For the fifth time this decade, two of the most storied programs in the state — Richmond and Independence — will meet in the western bracket of the NCHSAA Class 4AA state playoffs.

The second-seeded Raiders will meet the No. 6 Patriots at Raider Stadium Friday night starting at 7:30 p.m. This will mark the first time since 2000 that the game will be held in Richmond County: The previous four contests were played in Charlotte.

Richmond and Indy have combined to win 14 state titles, seven apiece from each team. Raiders coach Paul Hoggard said both programs have a winning culture that has helped each be successful over the years.

“Here (Richmond Senior High) it’s tradition, and it’s expected for us to be where we’re at right now every year,” he said.

“When our kids step on the field, they believe they’re going to win and it’s the same for their program. I also believe both teams have very good coaching staffs, the players are coached well and they play hard.”

Patriots coach Tom Knotts said one of the things that makes any game with Richmond unique is the mass following of die-hard Raider fans that come out and support the team.

“Their fan base is unmatched from any others in the state, and their fans are very enthusiastic,” Knotts said.

“When they play at home, I know it really help their kids get charged up. But Richmond fans also travel well and the opposing side is usually filled.”

Knotts added the most memorable game that he has been involved in between the Raiders and Pats occurred when the two teams met for the first time in the third round of the 2000 playoffs at Richmond.

Richmond, ranked No. 4 in the nation by USA Today at the time, was coming off back-to-back state titles and was facing upstart Indy.

However, behind Pats sophomore quarterback Chris Leak, who passed for 214 yards and one touchdown, underdog Indy routed the Raiders, 36-10.

Richmond was defeated for the first time in the third round in five seasons.

The Pats went on to win the first of their seven straight state championships. Leak, who set a state single-season state record with 46 touchdown passes, went on to guide Indy to three straight titles.

“It was the most pleasant win we had against them because we weren’t expected to win,” Knotts said.

“We started 13 sophomores, but we were able to beat them handily. I think there were about 6 or 7,000 Raider fans at the start of the game, but towards the end, they were all emptying out.”

Richmond and Indy squared off three years later in the 2003 West 4AA semifinals as both came into the game with perfect 14-0 records.

The game was played at Charlotte’s Memorial Stadium in front of more than 15,000 people.

Former Raider Trey Coan, who is now the offensive coordinator on the Richmond J.V. team, started at left guard in his junior and senior years.

He recalled the crowd as “electric.”

“The atmosphere was great and the intensity was crazy,” Coan said.

“It was a battle between great players on both teams, and it was a great game to play in.”

But the Raiders came up on the short end, as defending champ Indy pushed its winning streak to 61 games.

Richmond kicker Tony Swails, who set a school record with nine field goals on the season, missed a potential game-winning 30-yard field goal as Richmond suffered a 20-18 heart-breaking loss to Independence.

The Pats went on to record the school’s fourth straight state championship.

In the loss, Richmond’s Jamar Bryant scored all three of the Raiders’ touchdowns.

Bryant is currently a senior receiver at East Carolina University. Other notable Raiders that played in the game included:

n Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who went on to play at the University of Georgia and now is a reserve linebacker on the Baltimore Ravens;

n Tailback Norman Whitley, who is a junior on the ECU football team;

n Defensive tackle Tavares Brown, who is a senior at North Carolina.

The teams faced off again a year later in the 2004 state semifinals at Memorial Stadium in front of an estimated crowd of 13,000 people.

The Patriots scored three times in the first 10 minutes of the game to lead 21-0 and went on to crush the Raiders 47-19. Indy went on to win the school’s fifth state title.

“We were definitely overmatched, and they beat us like a drum,” Hoggard said. “In my 21 years of coaching, that was the best high school football team, I’ve ever seen.”

Richmond was finally able to exorcise its Indy demons last season. The No. 6 seed Raiders shocked the top seeded Patriots with a 30-22 upset road victory to advance to the state title game.

The Raiders, who started the season 4-3-1, reeled off eight wins in a row, climaxing with their 38-35 victory over Jack Britt in the championship game to win the school’s seventh state title.

“Not inside our program, but outside a lot of people were discrediting our program,” Raiders defensive coordinator James Johnson said.

“It was a lot of stuff that the kids had to hear during the season. To beat them, it was good for our kids to get that monkey off our back. And then to win the championship the next week, was so great and I was very happy for our kids.”

Johnson said the roles are reversed heading into Friday’s showdown. Richmond comes into the game as the defending champs, while the Pats are looking to redeem last season’s loss and also end the Raiders’ season.

Richmond junior starting defensive tackle Bootsie Dawkins will be playing in his first Richmond-Indy game.

Dawkins remembered watching in the stands when the Pats came to Richmond County in 2000 and beat the Raiders. He doesn’t want to see that happen again.

“We know they’ve got revenge on their mind because of last year, but we don’t want them to come in here like they did in 2000 and beat us again,” Dawkins said.

“I anticipate a great crowd and it’s going to be exciting to be playing in this type of game.”

n Contact sports reporter Corey Davis at 997-3111, ext. 44; e-mail cdavis@yourdailyjournal.com