LAURINBURG — For many of Scotland’s football players, Saturday’s game at Richmond will be the biggest game they’ve ever participated in.
And that’s not just because it’s a rivalry that goes back half a century.
The Fighting Scots are making a late push for a playoff berth. In order to make their best case for a spot in the postseason, the Scots need to win at least one of the two games left on their schedule.
Scotland gets its first chance when it faces the Raiders, who sit atop the Sandhills Athletic Conference with an unblemished 5-0 record in conference play.
“The kids seem pretty focused,” Scotland head coach Richard Bailey said. “We’re just trying to get a game plan that we think can beat Richmond. They’re obviously very talented.”
Part of that planning process involves figuring out how to contain Caleb Hood, Richmond’s sophomore quarterback. Hood has thrown for 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions this season. He has also rushed for a total of 358 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Bailey called Hood a ‘special’ player.
“He’s tailor-made for what they do,” Bailey said. “There’s certain fits that are just right, and he is the right fit for their offense. He does a really good job, and you can tell he’s grown up around football. He’s a very smart, high-IQ quarterback.”
The game will start at 7 p.m. at Richmond. It was originally scheduled for Friday night, but rain in the forecast caused it to be pushed to Saturday.
Richmond’s leading rusher is Jaheim Covington, who is 56 yards away from 1,000 yards on the season. Covington has rushed for 18 touchdowns this year.
“A lot of their passes come off of their running game,” Bailey said. “If you’ve got to commit a lot of people to stop their run, they’re going to hit you with those RPOs (run-pass options).”
Bailey doesn’t know what it feels like to lose the rivalry game against Richmond, but previous generations of Scots certainly do. Richmond leads the all-time series 35-15-1, and the Raiders held an 18-game winning streak against Scotland at one point.
Scotland hasn’t lost to Richmond since Bailey took over as head coach in 2012. Bailey, who picked up his 200th career win with a 40-0 victory over Lumberton last week, said his team could benefit from being the underdog this time around.
“It’s kind of cool to be on the other foot, to be the one that’s got nothing to lose,” Bailey said. “Most people expect us to struggle. I believe in our guys, and I believe they’ll be ready to play on Saturday. The way I look at it, we’ve got a chance to win the game. We’ll do everything we can to bring it back to Scotland County.”
Jack Britt is the last team remaining on Scotland’s schedule after the rivalry game. If the Scots lose to Richmond, a win against the Buccaneers will be critical for their postseason chances.
“We’re hoping that they understand the importance of it,” Bailey said. “We want them to understand the importance of each week.”
