The best play call for Wayne County was the first one, an onside kick on the opening kickoff against host Richmond Hill on Friday night.
It worked, too. But the rest of the game belonged to the Wildcats, who routed the visiting Yellow Jackets 42-0 in a non-region contest that was no contest.
Richmond Hill is off to its first 4-0 start since 2017, while Wayne County is 0-5 and was shut out for the third consecutive game. The Wildcats defense recorded its second shutout and has allowed 40 points in four games.
“We weren’t sure what we were going to see,” said Matt LeZotte, Richmond Hill’s head coach since 2015. “I think Wayne County’s trying to find their identity, trying to see what works. We’re pretty seasoned. We were able to play a lot of young guys tonight. We were able to sprinkle them in, get a lot of good varsity game experience.”
The Wildcats’ offensive skill position standouts were rested before the end of the first half, and the second half was scoreless under a running clock. Still, Richmond Hill was able to stay true to its identity with a ground game that operates behind a stellar veteran offensive line and has senior quarterback Kirk Scott running the show.
“We went out there and played the brand of ball that we expect to play,” LeZotte said. “We put the ball in the air a little bit. We handed it off. It worked quite well for us. It was good to watch us hitting on all cylinders as an offense.”
Joshua Ulrich-Troupe, who was coming off a career-best 277 rushing yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 47-28 win over New Hampstead, carried the ball just six times. But he scored on half of them en route to 36 yards – all in the first half.
Scott was 6 of 8 passing for 104 yards, most coming on a 64-yard scoring bomb to Nick Swain, and rushed four times for 90 yards, including touchdowns of 17 of 36 yards, in nearly one half of work.
“I feel like (Scott’s) been around forever,” LeZotte said, perhaps speaking as well for Richmond Hill’s opponents. “Kirk’s a great kid and he’s a really good ballplayer. He can do some things with his feet that make him a little more electric than a lot of guys. He has a really talented arm, also. I’m excited to really get him going. You could see him gain a little confidence tonight.”
Scoring touchdowns on the team’s first six drives of the game is one way to build confidence. The only drive in the first half that wasn’t the case was when time ran out on the Richmond Hill reserves at the end of the second quarter.
LeZotte said the offense played with a short field all game, including the first possession that started at the Wayne County 11 after Caleb Easterling’s long punt return. Ulrich-Troupe covered the rest of the distance on two carries.
The next four Richmond Hill drives started at the Wayne County 42, 48, 44 and 32.
“The big thing was punching it in and executing,” LeZotte said. “We have to take advantage of the field zones. We practice scenarios all the time. That’s all we do. We don’t run plays. We run plays with a purpose. Every single day at practice. Spring all the way through summer, all the way into the season. We never blindly run plays. Everything’s in down and distance. Everything has a point. Our guys understand the game a little bit more because of that.”
Wayne County went backward on each of its first four drives, including when starting at the Richmond Hill 47 after recovering the opening kickoff and keeping the ball out of the Wildcats’ hands, at least temporarily. Nearly every play went for zero or negative yards, and the biggest positive was Yellow Jackets senior Christian Sellers’ booming punts.
LeZotte credited the work of his defensive line, which played so well that they didn’t need help bringing pressure and allowed the linebackers and secondary to do their jobs.
Richmond Hill owned the trenches, with a deep offensive line led by seniors Ho’o Naki, Thomas Zimbalatti, Billy Meadows, Cameron Jackson and Brody Miller as
well as senior Brooks Gilbert and junior Blake Whittaker. LeZotte also made a point to mention tight ends Colton Sanchez, Jack Mcgrath and Case Jenkins.
He called them great teammates and friends.
“The guys play really hard, but the best thing they do is play well together,” LeZotte said. “They’re all coaches on the field. They help each other out. They are true, singular unit, and that’s what you want out of an offensive line. You want those guys dialed in, working together. Our guys do that every single day at practice.
“They love playing ball. They love showing up every day. They love the pains of growth. When you can embrace that as a unit, it allows us to do some things on offense that a lot of folks aren’t able to do.”
RICHMOND HILL 42, WAYNE COUNTY 0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| WC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RHHS | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
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First Quarter |
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RH—Joshua Ulrich-Troupe 3 run (Cannon Kuryla kick) |
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RH—Kirk Scott 17 run (Kuryla kick) |
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RH—Scott 36 run (Kuryla kick) |
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Second Quarter |
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RH—Ulrich-Troupe 1 run (Kuryla kick) |
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RH—Ulrich-Troupe 11 run (Kuryla kick) |
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RH—Nick Swain 64 pass from Scott (Kuryla kick) |
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RECORDS: RHHS 4-0/0-0, WC 0-4/0-0 |
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WEEK 5
Sept. 12, Thursday
Bethesda 42, Hilton Head Prep 12*
Sept. 13, Friday
Richmond Hill 42, Wayne County 0
Effingham Co. 35, Bradwell Institute 148*
Lakeside-Evans 49, South Effingham 7*
Pierce County 48, New Hampstead 7
Jenkins 51, Beach 7*
Calvary Day 48, Windsor Forest 7*
Groves 25, Islands 22*
Southeast Bulloch 35, Johnson 13*
Long County 22, Liberty County 14*
Savannah Christian 28, Fellowship Christian 7
Portal 20, Bryan County 8*
Metter 49, Savannah 0*
Sherwood Christian 56, Memorial Day 6*
Coastal Homeschool 56, Georgia School for Innovation & Classics 20*
Sept. 14 (Saturday)
Augusta Prep at St. Andrew's* 1 PM
Photo Credit: Richmond Hill High School Athletic Department
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