ROCKINGHAM — The game plan for Friday may consist of a few tricks for the Richmond Senior High School football team, but the Raiders are hoping for a lot more treats.
With the stage set for Halloween night for the inaugural Mid-South Conference football championship, the Raiders will host their biggest in-conference rival Pinecrest High School.
The battle of the two MSC unbeatens has built in anticipation the past few weeks and the winner of Friday’s regular-season finale will be the outright owner of the conference crown.
Richmond and head coach Brad Denson have been in this spot before, most recently last season in the final week of the season against former conference foe Scotland High School.
No strangers to the pressure of trying to complete a sweep of conference opponents, the Raiders will attempt to do that for the second straight season with Denson as head coach.
To get to this point, the Raiders (7-2, 4-0 MSC) have played nine games in 10 weeks and are currently on a six-game winning streak heading into their clash with the Patriots (8-1, 4-0 MSC).
Denson said the last 10 weeks have “flown by,” and that the team feels the same way. Moreso, the journey to get a chance to play for a conference championship has been a cohesive effort.
“Through that non-conference schedule, especially after Week 3’s screwup, this season could have really taken a turn for the worst,” Denson recalled. “Fortunately, the staff, and most importantly, the players dug deep and went on a run.
“We have learned a tremendous amount, we have grown so much and in so many ways. That brings us to this game and an opportunity to achieve one of our goals, winning the inaugural Mid-South championship.”
Friday’s clash between the 8A Patriots and 7A Raiders will also be Richmond’s senior night. Ahead of the game, more than 20 senior players will be recognized.
With all the excitement brewing this week comes the added anticipation that the Raiders will have to beat their Moore County neighbor, a series that has grown in intensity and status the past few years.
Denson acknowledged that the rivalry between Richmond and the Patriots has expanded recently and said he expects it to stay that way for the foreseeable future. There is the added wrinkle of the two programs being familiar with one another, at both the coaching and players’ levels.
“Pinecrest is coached extremely well by some guys who I consider friends,” Denson commented. “I and most of the staff here have either coached with a few of them or played for a few of them.
“But come Friday night, we are enemies with a ton of respect for each other. I am sure they want to beat us just as bad as we want to beat them. A lot of our kids know their kids, have ties to them, hang out with them or know them mutually.
“But they are just like the coaches. Once Friday night gets here, they will all be trying to kill each other. That’s what a rivalry is all about and I expect it to be that way again this year.”
Richmond’s practice schedule has been disrupted by the wet weather this week, which forced Monday’s session indoors. The past two days have been outdoors, with Wednesday’s practice going longer than normal.
Starting after the team’s road win against Overhills, Denson has been adamant to the players about blocking out the extra noise and the distractions that come with Halloween night and rivalry games.
A central pillar in this week’s preparations has been the Raiders’ continued mentality of “one week at a time.”
“The most important thing for us is that this is our next game,” Denson said. “I told the guys that today after practice. Our No. 1 reason is to prepare for our next game, then it’s a rivalry with a conference title on the line, and then it has huge playoff implications.
“The weather has hindered us a little this week, but we have managed to have some pretty good practice days. I feel as though our kids are locked in and focused on what is to come this Friday night. Our guys need to trust the game plan, not play selfishly and just go be themselves and have fun while they do it.”
The Patriots, who are coached by Nick Eddins, who has previous ties to Richmond’s football program, enter Week 11 on an eight-game winning streak. Pinecrest hasn’t lost since its season-opening 41-point loss to Cleveland High School.
The past decade or so shows Richmond’s dominance over the Patriots, as the Raiders have won nine of the last 11 meetings dating back to 2014. Both of Pinecrest’s wins came in the last three years (2022 and 2023).
Ending that lapse last season, the Raiders dismantled the Patriots on their home field in Southern Pines during heavy rains caused by Hurricane Helene. The 36-7 bruising of Eddins and the Patriots was during Week 6, which was part of a perfect run through the former Sandhills Athletic Conference for Richmond.
Halloween’s meeting will be the 48th all-time game between the two programs and Richmond leads the series 42-5.
While the Patriots are on an eight-game winning streak, they haven’t been as dominant as the Raiders’ during their six-game winning streak. Over the past four weeks, both programs have defeated conference opponents Hoke County, Jack Britt, Overhills and Pine Forest high schools.
The Patriots struggled to complete a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Hoke County 26-23 last week, a team Richmond rolled over 48-17 with a running clock the week before.
Against common opponents this season, which also includes Scotland, Richmond has outscored those five teams 228-86. That’s an average of 45.6 points per game and 17.2 points against per game.
Pinecrest’s averages aren’t as flashy, having scored 37.2 points per game and having allowed 24.8 points per game.
Another comparison includes Richmond holding Pine Forest to 8 points, while the Patriots allowed 30 points to the one-win Trojans. Similarly, Richmond defeated Overhills by 30 points with a running clock, whereas Pinecrest managed to win by just nine points.
Regardless of what Pinecrest looks like on paper, Denson and the Raiders are preparing for what he called a “more run-heavy team this year.”
“We must stop the run,” Denson said plainly. “No. 0 (Chris Najm) is the man back there and he will get the fair share of the carries. With him being a bigger back, we must tackle well or we will make his highlight tape. A huge key for us getting him down is wrapping up and rallying everyone to the ball all night long.
“Other playmakers for them are No. 6 (Eric Melton) and No. 3 (Najee Gillis), a slot receiver and their QB. (Gillis) has some good arm strength and our guys know him pretty well through some 7v7 spring football. (Melton) in the slot runs well and is their go-to guy on the perimeter.”
Denson noted “as usual” that Richmond will be successful if its defense plays its assignments, gets aligned and communicates, and rallies all 11 guys to the ball.
This season, Najm leads the MSC in rushing with 1,410 rushing yards on 217 attempts. He also has a conference-best 20 rushing scores, nine more than Richmond’s Chance Crowder, who is second in the conference.
Gillis has completed 60% of his 180 pass attempts for 1,414 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. Melton is the sixth-leading receiver in the conference with 416 yards on 30 catches for four touchdowns.
Compared to Richmond’s senior quarterback Evan Hodges and leading wide receiver senior Amer Morrison, Pinecrest’s numbers aren’t in the same neighborhood.
Hodges is the top-ranked quarterback in the MSC with 1,993 passing yards on 123-of-187 passing (66%). He leads the conference in touchdowns thrown (21) and passing yards per game (221.4).
Morrison is also the top wideout in the conference, having pulled in 612 yards on 30 catches. His nine receiving touchdowns and 68.0 yards per game are also conference-bests.
There to try and slow down the Patriots offense will be a stingy Richmond defense led by senior linebackers Terande Spencer (8.0 sacks) and Jermaine Bright (5.0 sacks), who are second and third, respectively, in the conference. Bright’s 104 total tackles ranks him third in the MSC.
Sophomore cornerback Ty Covington anchors a shifty secondary unit and is tied for the conference lead with six interceptions, having caught five of them during the last three games for the Raiders.
Looking through the trenches at Pinecrest’s defense, Denson anticipates an active front that could create problems on offense if the Raiders aren’t dialed in.
“Their defense is moving and coming from any and everywhere all night,” Denson explained. “We have to play with our eyes up or they will be in our kitchen really fast. They are odd based up front and mix coverages well.
“I feel as though a lot of what they do goes around No. 1 (Tanner Corwin), their mike linebacker. He is very athletic and can move. We must also be aware of No. 8 (Corben Dallas), he is a ball hog and loves to get his hands on it.”
Denson added that up front Richmond’s offensive line has to “communicate and be the more physical team.” He said if that happens and Richmond takes care of the football, then the scoring will follow.
“It’s senior night for our 22 guys against our rival Pinecrest. The conference title is on the line with playoff implications. I shouldn't need to say much more than that,” Denson concluded as a message to Raider Nation.
“Bring the kids to the trunk-or-treat here at school, grab a bite to eat at one of the many concession stands, and be ready to have a great night in Raider Stadium. I promise you it will be a show. There will be two great teams battling it out for a conference title on our home field.
“This is what these guys work for all year long, this opportunity right here. They deserve for you to be there. It’s going to be a war, it’s going to be electric and it’s going to be fun. Be there early, be loud and let’s go get this conference title.”
In the parking lot before the game, Richmond students will host a trunk-or-treat event for elementary-aged students starting at 5:30 p.m.
Senior night will begin at 7 p.m., followed by kickoff between the Raiders and Patriots at 7:30 p.m.
Game tickets can be purchased ahead of time on GoFan for $11, or bought with cash at the gate ($10).
School administration is reminding fans of the following ahead of what’s expected to be a sold-out crowd:
Sports editor’s note: Deon Cranford contributed to this article.
