Richmond Hill walked into Olvey Field and handed Bradwell Institute a 28-7 Region 3-AAAAA loss Friday.
Senior Wildcat running back Ronnie Harris put on a great display, amassing more than 120 unofficial rushing yards in the first half alone.
Richmond Hill was up, 7-0, early in the game and held that lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Tigers mounted a short drive that collapsed on a fumble recovered by the Wildcats. Richmond Hill converted that to more points when Harris rushed for a 57-yard gain, then pushed through the Tiger defense for a 21-yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.
“We had a fumble at one point going in and they scored … turnovers cost you … also, you have to be able to establish the line of scrimmage and control the line of scrimmage, and at the start of the game it was a little tough,” Tiger head coach Greg Hill said.
Bradwell had an opportunity to score thanks to Terrius Crimiel, whose 30-yard return set up the Tigers near midfield.
The Wildcats also helped the Tigers by being penalized for facemasking. Shortly after, Tiger running back Luther Echols scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to help make it 14-7.
However, it was the last time the Tigers saw the end zone for the night.
On the ensuing Wildcat drive, Harris broke off a 56-yard run. The Tiger defense held the Wildcats and forced the fourth down, but Harris took care of business by getting the first down.
“Defensively, we have to wrap up a little better. We had them in position to stop the drives, but they gave it a great effort and they picked up the yards they needed,” Hill said.
Shortly after, BI defender Stephen Felton nearly had an interception, with the ball at his fingertips, but it fell to the ground.
Richmond Hill quarterback Xavier Bryant-Long ran the ball to the Tigers 6, and Harris scored another Wildcat touchdown.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats made another turnover and took over at Tigers 49.
Bryant-Long completed a pass to D.J O’Neal for a first down and then hooked up on a pass to Thomas Lewis. Another pass completion to O’Neal gave the Wildcats a first down at the Tigers 11. Soon, it was first-and-goal, and Harris scored on a 1-yard run for a three-touchdown lead.
Crimiel unofficially averaged 20-plus yards per kick return and also gained rushing yards in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers, fell to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the region, now have a bye-week to prepare for region powerhouse Ware County on Sept. 26 in Waycross.
Richmond Hill, 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the region, hosts Ware County at 7:30 p.m. next Friday.