ROCKINGHAM — When one team keeps the other team from scoring, not much can go wrong.
Thursday was a good day for the Richmond Senior High School junior varsity football team, which won its fourth straight game.
The JV Raiders and head coach Patrick Hope won their first game in the Sandhills Athletic Conference 49-0 over Southern Lee High School. It was their third shutout win in a row.
The JV Cavaliers gave up three turnovers on defense on the first three plays, which helped Richmond score early and often. The JV Raiders were ahead 34-0 at break.
Hope said, “This was a great way to start the conference season, and we wanted to make a statement in the first game of the season.” “Our defense blocked well, made good reads, and took care of the ball, as shown by the many explosive plays we made running the ball.”
In the win, the JV Raiders had 360 yards of offense, with 334 yards coming from running the ball.
Four times in the first quarter, Richmond scored. The first score came from a 32-yard run by youngster Donovan Jones. One of Jake Gardner’s five successful point-after tries was when he split the uprights as a freshman.
With a touchdown pass, sophomore quarterback BJ Hinson helped the team get ahead early. Jasiah Cooper, a junior wide receiver, hauled in the pass and scored from 35 yards out.
Their PAT went through, and the JV Raiders went up 14-0.
Jones and freshman running back Ty Covington tied for the team lead with two rushing touchdowns. Covington scored both of his touchdowns before the teams switched sides of the field.
Covington scored first with a 35-yard run into the end zone. Gardner then made another PAT. Covington pushed in from three yards out late in the first quarter. This time, the extra point wasn’t made.
The JV Raiders scored again in the second quarter, giving them a 27-0 lead going into the break.
Jones scored on his second run of the game, a five-yarder, to end the drive. Gardner made it 34-0 with a kick that went through the uprights. That score would stay in place until halftime.
Richmond quickly added to its lead on the first drive of the second half. Collin Hill, a sophomore quarterback, showed off his speed by running 40 yards and scoring. He burst into the secondary defense and then into the end zone.
Gardner made the PAT like he always does, which put the JV Raiders 41-0 behind.
In the third quarter of the win, Hinson scored his second touchdown of the game, which started the running clock.
Keeping the ball, Hinson ran in from three yards out to score the game’s last point. Keith Cummings, a sophomore tiger back, caught a two-point conversion pass from Keviyon McManus, a rookie, to make the score 49-0.
Richmond didn’t score any more points in the fourth quarter, which went by quickly. They also kept the blank.
Hope said, “Our defense forced a number of turnovers, which gave the offense more time on the ball.” “It was their third clean sheet in four games.”
“Special teams are also getting better, and we can now score extra points,” he said. “Kickoff coverage is also getting better with more kickers.”
It was another great game for the JV Raiders’ defense, which held Southern Lee to just 50 yards of offense.
One of the freshmen, Francisco Canales, forced two fumbles and made a stop for loss. One fumble was lost and then picked up by sophomore Jeremiah Covington.
There was also a takeaway from four other defense players. Freshman AJ McDonald and sophomore Alijah Flowers both picked up a lost ball, and sophomores Kingston Kirby and Shamir Jones both picked off a pass.
Kirby also blocked one pass, and Jones got a TFL. Cummings and junior Elijah Ingram both had one TFL and one QB hurry.
As a sophomore, Caleb Brown, Adan King, Andrea Streeter, and Covington all had one TFL.
“Everyone could play, and it was great to see how well our reserves were doing thanks to our coaching,” Hope said. “The team liked cheering for them when they got on the field.”
The JV Raiders are back at home next Thursday to play Pinecrest High School. They will try to make their winning streak five games by beating them. The game starts at 6:30 p.m.