ROCKINGHAM — The first third of The Richmond Observer sports department’s review of the top sports stories of 2025-26 school year concludes with the Richmond Senior High School football team.
While there were many moments, both team and player-centric, that could have topped the list for the Raiders and head coach Brad Denson, it’s hard to argue what they did in the second round of the state playoffs.
In mid November, the No. 6 Raiders hosted No. 11 Porter Ridge High School in the second round of the 7A West playoffs and survived a roller coaster game 48-43.
Not only did the team erase a 14-point halftime deficit, Richmond came back in the final minute of regulation to score the game-winning touchdown after losing the lead on a one-handed catch and run.
It was also a career night for junior running back Chance Crowder, who scored a single-game career-high six touchdowns. He rushed for five scores and caught one TD, and also scored the go-ahead touchdown with 15 seconds left.
The win for the Raiders also punched their ticket back to the third round of the state playoffs for the second straight season.
Revisit the playoff win from the original article from Nov. 14, 2025:
ROCKINGHAM — What would high school playoff football be without a little bit of drama and everything coming down to the final play?
That was the case Friday night at Raider Stadium, and fortunately for No. 6 Richmond Senior High School, everything worked out in its favor.
Earlier this week, head coach Brad Denson made it clear that the most important thing the Raider football team needed to do was to finish with at least one more point than its opponent.
He stressed that again following Friday’s second round victory, a five-point win over Porter Ridge High School. It was also the team’s eight straight win.
Denson told the team in the postgame huddle that in the playoffs there are no pretty wins, no ugly wins; just wins. And the No. 6 Raiders survived an early-exit scare by defeating the No. 11 Pirates 48-43.
Friday’s 7A West playoff game was everything a football fan would want — several lead changes, timely scoring plays, crucial stops on defense — and for Raider Nation, the home team ahead at the final buzzer.
What proved to be a tougher task than some in Richmond County anticipated, the Raiders faced a deficit of 14 points in the first half, and then had to regain the lead late in the game after being up by as many as 14 points in the third quarter.
A miscue on special teams on the ensuing kickoff after Richmond’s go-ahead score put the pressure on the defense to make stops on two plays inside the red zone to secure the win.
Helping sink the Pirates and send them into the abyss away from the state title race was the one-man scoring show put on by junior running back Chance Crowder.
Elusive, shifty and speedy all game long, Crowder finished the win with a single-game career-high six total touchdowns. He scored five on the ground and caught one, ending the night one shy of tying the program’s single-game record for the most rushing touchdowns.
Crowder’s final trip to the end zone with about 15 seconds to go in regulation proved to be the game-winning points.
It was also a milestone game for senior quarterback Evan Hodges, who according to Denson, set Richmond’s single-season passing yards record. Connecting with Crowder and senior Amer Morrison for his two passing scores, Hodges had 331 passing yards Friday (unofficially) to bring his season total to 2,702 passing yards.
That surpassed former quarterback Leon Zeigler, who had 2,665 passing yards during the 2015 season.
Porter Ridge’s Swiss Army knife Rai’Shawn Elmore matched Crowder’s performance with six total touchdowns.
Elmore made a one-handed catch in coverage and scored his final touchdown with 2:18 to play. That, coupled with a successful two-point conversion, put the Pirates ahead 43-42, which set in motion the game’s final dramatic moments.
An early lead after the game’s first series by either team for Richmond dissipated when Porter Ridge found an offensive rhythm and scored on four straight possessions to take a 28-21 lead into halftime.
Richmond’s defense started strong by forcing the Pirates to a three-and-out. The snap on the punt was high and forced the punter to kick it out of his own end zone, setting up a short field for the Raiders.
Starting at Porter Ridge’s 44-yard line, Richmond’s offense needed just four plays to get into the end zone. A 13-yard completion to senior Jayden Hamilton was added to by a first-down catch by senior Keonta Pegues. Moving the ball closer to the end zone was a facemask penalty.
On first down from the 14-yard line, Crowder scored the first of his two first-half scores. Taking a handoff, Crowder found a hole in the middle of the line before splitting to the right side and into the end zone.
Senior kicker Jake Veach made the point-after attempt to make it 7-0 with 9:20 left in the opening quarter.
Porter Ridge answered with a 51-yard scoring drive, capped by a rushing score by Elmore. The 10-yard rush and the PAT tied the game with 4:32 left on the first-quarter clock.
The first of three first-half punts by Richmond on its next drive led to another Pirates trip across the goal line. Elmore scored from a yard out to complete a 12-play drive.
Early in the second stanza, the Pirates took a 14-7 lead.
The second of Richmond’s three scores in the opening two quarters came on the ensuing drive. This time it took just three plays and a familiar duo connected for the score.
Near midfield, Hodges dropped back and hit Morrison for a catch along the left sideline. Dancing between two defenders, Morrison jetted to the middle of the field and all the way to the front right pylon for the 53-yard catch-and-run score.
Veach was true on the PAT and the game was tied 14-14 just 20 seconds after Richmond went behind the first time.
Elmore wasted little time and returned the kickoff all the way down to the one-yard line. Swapping the lead again, Elmore barreled in from a yard and the PAT made it a 21-14 lead for the visitors.
Hamilton appeared to pull Richmond within a point on the ensuing kickoff, going 99 yards to the house. But a block in the back penalty negated the score and put Richmond at its own 16-yard line.
That led to a short drive and a punt from Veach that wobbled out of bounds at the Raiders’ 27-yard line. Porter Ridge capitalized on the first play of the drive through the air. That made Richmond’s deficit 14 points, 28-14, its largest of the game, with just under seven minutes left in the second quarter.
Managing the clock wisely thanks to a three-and-out by the defense, the Raider offense put on a two-minute drill clinic to score once more before the intermission.
The nine-play, 85-yard march ate up all but six seconds of the 2:16 left in the half. Completions to Pegues (17 yards) and Hamilton (15 yards) were followed by a catch from junior Jasiah Cooper, who then recovered his own fumble at the Richmond 44-yard line.
Later facing second-and-long, Hodges made a 10-yard completion to Hamilton, which was aided by a defensive pass interference call on a pass intended for Hamilton in the end zone.
On the next play, Hodges rolled left and connected on a short pass to Crowder from 10 yards for a score. Veach’s kick was good to make it 28-21 with six ticks on the clock.
An even wilder second half began with the Raiders scoring on their first three possessions, including one scoring drive that began with a fumble recovery. That trio of touchdowns put Richmond up 42-28 with a little more than a minute to go in the third.
Sophomore two-way player Ty Covington joined the rushing attack on the opening drive of the second half and contributed a handful of runs on a 12-play, 77-yard scoring march.
Hodges used his feet to pick up a first down on fourth-and-four to get to the Porter Ridge 18-yard line. Five plays later on third-and-goal from the three-yard line, Crowder scored his third touchdown of the game.
Another successful PAT from Veach knotted the score at 28 points with 6:48 left in the third.
Tackles-for-losses by linebackers Alijah Flowers and Jermaine Bright helped the defense force a three-and-out and a Pirates punt on the visitors’ opening second-half drive.
Four snaps is all it took to give Richmond its first lead since the first quarter. The 51-yard procession to the end zone featured catches by Morrison and Hamilton, the latter of which made it first-and-goal at the nine-yard line.
Having his number called again, Crowder took a pitch to the left side from Hodges and rounded the edge of the defense for the score. The PAT was no good, but Richmond held a 34-28 advantage with 2:02 on the third-quarter clock.
Aside from the final two plays of the game, Richmond’s defense made its most significant play on the next play from scrimmage. Senior edge Terande Spencer forced a strip sack on quarterback Corbin Donnahoo, punching the ball out into the open field.
Senior nose tackle Demonte Martin was there to collect the loose ball and give the Raiders possession at the Pirates’ 27-yard line.
Maintaining the momentum, Richmond stuck with its running game to extend its lead. First was an eight-yard catch by Hamilton, followed by consecutive rushes from Crowder.
The first went for 18 yards, setting up first-and-goal at the one-yard line. In the wildcat, Crowder took the direct snap and easily found pay dirt. Making up for the missed PAT, Morrison scored on a fake extra-point attempt, bulldozing his way across the goal line after Hodges flipped the snap to Morrison cutting through the backfield.
Richmond’s largest lead of the game, 42-28, came with 72 seconds remaining in the third.
Porter Ridge wouldn’t go quietly, as Elmore scored a one-yard rushing touchdown on the next drive. Richmond fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but escaped unharmed when a 33-yard field goal attempt by the Pirates was no good.
Late in the fourth quarter, Richmond had two chances on back-to-back plays to seal the deal. Following a tip by Flowers, senior edge Jason Gainey nearly intercepted a pass. Hamilton, in on defense, made a leaping grab on the next snap, but didn’t maintain possession after contact.
On fourth-and-long, the Pirates took advantage of the two dropped would-be interceptions. Elmore scored his final touchdown of the game, a 59-yard catch-and-run that was brought in with one hand over a pair of defenders.
Going for two, Elmore ran it in to swap the lead again and give Porter Ridge a 43-42 lead with 2:18 to play.
Not panicking, Denson’s playcalling, coupled with smart clock management from several players, led to the eventual game-winning 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
Hodges completed six consecutive passes split between Morrison, Cooper (two), Hamilton (two) and Pegues to get deep into Pirates’ territory. The final of those passes was a 26-yard diving effort by Pegues to get to the two-yard line.
On third-and-goal from the one, another direct snap to Crowder with the jumbo package flanking him resulted in the final touchdown of the game. Going for two, Richmond was stopped short, but regained a 48-43 lead with 15 seconds to go.
A squib kick by Veach resulted in Porter Ridge getting down to the Richmond 13-yard line. There to make the game-saving tackle was Veach.
A throw to the end zone on the first of the final two plays of the game resulted in an interference call against Richmond.
The ball was moved to the six-yard line, but the defense held strong when it collapsed on Elmore, who threw an incomplete pass under pressure as time expired. Covington applied the initial resistance, but it was Bright who hit Elmore on the release to force an errant pass attempt.
Round three will see the No. 6 Raiders (9-2) travel to No. 3 Independence High School (9-2) next Friday, Nov. 21.
Two programs with a storied history during the first decade of the new century will clash in Charlotte with a chance to advance to the fourth round on the line, something Richmond hasn’t done since 2019, which was the 4AA West regional championship that year.
The Independence Patriots demolished No. 14 Page High School 45-6 in the second round.
Richmond’s quest for the inaugural 7A title will be on the road from here on out. The time for Friday’s third round game hasn’t been announced at the time of publication.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Friday’s second round playoff win later this weekend.
Sports editor’s note: All statistics in this article are unofficial. Also, times of scores are approximate due to scoreboard malfunction.
