ROCKINGHAM —Patrick Hope isn’t used to losing football games.
Now in his third season as head coach for the Richmond Senior junior varsity football team, Hope has led back-to-back undefeated seasons and says the key to the successful run is preparation leading up to gamedays.
“I’m a big proponent of you play how you practice,” he said.
“The biggest thing is, we want to earn the right to win Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, when we get out to wherever we play on Thursday, we want to leave no doubt that we’re the better team.”
The jayvee Raiders have been the better team in every game they’ve played for the last three seasons and they start the quest for a fourth straight on Thursday, playing hosts to Anson.
This year’s group loses starting quarterback Kellen Hood to the varsity team, but Hope feels the defense is strong enough to withstand the blow to the offense in the early going, having the most returning starters.
The secondary group serves as the headliners, boasting a foursome of players that Hope says have caught the attention of varsity coaches.
Sophomore safety Kelay Lindsey had scrimmage reps with varsity during the competitive 7-on-7 circuit this past summer and will lead the backend of the defense. Jamari Broady and Traveon Short are slotted at the starting cornerback positions.
Zion Baldwin also had workouts with the varsity squad in the summer and expects to lead a linebacker corp that includes Ke’Sean Ingram and Gabe Altman.
“With them being around varsity, we know that they can bring in some of that leadership when we need it,” Hope said of the experienced guys.
On offense, a rotation at quarterback and running back will keep opposing defenses guessing. Sophomore Harley Honeycutt returns from last year’s team and will split time behind center with freshman Emmanuel Gilliam.
In the backfield, Nasir Crumpton and Xavier Wall are the leading candidates to tote the ball with more joining the mix as the season progresses.
Overall, Hope expressed excitement for the first action of the season, mentioning that players and coaches are eager to compete against someone not wearing the same colors.
“I was just telling them, we have gone 20 days against ourselves, so we’re excited to see someone else,” he said of the opener. “We kind of consider ourselves the opening act to the varsity being the main event. We want to come out, play well and give our best effort.”
Thursday’s matchup against the Bearcats starts at 6:30 p.m. inside Raiders Stadium.
Richmond junior varsity quarterback Harley Honeycutt looks downfield to pass in practice on Wednesday.
