Raider football kicks off spring practice

It’s springtime, and nothing screams this time of year in Richmond County more than the sounds of whistles, coaches, and players filling the practice fields on the Raider campus, preparing for the upcoming football season.

For the first time, football players donned the gold helmets and shoulder pads for spring practices as head football coach Bryan Till laid out his blueprint for the 2023-2024 North Carolina High School football season for Raider Nation.

Raider football is a year-round commitment for both the players and coaches. The team has been working out and mentally preparing for the grueling Southeastern Athletic Conference schedule.

“These kids have worked extremely hard in the weight room but also in their other sports and individual workouts with their position coaches,” Till said. “Many of them have competed year-round in something, and that competitive nature gives us a chance on the field week in and week out.”

UCLA legend John Wooden once said, “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

Football coaches have watched and noticed who has been going the extra mile to make a difference in the storied Raider football program.

“Even on days where we don’t have something scheduled, it is not surprising to see kids outside working on their own,” said Till.

That extraordinary work ethic put into the weight room and practice field shapes the winning narrative for the Richmond Raiders.

“This is an important time to start developing the personality of next year’s team,” he said. “We have already been working on this in the weight room, but it is time to see that transition to on-the-field work.”

As the coaches look down at the puzzle pieces for the team, Till said these practices are still an individual competition.

“Guys are trying to go ahead and stake their claim to a new or starting role leading into the summer,” he said. “This all means it is a huge evaluation time for our coaches, and there is a lot of information we want to take in and digest about what our guys need and can become.”

During the spring practices, Raider players worked on individual skills for their position, but Till said learning the art of teamwork is the foundation of success on the field and the scoreboard.

“We will be installing base offensive and defensive schemes and calls so that players can start becoming adept at terminology and conceptual understanding of what we want to accomplish,” he said.

Raider coaches want players to have the desire to compete and uphold the standard every day.

“If we want a different result than we had last year, then what standard are we going to set to get there,” Till said about taking the Raiders to the state championship game.

After spring practices and graduation, Raider football doesn’t wait for two weeks before the season to meet that standard. Summertime is a full schedule for both players and coaches.

“After practices, we are going to take our varsity guys to a couple of college camps,” he said about some of the opportunities he has planned for his players.

Summer workouts will be held Monday through Thursday, and several 7-on-7 competitions are already scheduled for the team. Additionally, football staff has already been working with eighth grade students to identify the next generation of Raider Nation.

The 2023 football schedule was no surprise to Till, as he has been working with area schools to finalize the schedule for the Raiders.

“Scheduling games is difficult when you have our rich history, as many people do not wish to play us,” he said about a home game against Raleigh powerhouse Cardinal Gibbons on Sept. 1 and an away game against Myers Park in Charlotte on Sept. 8.

With the final schedule etched in stone, Till and his staff have started looking at their schemes and how they can compete in a demanding early non-conference schedule and survive the SAC gauntlet.

“Several of our coaches have been watching the film, but again, most of that is to address issues on our team from last year as opposed to preparing for opponents,” he said.

Alongside the Raider coaches at the spring practice are current seniors helping and assisting in building a program that can possibly bring home the state championship trophy to Richmond County.

“Our seniors and leadership group have been instrumental in helping lead workouts in class as well as demonstrating skills to our eighth graders as we are teaching them,” he said. “They have encouraged those young players while holding the standard for what we want to do.” 

One of those instrumental players helping this spring is senior Jeffery Linton, who committed to playing at Tusculum University in the Fall.

Linton said spending his free time this semester helping younger players is something he wished a senior did for him when he was learning his craft.

“I want this program to grow and get better,” he said. “Whatever little part I can do to help the coaches and players, I am all in. At the end of the day, we are all Raiders. It really doesn’t matter that I am a senior. I am invested in this team.”

In his eighth year on the Raider coaching staff, Chris Campolieta said the spring practices allow the team to form an identity and players to fit into new roles or positions.

“Everything is earned when it comes to our program, and spring practice is a great time for us as coaches to evaluate everything every player is doing,” he said. “I just feel like it gives us all a chance to do what we love. The young men have been working so hard in the weight room. I’m excited to get out there and coach them up.”

Campolieta, the defensive coordinator and safeties coach, admitted that he doesn’t have fond memories of Richmond County while he was in high school.

“I did lose to Richmond four times in two years during my football career at Providence High School in Charlotte,” he said.

Campolieta said those past losses that he still remembers and the state-wide respect for Richmond County football comes down to being able to excel as an individual player but master the art of teamwork. He said that all begins in the weight room and spring practices.

“Teamwork not only in football but in life is so important,” he said. “Teamwork is the beauty of football. You have a bunch of guys from all walks of life working together for an ultimate goal. For us to be successful, we have to each hold our own and keep our link strong. From coaches to players, to be successful, we all have to be pedaling in the same direction toward that ultimate goal.”

Junior varsity head coach Ryan Mercer said the spring practices are important because players on both teams get to spend time together.

“On the defensive side of the ball on the JV level, the returning tenth graders will play a big role in letting the rising freshman know the expectations we have every time we step on the field, no matter if it is the practice field or on the game field.”

He said players learn quickly to become a team and understand Coach Till’s philosophy on and off the field.

“Time in the weight room and outside during the heat of the summer allows players to see who responds under hard times,” he said. “They learn to pick each other up and encourage. It also shows them that they are not alone in the fight.

Mercer said those relationships during the spring are also important for the coaches. He said coaches are always watching and taking mental notes when the players least expect it. Every moment counts when it comes to being a Richmond Raider football player.

“For the coaches, it allows us to get to know each other more and gives us information about how we can expect players to act when things get tough during the season,” he said.

At the end of the day, as each player left the practice field to head down the hill to the locker room, Till kept encouraging the players until they got into their cars to head home and prepare for classes the next day. Till keeps in touch with all the players to ensure they are choosing the hard rights over the easy wrongs.

Being a Raider football player is not an easy task, but one that is important for the school and county as they prepare for the long journey to the first kickoff of the 2023 season.

“I am proud of what they are doing, but I look forward to more from them in the future,” Till said.

2023 could be the year to raise another football championship banner, and that started the day after last year’s season ended.