It only takes one play for a backup quarterback to become the starter, which the Richmond Senior football team found out last week.

In the Raiders’ 35-7 victory over Scotland, starting quarterback Tedarrius Wiley suffered a Acromioclavicular Joint (AC) separation to his non-throwing shoulder that occurred late in the second quarter.

Wiley’s injury is projected to keep him sidelined for at least the first two rounds of the 4AA state playoffs. With Wiley on the shelf, the keys to the Raiders’ explosive offense are now in the hands of junior Laron Ellerbe. Ellerbe will attempt to guide Richmond past Northwest Guilford Friday and continue the Raiders’ quest to repeat as state champions.

“I know there is going to be pressure on me to perform well and help us win,” Ellerbe said. “But I know everything doesn’t fall on me and I got a great supporting cast around me. We’ve got a good offensive line, good backs with Labarrian (Jones) and my cousin Walter (Ellerbe Jr.) and good receivers. I’ve been playing football all my life, and I just got to go out there and play my game.”

Ellerbe confessed that he was shocked when he learned the seriousness of Wiley’s setback and hopes Wiley can return to finish out his senior year. Ellerbe also appreciates how Wiley is helping him in this transition.

“I hated to see Tedarrius go down, but he’s been a huge help for me this week,” Ellerbe said. “He’s just been giving me little pointers and telling me what to work on in practice. Even after practice, we’ve talk every night, and the best advice, he has given me is to not be nervous when I take the field Friday.”

According to Raiders coach Paul Hoggard, Ellerbe has the right mentality to handle the situation, he has been placed in. Hoggard added Ellerbe has the ability to run the entire spread offense.

“Laron has the composure and the poise to be able to take on this challenge,” Hoggard said. “One of the strong points about Laron is that he throws the ball really well and has good touch on the ball. We’re not going to scale down the offense because we feel he can handle everything we do from a physical and mental standpoint.”

Richmond was able to get in a full practice on the football fields Monday, before rain forced the Raiders inside the gymnasium for Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices. Ellerbe and the rest of the offensive unit have also stayed late after practice to get some extra work in.

Since Wiley has received the bulk of the snaps with the starters during the season, Ellerbe said the biggest issue is getting the timing and rhythm down with the backs and receivers. Hoggard admitted that being in the gym has also come with some restrictions.

“It’s hard to run the option like we want to in the gym because it’s a confined area,” Hoggard said. “But Laron has run the option and the offense well during the limited times he has been in there in past games.”

After Wiley left the Scots’ contest, Ellerbe led Richmond to four straight scoring drives and also reeled off a 61-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Ellerbe also filled in nicely for Wiley in the Raiders’ big Southeastern Conference win over Lumberton, which enabled Richmond to take control of the league. During the Raiders’ opening possession of the third quarter, Wiley left the game briefly with a slight knee injury. However, Ellerbe kept the drive going against a stubborn Pirates’ defense that was capped by a field goal, which extended Richmond lead to 17-7.

“Just that little playing experience has been big because I was able to get a feel of the speed of the game, which will help going into this game,” Ellerbe said.

Although the game was well in hand, Ellerbe did throw an interception early in the fourth against Scotland. Ellerbe said against the Vikings that he must avoid those types of mistakes that could be detrimental to the team’s success.

“I know the coaches just want me to manage the game and not do anything that will cause us to lose it,” he said. “The main thing is taking care of the ball, going out there having fun and leading the team down the field to score as many points as we can.”

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