ROCKINGHAM — Not shying away from the elephant, or rather the ram, in the room, the Richmond Senior High School football team is welcoming its next challenge with full anticipation.
Week 3 of the season will feature a third-round playoff rematch from last year that Raider fans may want to forget but one the Raiders haven’t forgotten about.
Richmond is set to host Rolesville High School Friday, the team which eliminated the Raiders from the 2024 state playoffs behind a final score of 44-6.
One positive for Richmond is that it enters the week at the .500 mark after getting into the win column against rival Scotland High School in its home opener last week. On paper, another nice thing is Rolesville’s winless start in two games this season.
But head coach Brad Denson and the Raiders aren’t too quick to jump at the optics. Instead, it’s back to work as usual with one win in the books and time to prepare for a talented opponent despite its record.
“Honestly, we just need to keep doing what we’re doing,” Denson said. “We’re focused each and every day and making sure we do the little things right. It is always good to get that first win, but the goal is to win them all.
“Rolesville is the best 0-2 team I have ever seen. They have players all over the place and their two losses are against extremely good teams. We have our work cut out for us because they are really good.”
While the talk of the town may have been how Richmond wasn’t able to advance past the Rams last November, the chatter is different in the Raiders’ locker room. The first thing to do is to embrace what happened and grow from it, which Denson believes has happened.
“Obviously, we all know what happened last year in the playoffs,” Denson stated. “It’s no secret, they beat the mess out of us. But this year is a new year with a new team.
“Yes, some of their guys were there last season, but we have all grown and matured another year. We will prepare like we always do, and be ready to play come Friday night.”
When asked if he or the team put any extra weight on the Rams’ 0-2 start after finishing as the 4A state runner-up, Denson continued to acknowledge Rolesville’s talent and stuck to the idea that Richmond can only continue to control the things in front of the Raiders — like penalties.
Flags littered the field for Richmond in both of its first two games, which at times, had an impact. It’s the extracurricular activity that Denson said needs to go away in order for the Raiders to improve with another victory.
“I don’t put any weight to that at all,” Denson said of the winless start for the Rams. “Rolesville is Rolesville and they are coached really well and they have players everywhere. We must play extremely well to win and take care of the ball and cut down on the penalties.
“That’s something we have been stressing all week,” he added. “I can take a hold here and there, but these unsportsmanlike and personal foul penalties have got to stop. We will not win many games racking up that amount of yardage in penalties.”
Through two games this season, Richmond has averaged 28.5 points per game on offense, while the Rams are scoring just 15.5 points per game. Rolesville has lost to Mallard Creek and Providence Day high schools by a combined total of 43 points.
Defensively, Richmond held Hoggard and Scotland to an average of 24.5 points through the first two weeks. Rolesville, which is ranked as the No. 7 team in the entire state on Maxpreps, has allowed 37.0 points per game on defense.
Noting the Rams can use a balance on offense in the running and passing game, Denson said the Raider defense has been preparing for several playmakers.
The key to stunting Rolesville will be to back up the line of scrimmage and let the defense be successful on third-and-long situations, something that didn’t happen last November.
“No. 2 (Amir Brown) is a big kid and can run the ball well,” Denson said. “They also have two go-to wide receivers in No. 5 (Anthony Roberts) and No. 18 (Gavin Waddell) that they will target a lot.
“All three of these kids have numerous offers and we must be aware of where they are at all times. To combat them, our front seven will have to play well again to stop the run and our secondary will have to be disciplined in stopping the pass.
“Hopefully we can get home a time or two and get them behind the chains,” he added. “We want to force them into some third-and-longs and get off the field this year. Last year, we had them in numerous third-and-longs early in the game and we just couldn't manage to get off the field. I think this year will be a little different.”
Brown has carried the ball 23 times for 149 yards and scored twice. The primary target, Waddell has pulled in 23 catches for 210 yards but hasn’t found the end zone. Throwing the ball is senior quarterback Kaleb Williams, who has completed 45-of-67 pass attempts for 436 yards and three interceptions.
Richmond’s defense has created chaos in the backfield this season against Hoggard and Scotland. Senior linebackers Terande Spencer and Jermaine Bright lead the team in tackles-for-loss with 13 combined drop downs.
Spencer’s three sacks in two games lead the team, and he and junior Elijah Ingram have forced three QB hurries each.
In the takeaway game, Richmond has won the battle both times so far, something it hopes to do again Friday. Junior Shamir Jones and sophomore Ty Covington have each intercepted a pass, the latter of which resulted in a pick-six against Scotland.
When it comes to Rolesville’s defense, Denson said it’s much the same as the offense, just on the other side of the ball.
“Their defensive line is legit,” Denson said. “Nos. 8 (Jayden Broadie), 9 (Zavion Griffin-Haynes) and 88 (Malachi Harris) are all college players and again have numerous offers. In the secondary and at outside linebacker they, too, have more college offer guys running around in Nos. 0 (Jayden Griffin-Haynes) and 9 (Marquis Bryant).
“(Waddell) and (Roberts) have been playing some on the defensive side as well. We have our work cut out for us for sure.
“We must be able to slow down their defensive line so we can get the ball to our playmakers,” Denson continued. “Just like on the defensive side and third downs, we must be able to keep it in third and manageable and then convert on those. We have to sustain drives and take care of the ball.”
Jayden Griffin-Haynes and Derion Newborn lead the team in tackles per game (3.5). While the defense hasn’t recorded a sack, Nick Preston has hurried the quarterback twice. Newborn has the team’s only defensive takeaway in two games, a fumble recovery.
Richmond’s offense clicked on all cylinders last week against Scotland, and found the end zone twice through the air and twice on the ground. Captaining the offense, senior quarterback Evan Hodges has completed 31-of-46 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Top targets to look for Friday will be seniors Amer Morrison (six catches, 134 yards, one touchdown) and Jayden Hamilton (six catches, 127 yards, one touchdown).
Senior Keonta Pegues and juniors Jasiah Cooper and Chance Crowder all lead the team with seven receptions apiece. Crowder and Pegues both have one touchdown reception.
Crowder is also a threat out of the backfield, having racked up 107 yards against Scotland to go along with a rushing score.
“We need Raider Nation to show up again,” Denson closed. “Friday night was great and that's what our stands should look like every week. Your attendance and support are huge for our kids. Be there!”
Kickoff between Richmond (1-1) and Rolesville (2-0) is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Click here to purchase pre-sale tickets for $11. Cash tickets will be available for $10 at the gate.
