ROCKINGHAM — It’s third-down-and-forever.
With the opposition pinned inside its own territory needing to drive the length of the field to keep its season alive, a headset-wearing fanatic sporting a pullover engraved with a green-and-gold diamond waves his play sheet passionately above his head to charge Raider Nation.
A week later, the same man is seen directing his players to head towards the stands and crank up the thousands of Richmond Senior fans in yet another pivotal late-game sequence.
For Richmond Senior offensive coordinator Brad Denson, sending signals and mixing things up has been part of the job during his last three years at the helm.
When he’s not playing part-time cheerleader for the Raiders’ defense on key downs, Denson is leading one of the most potent offenses in the state.
The group has put at least 30 points on the scoreboard in each game this season, including the last two state playoffs wins over powerhouses Hough and Myers Park.
Denson’s spread attack has opened the field for huge, record-setting plays throughout the course of the Raiders’ undefeated run this year.
“We’re blessed with some really good playmakers all over the place. As a defense, it’s hard to play all that,” said Denson.
Two weeks ago against Hough, with the offense backed against its own end zone in the late stages of the third quarter, Denson designed what he thought would be a short gain for starting running back Jaheim Covington. But the bruising tailback took the handoff, bullied his way through tacklers and into the history books for a 99-yard touchdown run that springboarded the win.
On the opening possession of last week’s third-round win over Myers Park, what Denson hoped would be a 3-yard first-down run from a quarterback draw by Caleb Hood suddenly transformed into a 73-yard touchdown sprint.
These are the type of breath-taking plays that have personified a near-unstoppable offense loaded with skills players receiving attention from various high-level college programs.
Denson and his embarrassingly talented unit will have their hands full Friday when No. 10 Vance arrives in Rockingham, having only given up a total of 14 points in three games this postseason.
“Overall, obviously, this is the best defense we’ve faced this year,” said Denson. “You’re not to this point if you don’t have a good offense and good defense. It’s going to be a challenge.”
Vance linebackers Stefon Thompson and Power Echols lead the way for a scrappy defense.
Thompson is a 6-foot-1, 225-pounds senior who is a versatile athlete that runs sideline-to-sideline with a purpose. The Syracuse-commit has been clocked at 4.53 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Meanwhile, Echols at 6’1, 205 pounds, operates mostly from the interior. The junior is currently regarded as a top-tier recruit at his position and holds offers from a handful of Divison-I schools, the most notable being Clemson.
“You look at their defense and they’re not the biggest guys in the world, but it is the fastest defense and that’s what makes them so good,” said Denson.
He added that it’s hard to simulate that type of speed with a scout team and that he expects the Raiders to be locked in a chess match. Denson admired their ability to give multiple looks and bring pressure from different places in hopes of confusing the opposing offense.
Hood, Covington and the rest of Denson’s standouts have to figure out the complexities and speed of their counterparts, especially on third down. He stressed the importance of eliminating mental mistakes, such as pre-snap penalties, in hopes of being the first team to surpass the one-score threshold against Vance this postseason.
“When you get behind the chains, it makes it hard, especially when you’re playing good teams,” said Denson.
Friday’s kickoff from Raider Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
