SPRINGFIELD—On Thursday evening, May 15, 2025, the spring football game was a win-win for both Richmond Hill and host Effingham County High School.
Though nobody won. Not really. The score left on the scoreboard after three quarters had the host Rebels up 24-18 (four touchdowns to three) in a game without special teams. The first-team offenses and first-team defenses matched up in game conditions with each series predetermined to start from various yard lines in situational football.
The fourth quarter was designated for second- and third-teamers, playing simultaneously in the controlled scrimmage format starting from each 35-yard line on the field -- so tracking scoring was not the point.
The winning came in pairing two successful programs in head coach Matt LeZotte’s Class 6A Wildcats and head coach John Ford’s Class 5A Rebels.
“You just know it’s going to make us better,” Ford said afterward. “That’s iron sharpens iron. Playing a program like that, regardless of the outcome, is going to make you better.
“I’m glad Coach LeZotte takes my calls,” Ford said of scheduling the game.
It was mutual admiration, as Ford praised Richmond Hill’s offense and defense, both each unit and their coaches. LeZotte did the same.
“We know each team is going to be very well prepared,” said LeZotte, who afterward told his squad how proud he was of their offensive and defensive performances and their toughness.
“We wanted to maximize repetitions as much as possible,” he said in a postgame interview. “I think you saw with the format that we were just able to go and go and go, and get plenty of guys snaps, plenty of guys plays. We’re able to evaluate and assess, moving chess pieces around a little bit. We’ll be ready to go come fall.”
That’s ultimately what it’s about, the fall season when the games count. So while it’s tempting to count points, the coaches were not game-planning for each other. They were more concerned about how the team played, Ford said.
“Regardless of the outcome, we’re processed-based,” he said. “The scoreboard in a spring game doesn’t mean anything. We’re not going to see it and think we’ve done something. If the numbers were switched, we’re not going to see it and be despondent. We’re going to keep working every day.”
The coach was watching how the players executed and their effort, like getting off blocks and reading their keys. Soon enough, the coaches will be watching film of the spring game and, “We’re going to see 10,000 things that we need to fix on both sides of the ball,” Ford said.
The start of something big
He already loves the Rebels’ work ethic through spring practice, on the field and in the weight room, and their commitment to each other and the program. That shows itself in other ways, such as being on time and cleaning up after themselves.
“There’s just a lot of little things with this group that you don’t have to worry about,” Ford said. “I believe little things turn into big things. If they have great attention to detail on the little things and they keep working hard in the weight room, they’re committed to each other, (and) practice hard, then the scoreboard’s going to take care of itself.”
Getting on the scoreboard wasn’t an issue Thursday, and there were skill position players that stood out for both teams.
Chief among them is ECHS rising junior Trayvis Hunter, already in the spotlight after a solid season in 2024 and the fact that his older brother Travis Hunter was a record-breaking and highly decorated wide receiver and cornerback at Colorado who won the Heisman Trophy last season. Last month, he was selected with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Trayvis Hunter is making his own name, and nights like Thursday will help. He caught three touchdown passes from rising junior Kyzer DeLoach, normally the reserve quarterback but starting with standout rising senior Tucker Perkins unavailable.
Hunter caught the first two scores on lobs to the back left corner of the end zone. On the third, the defensive back appeared to be in better position, but Hunter adjusted his body to the ball’s flight and snagged it.
It was no accident that the Rebels’ offense frequently tried to pass and hand off to Hunter, getting him the ball in space.
“Always, always,” Ford said. “He’s dynamic. He’s got great hands. He’s a great player. Get him the ball. You’ve got a great player, give him the ball. I’m not real smart, but I’ve got that figured out.”
The coach also had supportive comments on DeLoach as well as rising junior Jmere Doe-Davis, whom he called a great running back and safety. Doe-Davis delivered probably the biggest hit of the night when tackling a Wildcats receiver.
“He’s a dog. He’s a football player,” Ford said of the two-way player. “I’d rather have (No.) 3 on the field than standing next to me, nine times out of 10.”
Building the 2025 Wildcats
Every team experiences attrition from the annual exit of seniors, and the spring game was a prime opportunity for the underclassmen to step up. While the Rebels lost eight defensive starters as well as a trio of highly productive wide receivers, the Wildcats also have holes to fill on both sides of the ball as several standouts are graduating.
Richmond Hill’s offense has for years been in the hands of smooth quarterback Kirk Scott and bruising running back Joshua Ulrich-Troupe. The keys are being handed to rising junior quarterback Gunner Mobley and rising senior runner Amire Miller.
“The two we had last year set a very good example of what it’s supposed to look like,” LeZotte said. “Gunner’s really smooth at quarterback. He made a lot of really good reads. Amire was busting it wide open. He’s really tough to tackle, great vision. … He’s a four-down back. He’s a guy who’s going to be a heck of a player for us.”
Miller ran off-tackle for an 11-yard touchdown and the first score of the spring game. He also caught a TD pass with one second left before halftime on a trick play, and he had a third score called back by a holding penalty.
The key to the offense, LeZotte said, is the line, a great strength of the team last season as a veteran unit that will depend on a lot of new faces in 2025.
“We’re going to continue to grow and develop them,” LeZotte said. “Those guys are going to get a lot better. We haven’t even scratched the surface of their abilities yet.”
LeZotte said coaches went into the spring with an idea of what they want the team to become. Spring practice gives direction to summer workouts as coaches evaluate personnel and build toward that team. It’s not a plug-and-play cycle from year to year.
“We don’t have guys that just come in and roll in, and we replace quarterbacks and tackles, receivers and D-linemen,” LeZotte said. “It doesn’t cycle through like that. We take what we have and we shape and mold it into what we want to be.
“There are some non-negotiables,” he continued. “We believe we are going to be tough. We’re going to be honest with one another. In the grand scheme of things, the schematics, we’re going to shape and adapt to who we are. I think we’ve got a shot to be really good this year.”
Photo Credits: Courtesy proshot_media_
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