ROCKINGHAM — Only two of the six teams in the Mid-South Conference football standings have undefeated records heading into the third week of conference play.
One of those teams is Pinecrest High School, while the other is — you guessed it — the Richmond Raiders and head coach Brad Denson.
Starting MSC play with an average margin of victory of 35.0 points, Richmond is looking to keep its foot on the gas and take care of Hoke County High School in Week 9.
Riding a four-game winning streak, their longest this season, the Raiders will also look to earn their 14th consecutive victory over the Bucks.
With check marks next to Pine Forest and Jack Britt high schools, Richmond will continue to have its one-week-at-a-time mindset while pursuing an inaugural conference title and returning to the postseason.
Denson described the first of the two back-to-back road games as “just another hurdle in our chase” for the Mid-South Conference championship.
In preparation for clearing that hurdle, the Raiders have done away with the hype of homecoming and gone back to the basics a little bit this week. They’re “getting things right” for an opponent, at least on paper, that’s not the same caliber as some of the other teams they’ve faced this season.
“We have been preaching attention to detail this week,” Denson said. “We feel like if we can do that, then everything else will fall into place. Our goal is to win each week and then advance on to the next week.
“We are going into Hoke County Friday night and that is their senior night, so we know they will be playing with a little extra (effort). Hoke is never an easy place to play, so hopefully Raider Nation shows up, we can do our part and we can all come back home with a win.”
The Bucks and head coach George Small enter their meeting with the Raiders fresh off a win over Pine Forest that ended a four-game losing streak. Starting the MSC slate with a 1-1 record, Hoke County lost 24-6 to Overhills High School before defeating the Trojans 27-8.
Scoring points has been an issue for the Bucks, who are averaging just 11.0 points per game. Compare that average to the Raiders, who are putting up 36.7 points per game.
Hoke County has been shut out offensively twice in seven games this season and held to eight or fewer points in three other games.
While Richmond’s defense hasn’t been lights out in points against like the past few seasons, the Bucks’ offensive output is nowhere near Richmond’s 24.9 points per game allowed on defense.
Denson noted that Hoke County’s offense, unlike teams such as Jack Britt or West Forsyth High School,” isn’t very formational” and is “pretty basic.”
“This should allow our guys to be able to line up and line up pretty fast,” Denson noted. “We don’t really have to key tight ends, extra linemen or anything like that.
“We have to do the fundamental things correctly each and every week if we want to come out on top. We must control the box, tackle well and hopefully create a turnover or two. We all saw last week how much turnovers can swing a game.”
Under center for the Bucks is sophomore quarterback Peyton Price, who has thrown 10 interceptions to just one passing touchdown. Averaging 79.8 yards per game through the air, Price has completed 50-of-101 pass attempts for 479 yards this season.
The running game for the Bucks isn’t much better, as its two leading running backs are combining to average 75.6 yards of the team’s 77.7 rushing yards per game.
Senior Favor Anab has a team-leading four rushing scores on 39 carries and 228 yards. Junior Darrell Baria has scored once and collected 188 yards on 42 carries.
Much of Richmond’s preparation, then, has been focused on Hoke County’s defense and how the Raiders’ offense can make the most of its outing.
“I do think their defense is better than their offense,” Denson shared. “They will move all over the place with their coverages. The box and up front stays the same a good bit. They will bring some pressure, so we must play with our eyes up and not look down at the ground. If we can see it, we can handle it.
“Identifying the coverages, seeing where they are rolling from or to, and getting the right calls made will be huge for us this week. The guys have worked hard and our scout team has given us a really good look to try and emulate what they do.”
Senior defensive back Joshua Ferrell leads the Bucks with 47 total tackles (7.8 tackles per game), followed by senior linebacker Andrew Walker (5.7 tackles per game).
Freshman lineman Davon Bronson has gotten into the backfield for a team-high 9.0 tackles-for-loss, including three quarterback sacks. Fellow freshman Kameron Campbell has two sacks and seven QB hurries.
Ferrell’s three interceptions are the team lead, while a trio of other players each have one interception apiece.
Kickoff from Raeford between Richmond (5-2, 2-0 MSC) and Hoke County (2-4, 0-2 MSC) is Friday at 7:30 p.m.
