Sophomore Jayden Hamilton reels in the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Raiders a 35-28 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Mark Bell | For the Daily Journal
LAURINBURG — A slow start, an ascendant third quarter, a gloomy beginning to the fourth quarter and a triumphant few final minutes propelled the Richmond Raiders past the Fighting Scots to a 35-28 victory.
Early on, it was clear the Raiders had to adapt to the mobility of Scotland quarterback Ji’san Mcphatter. They were aggressive in running the ball, and the Scots decided to go for an early fourth and two where they were able to trudge ahead. They later turned the ball over on downs.
The Raiders has a few pedestrian rushing attempts, and a third and 15 toss from quarterback Domonic Tillman landed out of bounds.
When the Scots fielded the punt, their returner caught the ball while traveling backwards, sparking some life into the Raider crowd with good field territory. Defensive back Jamison James was able to make a key tackle as the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie.
With the Scots in control of the ball and launching the ball toward the endzone, lineman Zach Gardner jumped and just barely missed the ball. That pass was called for a pass interference in the endzone.
Little progress was made on some ensuing rushes, but on a third and three on this goal line assault, Scotland running back Zay Jones feinted left and darted through the middle for the first touchdown of the day with over eight minutes left in the half.
A good Raider punt return led them to midfield. A botched snap resulted in a loss of 12 yards. On a third and 18, a spiral slipped through the fingers of a falling down wide receiver Keonta (Bob) Pegues.
Scotland on their next drive threw the ball to wide receiver Quatavious Everette, gaining yards after some initial contact before being shoved out of bounds by AJ Covington. The passing game was working for Scotland early on.
With under four minutes left to play and the endzone within 15 yards, a flea-flicker resulted in a mad dash to the pylon. It was certainly close, but it was marked at the one yard line. In the Raider highlight of the game at that point, their defense was solid and prevented any points.
Needing some points to close out the half on a positive note, Tillman juked his way out of the endzone, missing three defenders as he advanced ten yards. With the ball on the Scots 47, JV Drake caught a pass and sprinted down the field in a play of about 40 yards. With under 50 seconds left in the half, the Raiders were able to score a touchdown and make it 7-7.
Carrying momentum from the first half, the Raiders came out aggressive from the half. A spiraling, lofty toss from the 40 yard line to a twisting JV Drake gave the Raiders their first lead. A bobbled snap that was recovered by the Scots gave the Raiders even more desire to capitalize on any mistakes. The Raiders defense silenced the Scots on that drive, with frenetic enthusiasm shared from Jamison Jones with his teammates when they returned to the sideline.
Another Raider kick return brought them back to midfield, but they lost some of that yardage to a penalty. It didn’t look like this drive was going to be successful for the Raiders, but on a 3 and 11, with the kicking crew preparing to enter the field, Tillman found Drake in midfield with a pass. There was no one within 10 yards at the catch and he was alone on his touchdown sprint beside a fellow player in green and gold.
With 3:41 left in the third quarter, the Raiders were up 21-7. There was barely any time to celebrate before a pick six courtesy of Zach Gardner propelled the Raiders to a 28-7 lead.
The wild cheering from Raider fans was quelled a few minutes late with a quick touchdown response by the Scots. As the Raiders were marching down the field looking to add onto their lead, a pass at the 10 yard line to Drake was intercepted. Unable to recover, the Raider defense looked fatigued by the chance of momentum. Scotland running back Zay Jones ran into the endzone, and with over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Raiders only lead by seven points.
The Raiders muffed a punt, but were able to recover it, to a chorus of boo’s from the Scotland sideline. The Raiders were making steady progress on offense, but on a decisive down, the ball was snapped while several Raiders were looking at the sideline. They were forced to punt it away.
Scotland was looking to pounce. They rushed the ball relentlessly, and the Raiders didn’t have any answers. They rammed their running backs down the left side of the field. “They keep running the same play!” called out one exasperated Raider. Scotland ran the ball into the endzone and the game was tied at 28-28 with five minutes and thirty second left.
It was a gloomy Raider fan section and sideline, but it didn’t last long. The game was only tied for a few minutes before a glidey pass by Tillman at midfield landed into the outstretched arms of sophomore wide receiver Jayden Hamilton for a touchdown. There was now three minutes left in the game.
The Fighting Scots had a little fight left in them, marching down to midfield and able to convert a necessary fourth and one. The Scots were looking for the endzone, targeting a pass to the left side of the endzone on a third and nine. With less than a minute left on the clock, timeouts were called by both teams. Content to seemingly run the same play on a fourth and nine, a long pass to the endzone fell to the crowd to the roar of the Raider crowd. When they received the ball, they just needed to run out the clock to win the game 35-28.
The Richmond Raiders finished their season with an overall 5-5 record and a 5-1 conference record. They are now waiting to receive their state tournament playoff schedule.