my high school career with my second Defensive Player of the Year award,” Spencer said. “I think I deserve the recognition because I put in so much work to be recognized.”
“I wanted to keep playing (through the injury) because I thought about my teammates and wanted to be there for my team,” Spencer explained. “I wanted to fight through the pain for my team and my coaches because I didn’t want to let them down.”
Playing in all of Richmond’s games except for its Week 9 matchup at Hoke County, which was a decision made by the coaching staff, Spencer showed little, if any, discomfort on Friday nights.
Often lining up on the edge, and showing an uncanny ability to read the snap and crash into the backfield, Spencer finished his 11-game campaign with 91 total tackles (49 solo, 42 assists), averaged 8.3 tackles per game and had 23.0 tackles-for-loss.
Spencer was second on the team only to senior linebacker Jermaine Bright in total tackles (132 tackles) and tackles per game (11.0). Across the MSC, his tackle total ranked him seventh-best.
Leading the team with 9.0 quarterback sacks (0.8 sacks per game) and 16 quarterback hurries, Spencer was the second-leading player in the MSC in both categories. Jaylen Arnold (Overhills) had 11.0 sacks and 25 QB hurries.
One of just six conference players to record double-digit tackles-for-loss this season, Spencer topped the MSC list. He was the only player to surpass 20.0 TFLs and had five more than second-place Arnold.
Ranked amongst 7A players, Spencer was tied for fifth-most TFLs with Markus Medley of Cleveland High School (23.0). His 9.0 sacks made him one of five players tied for third place in the entire classification.
In five of his 11 games, Spencer recorded at least 8.0 total tackles. His best performance of the season was 13 tackles against Scotland in Week 2, followed by double-digit tackle games against West Forsyth (12) and Porter Ridge (11).
Racking up the tackles-for-loss, Spencer had at least one TFL in nine of his 11 games. Six of those nine games resulted in multiple drops for losses — Jack Britt, Northwest Guilford, Jack Britt (2.0); Overhills (4.0); and he tied his single-game career-high of 5.0 TFLs, first set against Southern Lee as a junior, twice this season — Scotland and West Forsyth.
In seven games, Spencer had 1.0 quarterback sack. Against Scotland, Spencer dropped the quarterback for a single-game season-high 2.0 sacks.
Other key statistics for Spencer during the season were three passes defended, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown.
Spencer knocked down one pass each against Hoggard, Rolesville and Porter Ridge. He forced a fumble against Overhills and Porter Ridge, and recovered a fumble once each against Rolesville and Pine Forest. The recovery against Pine Forest to start MSC play was returned by Spencer 20 yards for a touchdown.
“I have high expectations going into college,” Spencer said of his future. “And I will go above and beyond my expectations by working hard, staying focused and being humble.”
Denson, when talking about Spencer, said he’s a lot like Hodges in the way he understands not just his defensive assignment, but the whole picture of what the defense is trying to accomplish on each play.
He also said that with the expectation of other teams trying to shut Spencer down more aggressively this season, defensive coordinator Chris Campolieta and outside linebacker coach Chris Dennis did a good job of making sure Spencer was prepared each game.
“This is year two for Terande getting this and again it was well deserved,” Denson said. “We knew going into this year our opponents would be doing all they could to go away from wherever he aligned. We tried to move him around some and make that a little more difficult for them.
“Honestly, it didn't matter because Terande just has a knack for the ball and he has a motor and demeanor that he won’t be stopped. That is the attitude that you want everyone to have. Anytime you have the ability to understand the whole picture, it makes playing the game so much easier.
“I am extremely happy for Terande and the opportunity he has in front of him,” Denson continued. “It is crazy to think at the beginning of January he will be enrolled at ECU and getting started on his college adventure. Congrats to Terande for a tremendous high school career.”
Brad Denson: Coach of the Year (2x)
Head coach Brad Denson hypes up the crowd late in the game during Richmond's win over Scotland in Week 2.
Kyle A. Pillar - Sports Editor
In his second season as head coach at his alma mater, Denson continued to not only develop the football program on the field, but followed through with his promise to build a program built on strength in the classroom and the community.
With the “be tough” moniker still emphasized to the team in school, in football and with life, Denson brought the fireworks as the offensive coordinator to a very talented, high-scoring Richmond offense.
While Denson is the face of the program when it comes to public perception, he was quick to point to Richmond’s players and the other members of the coaching staff when asked about being named the MSC’s top coach.
“This award is not about me at all and it is a direct reflection of this staff and these kids,” Denson shared. “Without this staff doing what they do and committing so much time and effort to this program, we would be nothing. I can’t begin to thank them enough, even though I try, for all that they do.
“The kids, as much as they can drive me nuts at times, this is who it is all about. It’s about making sure that they learn some football, but at the same time learn more about life and how to handle it. We did all we could to make it fun, all while learning how to work and be disciplined and high-character guys.
“I am honored to receive this award again, but without these kids and this staff doing what they do all year long, none of this happens,” Denson closed. “Coaches and players, thank you so much for being committed to making Raider Football what it is.”
The Richmond Observer will continue its All-Conference football coverage with additional articles featuring the other 15 players selected on offense and defense.
