Richmond vs. Scotland football game canceled

One of the best rivalries in the state, a game that many people in Richmond and Scotland counties look forward to every year, will not be played this season.

The Richmond vs. Scotland varsity football game, scheduled for Monday April 5, has been canceled, due to COVID protocols, according to the athletic directors and head coaches of both schools. The game will not be rescheduled or made up.

“We always look forward to playing Scotland,” said Richmond head coach Bryan Till. “It is the state’s biggest rivalry and I know our kids and community are very disappointed with the game being canceled. These guys look forward to this game every year. With our team being quarantined this time and Scotland’s the first time around (at the beginning of the season), there is no way to avoid the cancellation given the amount of time left in the season.”

Since Lumberton hosted Richmond last Friday, the Pirates have also canceled their game against Scotland on Wednesday, in accordance with contact tracing. Scotland’s final game of the regular season will be April 9 at home against Jack Britt.

“It’s disappointing not to play the biggest rivalry in the state,” said Scotland head coach Richard Bailey. “Our kids and our communities live for this game. It’s also another reminded that we need to treat every game like it could be our last and cherish the ones we get to play.”

Richmond did not practice Monday and has not gathered since Saturday, so the timetable for the team’s return from quarantine is set for April 6, barring any setbacks. Due to the quarantine, Richmond’s game against Seventy-First on Thursday is also canceled.

Richmond’s season finale at Purnell Swett on April 9 is still on, as long as Richmond is able to get in the three required days of practice beforehand. The current timetable has quarantine ending April 5 and then practicing April 6, 7 and 8 ahead of the game. Till noted that Richmond may have specific players who might have to quarantine longer than the current timetable based on their specfic contacts or diagnoses.

“We will take this time to make sure everyone is well and then get back together safely once allowed to do so,” Till said. “I feel confident that our young men and their families will handle this well just like they have every other hurdle in the last year.”

Both Richmond and Scotland have state playoff aspirations. Currently, Richmond is 3-0 and Scotland is 3-1. Seedings and playoff qualifications are being determined using winning percentage this year, so both teams will still be eligible for playoff consideration come the conclusion of the regular season.

“There will be numerous teams in our conference who did not complete the entire season,” Till said. “The NCHSAA knew this was a possibility and that is why they did the seeding based on conference win percentage instead of a specific number of games. We look forward to returning and making a deep run in the playoffs.”