The Richmond Senior High football team will attempt to stay undefeated by continuing its dominance over its rival to the west.

The Raiders will look to improve their record to 3-0 on the season against Anson County at 7:30 p.m. in Wadesboro. The two schools have clashed on the field every year since 1985.

But the rivalry has been lopsided recently as Richmond has won the past 14 meetings. Though history is on his team’s side, Raiders coach Paul Hoggard knows that Richmond can’t live in the past.

“Each year is different and from a coaching standpoint, you’ve got to worry about the due theory,” Hoggard said. “What I mean by that is, Anson at some point is due for a win, but we’re hoping we can keep it from happening this year.”

Hoggard will be seeing a familiar face on the opposing sidelines, Bearcats first-year coach Luke Hyatt. Hoggard served as an assistant at Anson from 1990-93.

Hoggard said much of the Anson’s staff played when he coached there, including Hyatt, who was Anson’s junior varsity quarterback when Hoggard was the strength and offensive line coach. Hoggard believes Hyatt will do a good job at the school, while Hyatt has high regards for Richmond’s coach.

“Paul has always been a great person and a great football coach,” Hyatt said. “He has a lot to do with my foundation as a coach. Paul was very deserving of winning the state championship last year. It would be a big accomplishment for me to be compared to him during my coaching career.”

Hyatt could earned his first signature victory of his brief career by leading the 1-1 Bearcats to an upset win over Richmond. Anson hasn’t defeated the Raiders since a 28-13 victory in 1994.

Hyatt admitted his team can’t turn the ball over like it did in the 27-7 loss to Central (Pageland, S.C.). The Bearcats committed three turnovers, two leading directly to touchdowns for Central.

But Hoggard said Anson should be a tough challenge and added Richmond must be aware of Anson’s star player Stephone Anthony.

According to Hyatt, Anthony is a highly coveted division-I prospect, who has received written offers from major colleges, including defending national champion Florida, Notre Dame, Stanford, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina State and South Carolina.

Anthony, a junior, is the team’s starting middle linebacker and also plays tailback on offense. Anthony has been a starter on defense since his freshmen year, playing outside linebacker before being moved to the middle this season.

Anthony has tallied a team-high 24 tackles this season, including one sack and one interception. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Anthony also leads the team in rushing with 98 yards on nine carries and has scored two touchdowns.

“He’s a great athlete, who will be playing at some major university when he graduates,” Hoggard said. “He’s a big hitter on defense and who can fly to the ball. He also gives them an added dimension on offense when they want to get in there and pound the football. Last week, we didn’t tackle well and if we don’t do a good job against him, we’re going to be in trouble. Also, we’re going to have put a hat on him on offense, keep him blocked, so he doesn’t disrupt our offense.”

Hyatt added Anson has another two-way player being recruited by Division I schools, 6-foot-1, 275-pound senior starting defensive tackle Tra Thomas, who also starts on the offensive line. According to Hyatt, Thomas has received offers from East Carolina, Clemson, Michigan State and the Naval Academy.

“He’s a tremendous talent just like Stephone,” Hyatt said. “He’s a good run-stopper on defense and also does a good job of run blocking on offense.”

Raiders defensive coordinator James Johnson expects Anson’s offense to run multiple formations, including running the spread, mixing in the option and lining up in the shotgun.

The offense is led by senior quarterback Jordan Hildreth. Through two games, Hildreth has completed 23-for-39 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The running game features Anthony, junior Maurice Copeland, who has 94 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown, and freshman Dondre Crawford, who has run for 88 yards on 12 carries.

The Bearcats’ leading receivers are juniors Jonathan Hough and Drew Cole, who Hyatt said both didn’t play football last season. Cole has nine receptions for 74 yards and one touchdown, while Hough has eight catches for 71 yards.

Hyatt explained Anson’s strength is its experienced offensive line with all five linemen being seniors.

“They’ve probably got the biggest and most athletic offensive line, we’ve faced yet,” Raiders defensive coordinator James Johnson said. “With our defensive line being small, we’re going to have move around a little bit and not sit in one spot.”

Hyatt knows his team must score more than seven points to have a chance to beat Richmond.

“We’re going to have be able to mix up our offense, and hopefully, we can have long, sustained drives to keep their offense off the field,” Hyatt said. “But more importantly, we’re going to have to score some touchdowns when given the opportunity.”

Hyatt believes his defense has played well through the first two games. One of the players that has been a pleasant surprise is outside senior linebacker Doug Lilly, who is second behind Anthony with 20 tackles. Lilly recorded 12 tackles against Central last week.

But Hyatt said Richmond’s offense could be the best his team will see all season and must slow down Richmond’s triple option running game. The Raiders’ rushing attack has rolled up 656 yards after the first two weeks.

“Their quarterback (Tedarrius) Wiley is dangerous, and they’ve got two great running backs that can break long gains at any time,” Hyatt said. “The thing we’ve preached this week is accountability. We’ve got to make sure we tackle well.”

Hyatt understands history is against his team, but expects his players to put up a tough challenge.

“The kids know our drought against Richmond, but it’s something that we haven’t harped on this week,” Hyatt said. “They’re excited about the challenge and if we’re lucky to beat Richmond, it would be a great accomplishment for the team and also for the community.”

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