PHOTOS: Richmond keeps South Garner scoreless in scrimmage

ROCKINGHAM — The smash and crackle of pads filled the practice field at Richmond Senior High School Tuesday morning, the first time this season that it came against another team.

Richmond welcomed South Garner High School in for a rescheduled scrimmage from last week that was moved because of Tropical Storm Debby.

With the hillside filled with fans and school and district administrators, the Raiders put on a defensive clinic. Richmond’s offense also gained the upper hand against the Titans, both positive signs heading into the new season.

“It’s always an exciting time when you have your first scrimmage,” head coach Brad Denson explained. “The guys get a little chippy at practice seeing the same guys every day, so it was good to be able to go against another team.

“It’s also good to see what we have and what another team is doing,” he continued. “We’re not game planning for a scrimmage so that means we have to make adjustments and adapt, and I think the kids did a great job of doing that on the fly today.”

Denson shared that South Garner ran a lot of zone schemes up front on offense and that the Raiders tackled well in the secondary.

The Raiders and Titans alternated offensive and defensive series to start the scrimmage. Both teams ran eight consecutive plays with their first and second string players, before moving to a six-play series with second and third stringers.

South Garner moved the ball 36 yards during its first eight plays but didn’t score. The Raiders struggled in their first offensive series, collecting just 14 yards and losing the ball on a fumble.

The six-play series resulted in no scoring for either team. The Titans picked up 12 yards and Richmond again had a fumble and a bad snap.

The next phase moved into five plays of third-and-long situations — third-and-seven, third-and-10 and third-and-12+.

Richmond’s defense stood tough and didn’t allow the Titans to convert on any of the five plays.

The Raiders’ best offensive play in the third-and-long downs was a 70-yard catch and run score by junior wide receiver Keonta Pegues. Junior quarter Evan Hodges hit Pegues in stride on a deep out route down the right sideline.

Moving into goal line formations, the Raiders’ defense again kept the Titans out of the end zone. Running plays from the five, three and one-yard lines, junior outside linebacker Terande Spencer collected two sacks and broke up a pass.

Hodges, who split reps with fellow junior quarterback Domonic Tillman, registered the only score for Richmond during its four goal line plays. On a quarterback keeper, Hodges extended the ball over the line with his left hand.

The scrimmage ended with a 25-minute running clock of live action, complete with punts, special teams and penalties.

South Garner had three offensive possessions and Richmond’s defense again refused to let the Titans in the end zone despite facing what Denson called a “mammoth offensive line.” One of the drives ended when senior defensive back AJ Covington intercepted a pass.

In its two offensive series, Richmond found the end zone one time to end the day ahead 7-0 on the scoreboard. Scoring on the ground for the Raiders from inside the 10-yard line was senior running back Javion Smith. Senior kicker Billy West split the uprights for the PAT.

“Our defense played well,” Denson said. “Coach (Chris) Campo and Coach (Spencer) Shaw had those guys flying around. We feel like our front seven is pretty good, especially with Joe (Parsons) in the middle.

“As smart as he is, he’s great at getting things aligned and the calls correct, which allows the defense to just play. We tackled well on the back end, had the one interception and it’s great to see how far we’ve come defensively.”

With one more scrimmage scheduled for Friday, the competition at quarterback between Hodges and Tillman will continue.

“Both QBs did some really good things today, but there are still some things that need to be cleaned up,” Denson said. “Me and Quarterback Coach (Jay) Jones demand a lot from our QBs and they know they’re not just any other player. They have to be a vocal leader, take charge and make sure everyone is where they need to be.

“As a staff, we decided to let the two scrimmages play out,” he added. “That will hopefully lead to a starter being named going into game week. But that’s not to say that other won’t be playing (in the first game).”

Richmond is slated to be the first of five games in the Dillon High School Jamboree of Champions Friday. In a clash that will see “a lot of green and gold,” the Raiders will play West Florence High School at 5:30 p.m.

“We will play about half a game Friday against a very good West Florence team,” Denson closed. “They are a downhill team that runs a lot of power and counter. Defensively, they’re very similar to what we do.

“It’s another chance for our guys to get out and compete and fine-tune some things before our first game week.”

Denson encouraged fans who plan to attend Friday’s scrimmage to purchase tickets at Richmond’s front office. Each ticket is $10 and is good for all five scrimmages.

Sports editor’s note: Deon Cranford contributed to this article. Below are photos of Tuesday’s scrimmage, taken by contributor Camden Ratliff.