Richmond
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Was gonna ask the same question. Knew theyd be down some, but the past two years have been bad bad. Whats changed so drastically?
Tonight we started 3 seniors on offense....A soph started at qb , his first ever start in V game...Defense started 5 seniors.....Special teams let us down ...Two long punt returns for td, and a blocked punt that ended in a short field td, and missed ep....We have got to tackle better on the edge.....Keep working until we get the right group on the field ,especially on the edge, and hopefully we will get more Physical on the O line.....Special teams need a LOT of work ....I liked the way Greene ran the football tonight....Hodges not bad for first varsity start...Sometime two butt kicks will get you motivated....ONLY GOOD THING IS WE PLAY AT HOME FRIDAY, BUT THE BAD THING IS , ITS ANOTHER TOP 10 TEAM.....I have confidence , things will get better...Coaches must stay Positive and Players have to be more determined and PHYSICAL....I did not see a lot of excitement on the sidelines....Hopefully we will show more fight Friday...
Most teams are young and have a mix of young/older. Getting trounced is different. Is it scheme/coaching. Youth ball development? Its something thats way off with RC football.
10 years ago this board would be full of fire the coach, new qb, raider Magic, revenge tour, more energy from fans. RC seems ok with getting beat now which is just odd IMHO.
Raider Magic/Mojo gone… geez! HS Football in NC is better when Richmond is good. I miss the ole Richmond Sr.
I expected this years team to be .500. These kids have been playing ball thru pee wee and middle school. The concepts of playing football has not changed. I understand that talent levels change every year. With that being said this team looks grossly unprepared to play in all three phases of the game. All a fan should want is their team to be competitive every week and have a chance to win.
50-13 is a score we (Butler) would hang on Garinger or Rocky River. I watched a few minutes of that game then turned to Mallard Creek/Buford. I lived in NC since 97, its the most uncompetitive Richmond team I have seen.
This is nothing new. People have been laughing at Richmond since the beginning of the 2022 season. When they keep losing and the home stands are empty and no cash is brought to the office after the game then and only then will you see a change.
I think the silence from the fanatics speaks volumes. In my humble opinion there are several factors that have led us down this path. Economics has had a huge impact in several ways. One way is mentality, the blue collar work ethic of the past has eroded and been replaced by a sense of entitlement. Kids use to see care givers come home from a hard shift at the mills or the railroad and grow up knowing you had to work hard for a living. The influx of new families moving to the area to work those jobs stopped when the industries shut down. People have been fleeing the area, Richmond is no longer one of the biggest schools in the state, hasn't been for awhile. So the talent pool has shrunk with the population. Richmond bloodlines have always been a big part of their success. Some of those bloodlines have moved, some have been depleted and some have been watered down through the generations. Economic woes are different for each community, Kannapolis went through similar times but it's location, close to Charlotte, has and will help it continue to sustain. Look at the areas around Richmond. Anson once 4A now 2A, Scotland 4A to 3A, Marlboro Co. in SC was once a big 16 school now it is a 2A.
Economics plays a role hiring coaches, maintaining facilities, community identity and population.
Another factor is coaching, I am not speaking of quality, there are some bright, talented people on the staff but what the current staff is lacking is experience. Look at previous staffs, there were always a core of veterans dating back to the 1st Barnes era. I love that there are so many former players on the current staff but playing at Richmond and coaching at Richmond are two completely different animals.
The last two factors I am only going to mention briefly because i am tired of typing. The world has changed, and not for the better. Football is hard, at Richmond and places that are use to being successful, it's even harder. Getting harder and harder to find kids tough enough. Finally, the landscape of high school football has shifted power on the 4A level. Urban and suburban schools now dominate, Richmond just doesn't have the resources to compete.
I will always love my Raiders, always going to support them no matter the record or the score. Anyways, sorry for the long winded answer but like i said there are several factors, not just one.
Here is what I know. HS football in the Carolinas is so much better when Richmond is good. The place is electric when it's playoff time and one of the few NC places that rivals the passion of places like Georgia, Texas and NE Ohio.. I'm rooting for a comeback .
Growing up in Eastern Union County in Marshville and half my family being from Anson County I've always followed the Anson/Richmond rivalry back in the day when Anson was 4A. Amazing how their numbers have dropped them to 2A and they're now in the conference with my Forest Hills Yellow Jackets in the Rocky River 3A/2A. Union County where I live has done the opposite of Anson and Richmond and has gone from 5 high Schools to 12. Basically because of Charlotte's growth and honestly I hate it. I really hate seeing Richmond being down. Football in NC isn't the same without Richmond being a contender year in and year out.
Mallard Creek and Richmond have never played each other which is wild to think about.
When I moved to Charlotte in 97, Richmond was the gold standard and they routinely ended the season of many Charlotte teams in the playoffs. That aura was unreal back then. In 2002 I think Providence beat Richmond and that was the talk of the city.
You listed reasons why Richmond can’t win. You listed no reasons why they can win. I’ve noticed some of the assistant coaches have left the program for whatever reason and their absence is noticeable. I think they drew straws to determine who was gonna coach what unit. 5-8 since the start of 2022 is not good. Want to talk about economics? The Raider coach job pays between $85k -$100k annually. Most people in this area don’t make a third of that salary.
I merely tried to answer the question that was asked. They can win and they will but not like the days in the past. I hope i am proven wrong, i truly do but this has been coming for awhile.
Being from Fayetteville I have kept an eye on Richmond since the early to mid 1970s. While I respect the heck out of them I won't shed a tear for them. I think others have hit the nail on the head, economics have definitely seemed to hurt Richmond and turned the tide to Charlotte and Raleigh. I can remember distinctly when Raleigh HS football was considered a joke with very soft teams. Raleigh was good for basketball for sure but football a joke. Now we are almost guaranteed every year to see a Raleigh team take on a Charlotte team in the state finals each and every year with a few exceptions like last year for example. Fayetteville ain't what it once was either. An aging housing market and newer better roads have encouraged a ton of military families to move to surrounding counties like Hoke, Harnett, Moore, Bladen etc certainly hurting Fayetteville football. Times have definitely changed.
This year is the last of the COVID crisis in rural NC. Richmond like many other rural schools lost many kids to COVID. Many kids in this area need the routine of school to function. Remote learning was a predictable disaster. Work didn’t get done, kid becomes ineligible. Athletics was the only carrot to keep some kids eligible, and now it’s gone and the kid never returns to sports. Scotland’s numbers this year are evidence of the phenomenon…..38 on varsity this year, but about 60 on JV after a good number were cut. Numbers are coming back for everyone, now that a group is coming in that never dealt with COVID athletic ineligibility in high school. It has also killed attendance, which is the lifeblood of rural NC football. The energy on Friday night inspires the next generation to want to be part of the show. People that never missed games prior to COVID didn’t have games and never returned. They now listen or watch at home. I know at Scotland attendance is less than half of what it was pre-COVID. I imagine Richmond is the same. Lastly, while, enrollment is growing at the city schools….Richmond would have been small 4A last year in the subdivision days. It all makes for a tough situation.
I'm afraid player and coaching talents have dried up in Richmond county. I know you can't win championships every year but as they say defense wins championships......something Richmond hasn't had since Daryl Barnes days.
@bigdadd11103 referencing our earlier conversation on another post, this gentleman is 100% spot on about what is happening to some of the powerhouse programs away from the NC metro areas. This is exactly what I was thinking with RC’s program but did not have the energy to type lol. There are more programs that fall into this category in NC & SC and this list will continue to grow as populations shift back to metro areas or move away.
In the end, it is usually coaching. Especially true if the trend last over multiple seasons. Not always of course.
It doesn't have to mean a coach is bad, but a bad fit. I know of two successful coaches who did not do well at Asheboro but did fine when they left.
I too think NC football benefits from a solid RC team. Let's hope they right the ship.
It doesn't have to mean a coach is bad, but a bad fit. I know of two successful coaches who did not do well at Asheboro but did fine when they left.
I too think NC football benefits from a solid RC team. Let's hope they right the ship.
Trust me the talent is still there at Richmond just in 2019 we were on the doorsteps of a title appearance, and A lot of those players were expected to return for there senior year until COVID hit our nation. Richmond has a major coaching problem let’s be honest. You can tell Brad Denson was coaching this team 2017-2020 and we know who has been coaching the last 2 years. Richmond was the gold standard in the past now we are cupcake for everyone to eat up on. This is not Raider Ball but I promise you this! One thing is for certain and two is for sure, bring a good coach and you will see that cream always rise to the top!
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Agree, but as the poster below noted coaching is a factor. It cant be overlooked. Brad had that offense rolling. Still think they shouldnt have run Hoggard off. He was a great fit.
They should have hired Pat Hope , Denson or Maurice Flowers when they had the chance. They didnt. Flowers would have had RC the top school in the state easily. He is an offensive genius. Glad he is at JCSU.
Also Morman would have been a very good hire. RC is gonna have to break code and go in a diffirent direction at HC before all those other factors mentioned doom the program.....
Has talent went down at Richmond? Yes
Could it be the coaching staff? Yes
Are families moving away from this county? Yes
Are we losing a few players that could be on that field playing but would much rather be on them streets then on that field & classroom ? Yes but I think that’s everywhere !!!
Now my feeling on what’s going on at Richmond but I could be wrong
There are players with alot of talent on that field !!
I just personally feel that they just don’t want to play for some of them coaches and it’s showing!!!
I do feel like some are playing their best just not on of them.
Do I know this for sure ? No
I do feel like if Richmond gets a coaching change next year, more will try out and more talent will show up and the players will try harder.
I don’t know where the coaching change needs to be at , it may need to be the whole staff.
The reason I say this a few years ago .
I seen where the players lost a playoff game on purpose to get a coach to leave or get fired.
The fans kept saying fire the coach and they wouldn’t listen.
Well on this playoff game that Richmond lost they had more turnovers than any game I ever see .
Now in that you did have some who was really trying to win the game but hey it takes more then a few to win it takes the whole team.
I do also feel this year will be Richmond worse year they may win 2 but don’t see know more then 5 if that .
I hope I wrong !!!!
Also on the fans
Let’s be real!!!!
we need new fans y’all just not it know more .
You don’t holler at your team !!!
Y’all just sit their like y’all at a funeral
I hear more yelling at a park & rec game !!!
You probably will hear more noise at a funeral to be honest.
So when they replace the coaching staff may we also replace the fans??
Come on guys maybe if they had more support out of the fans and see the fans are behind them maybe they will have more heart!!!
Could it be the coaching staff? Yes
Are families moving away from this county? Yes
Are we losing a few players that could be on that field playing but would much rather be on them streets then on that field & classroom ? Yes but I think that’s everywhere !!!
Now my feeling on what’s going on at Richmond but I could be wrong
There are players with alot of talent on that field !!
I just personally feel that they just don’t want to play for some of them coaches and it’s showing!!!
I do feel like some are playing their best just not on of them.
Do I know this for sure ? No
I do feel like if Richmond gets a coaching change next year, more will try out and more talent will show up and the players will try harder.
I don’t know where the coaching change needs to be at , it may need to be the whole staff.
The reason I say this a few years ago .
I seen where the players lost a playoff game on purpose to get a coach to leave or get fired.
The fans kept saying fire the coach and they wouldn’t listen.
Well on this playoff game that Richmond lost they had more turnovers than any game I ever see .
Now in that you did have some who was really trying to win the game but hey it takes more then a few to win it takes the whole team.
I do also feel this year will be Richmond worse year they may win 2 but don’t see know more then 5 if that .
I hope I wrong !!!!
Also on the fans
Let’s be real!!!!
we need new fans y’all just not it know more .
You don’t holler at your team !!!
Y’all just sit their like y’all at a funeral
I hear more yelling at a park & rec game !!!
You probably will hear more noise at a funeral to be honest.
So when they replace the coaching staff may we also replace the fans??
Come on guys maybe if they had more support out of the fans and see the fans are behind them maybe they will have more heart!!!
You are absolutely correct, coaching is a factor. Many of those communities do not have the same financial means that they once had to bring in or keep the best coaches. Quiet as kept many of those communities had financial incentives other than the coaching stipends to keep and maintain good coaching staffs and facilities. Now you are seeing these programs grab coaches with much less head coach winning experience and those coaches aren’t inheriting the best coaching situations. If you can move to a better situation or go south of the border for more money then why would you deal with the headaches of small town coaching. When the Richmond job came open I thought that with their tradition and talent base that the Raiders would easily bring in an elite coach. I am sure that local politics may have slimmed that coaching pool down. It doesn’t seem that long ago that Richmond fans were bashing some good coaches for losing 1-2 games a year. Now they have this. It’s sad really.
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"Talent is still there" ...I agree to a certain degree. I think there are talented kids in the program but the depth of talent is not even close. There are also not game changing talent like a Melvin Ingram or Nate Robinson on the field either. Melvin is the last kid we had that reached the Pros. Go back through the history of the program and see if we ever had a period of 20 years between Pro type players until now. So I completely agree with you that there are talented kids, just not as many or as impactful.
Also watching this years team, the kids physically just don't look like kids of the past. I would be willing to bet team totals are down in the weight room. Bright spots and records probably so, but team wise I would be willing to bet numbers are down.
Also watching this years team, the kids physically just don't look like kids of the past. I would be willing to bet team totals are down in the weight room. Bright spots and records probably so, but team wise I would be willing to bet numbers are down.
About as true as Coach Barnes losing to AC Reynolds in the 3rd round because he had a hunting trip scheduled
I think the Raiders can definitely get this thing turned around, no wins
after 2 games can surely be improved to 3 wins after 10, but it will end
just like it started.....
after 2 games can surely be improved to 3 wins after 10, but it will end
just like it started.....
Not for sure if you are making fun of the statement but will say this .About as true as Coach Barnes losing to AC Reynolds in the 3rd round because he had a hunting trip scheduled
It wasn’t in the Barnes day . This was maybe a little over 10 years ago.
I will not say know names but heard this from many players , family that went there and students.
So I am thinking the truth
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I was at the game, cold, cold night. Millbrook was the opponent. You are correct about the unusual amount of turnovers. But if the kids were doing it on purpose, they did a really poor job of trying to lose because the final was 24-23. And they fought like hell to the very end nearly overcoming the turnovers. Not to mention all the tears and heartbreak i saw on the sidelines and field after the game. But everybody has a story and a point of view so you do you. I also choose not to believe that a few kids would sabotage their brothers in the locker room they had been bleeding, sweating and sharing with the past 3-4 years. Because for as many turnovers as we had, the D played lights out to hold that team to 24. Like i said, everybody has a story and this is mine.
All this being said, but a lot of people also move on with their lives and stop following high school ball. It's happened at Page with a bunch of fans too.
For example, my buddy The Kount (Richmond fan) probably hasn't been to a game since 2008ish.
so so true there page but i have shaken the kounts hand at a game here and there but not many, life, family, job and priorities take over..
The coaches has not forgotten how to coach. 18&19 Richmond was a top 3 team in the state. If COVID would not have happened we would have been there again for 20. I said It before and I will say it again... No team in our conference would win those first 2 games
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