ROCKINGHAM — After earning a big win over a previously unbeaten squad last week, the Richmond junior varsity football team didn’t want to experience a “let-down” game Thursday evening. Head coach Patrick Hope wanted his team focused and ready to compete in all three phases of the game.
And that’s exactly what it did.
Richmond (7-0, 4-0 SAC) forced fumble four times — returning two of them for scores — and recorded an interception in a 49-0 victory over Hoke County, marking the second time this season it has scored just under 50 points in a game and held the opposing team scoreless.
“We contributed in all three phases. We did a great job of handling and managing the system, and we got a lot of people involved,” Hope said.
It took them awhile to get going, but the Raiders showed why they are the team to beat in the Sandhills Athletic Conference. They returned a kick return for a score to start the second half, and then Tremel Jones capped things off with a touchdown of his own late in the third quarter.
Because Richmond had such a substansial lead, the clock didn’t stop in the final period.
“We want to keep pressing towards the conference championship. We’ve got nine practices left and the three games left,” Hope added. “Can we keep that intensity up that we had way back in the Wake Forest game and carry it all the way through to November?”
The Raiders are on the road the next two weeks, making trips to Lumberton next week and then to Seventy-First the following week. They will return home to host Scotland in their regular-season finale on Nov. 3.
Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.
Richmond’s Justin Morman (5), Tashawn Wall (34) and Armond Martin (23) check their wristbands in the final minutes of Thursday’s 49-0 victory over Hoke County.