ROCKINGHAM — There are no tricks or treats about it — the Richmond Raider football team can bring home the Sandhills Athletic Conference title Friday night.
And that’s what the Raiders and first-year head coach Brad Denson intend to do.
Fresh off the bye week, Richmond will rekindle its rivalry with Scotland High School in the latest edition of the meeting between the two neighboring schools.
Friday will also be senior night for Richmond, which will recognize its 24 senior players ahead of kickoff.
In what will be the 57th all-time meeting between the two programs, the Raiders can win their first outright SAC title since 2021 with a victory.
After nine consecutive weeks of play, the Raiders spent last week resting and recuperating. Scotland, which snapped a two-game skid, defeated Lee County to maintain fourth place in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings.
“Our bye week was good,” Denson said. “The practices were good, the focus was there, and we kept them short and sweet. We are still healing up some small injuries and soreness, but overall we are good to go.
“We really concentrated on some fundamentals and special teams during those three days of practice and hopefully that will help us in the long run. As the season goes, sometimes we tend to go away from the little things that got us here, so we went back to the basics.”
Often considered the “best football rivalry in the state,” the Raiders and Fighting Scots have made the last couple of meetings come down to the wire.
Having won four of the last five meetings, Richmond will try to make it two wins in a row after the teams have split the past two games with the visiting team earning the victory.
The Raiders won 35-28 at Pate Stadium last fall and the Fighting Scots took 2022’s contest 22-21 at Raider Stadium.
History leans in Richmond’s favor, which holds a 39-16-1 all-time record over its smaller 3A opponent to the east.
When asked about the rivalry, which he played in as the Raiders’ quarterback a quarter century ago, Denson says numbers, stats and records go out the window.
“We’re neighboring county schools just 20 miles from school to school,” Denson said. “There are great athletes and great coaches. Some people live there and work here and we have some that live here and work there.
“Records do not matter, and to be really simple about it, you just have to be there. I've been a part of this game for a really long time now, and I have seen it all. This game is not over until it has zero seconds left on the clock.
“This game historically has a huge crowd, most of the time a standing-room-only type of crowd,” he continued. “And that's what we would like for it to be like on Friday night. I expect a great game between two great programs.”
Taking everything the two programs have done this season, including wins and/or losses to common opponents, out of the equation, Denson explained that Friday comes down to two things — execution and taking care of the football.
“Yes, it’s Richmond vs. Scotland, but it is still the game of football,” Denson shared. “That means playing assignments, tackling and getting to the ball on defense, taking care of the ball and executing on offense.
“Those things never change, that's what we have to do each and every game. In a rivalry game like this, we also must control our emotions and make sure we handle the adversity correctly.
“Each side of the ball has to help each other out, as well,” he continued. “Defensively, we must get off the field on third downs. Offensively, we must convert on third down and control the field position battle with our special teams units.”
On paper, the Fighting Scots and head coach Richard Bailey present a pretty even offensive attack split between running the ball (1,721 yards) and passing it (1,331).
Senior quarterback Ji’San McPhatter is a dual-threat under center who has scored 25 of Scotland’s 37 offensive touchdowns this season. He’s thrown a dozen scores and rushed for 13 more.
Through the air, McPhatter has completed 57.4% of his attempts, going 78-for-136 for 1,331 yards and four interceptions. On the ground, he’s added 266 rushing yards on 71 carries.
Junior running back Tyjurian White is the only Fighting Scot to record 100+ rushing yards in a game this season. He leads the team with 695 rushing yards on 85 carries, while also finding the end zone five times.
In the passing game, Denson said the Raiders’ defense, which is allowing just 16.2 points per game (12.6 PPG in the SAC), are preparing for senior wide receivers Dajuan Gibson (27 catches, 588 yards, seven TDs) and Quatavius Everette (29 receptions, 492 yards, four scores).
Through its nine games this season, Scotland has averaged 34.4 points per game on offense.
“Scotland's offense is very explosive, and they can score,” Denson noted. “No. 12 (McPhatter) at QB does what he is supposed to do and gets the playmakers the ball. Nos. 3, (Gibson), 4 (Everette) and 30 (White) can house it any time they touch it.
“They also have a Shrine Bowl player in No. 75 (Isaiah Locklear), who they love to run behind in the run game. I am excited to see how our defense handles it. It will take a total, full-unit effort and I know those guys will be ready to go. Offensively, they are right there at the top of the list of opponents we have faced this year.”
On the other side of the ball, Scotland’s defense is also allowing 34.4 points per game.
Bailey was quoted following the team’s loss to Pinecrest High School two weeks ago that the Patriots are “the best football team probably in the conference, even though Richmond and them are very comparable.”
The Fighting Scots’ defense will have to contend with a Raiders’ offense that is averaging 31.5 points per game, and a scoring machine that has put up 41 or more points in three of its last five games.
Scotland’s top three tacklers are junior defensive back Marlin Moore (62 tackles) and seniors Keyshaun McQueen (58 tackles) and Camaren Braddy (42 tackles).
Senior defensive end Dylan Tilson has been a disruption in the backfield and leads the team with 9.0 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 quarterback sacks.
“They have jumped around throughout the year and we have seen them run multiple defensive fronts,” Denson said. “So, there is no telling what we will get this week. We will prepare for all of them and make the adjustments as needed.
“On the back end, the coverage has been somewhat consistent between a cover three and a cover one look. (Gibson) and (Everette) will come over to the defensive side some, as well as (Locklear).”
In his message to Raider Nation, Denson said he hopes “traffic is backed up” going both directions on US 1.
“It’s Richmond vs. Scotland, that should be all that needs to be said,” Denson closed.”I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of those 24 seniors who have persevered through some difficult times and they are still here getting after it.
“How far they have come is a testament to those guys directly and it’s an objective of mine to make sure these guys go out the right way. I expect the Raider faithful to be there, I expect a lot of others to be there, as well.
“We will honor these seniors starting at 7 p.m., so please get there early to show your support for these guys and not be hung up waiting in traffic,” he concluded. “The fans and these players are what makes Richmond Raider football what it is. It is time to bring that conference title back to the County!”
Kickoff between Richmond (7-2, 5-0 SAC) and Scotland (4-5, 3-2 SAC) is slated for 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or on GoFan for $10 apiece.
