Lewis looking for consistency from Raiders in district playoffs

Coach Quintin Lewis is hoping to take his Rickards High School football team to its first state championship since he took over in 2012.
Photo by Idris Smith

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook staff writer

Since losing its season-opening game to Madison, Rickards High School’s football team hasn’t suffered another setback.
But if coach Quintin Lewis had any concern now that the Raiders have secured a berth in the District 2-5A playoffs it would be to see his team play a complete game.
“Every week we strive for those types of games,” Lewis said, following a 34-14 victory over Godby to secure the Raiders’ first district title in 15 years. “We hope that we can somehow start playing those types of games and breeze through the playoffs.”
Lewis has reason to want more complete games. Twice during the season, the Raiders had to rally to get consecutive two-point wins.
Against the Cougars, the Raiders played an error-filled first half and ended up going into the locker room tied 14-14. They scored 20 unanswered points in the last 24 minutes to improve to 7-1 overall, extending their unbeaten streak at home to four.
The Raiders were almost flawless in the second half, scoring on two straight possessions in a span of less than two minutes.

 
“We knew if we could neutralize them we could win the football game,” Lewis said.
Clinching the district title is the biggest achievement for the Raiders since Lewis took over the program six seasons ago. Prior to that, Rickards had eight consecutive losing seasons.
Rickards will be looking for its fifth straight win at home Friday night when they face Chiles High School at Cox Stadium. The challenge will be to avoid overlooking the Timberwolves because of their 3-5 overall record.
Especially with a bigger prize like a win in their first playoff game a week later. Winning big would give them momentum going into the playoffs, said running back Destin Coates.
“We don’t look past any team,” said Coates, who had 17 carries for 95 yards against the Cougars. “We play every team just like it’s a regular game that week and we focus on them.”
Coates has been the dynamo in the Raiders’ offense this season since his return to Tallahassee. He spent the last two previous seasons playing at Panama City’s Mosley. His numbers with the Raiders have been impressive – 1,177 yards rushing with 17 touchdowns in eight games.
Coates’ presence has given the Raiders balance that makes them a more versatile team. Unlike last season when passing accounted for more than 60 percent of the offense, the running game gives them more options.
Add to that the threat that quarterback D.J. Phillips brings with his ability to run as well as he throws the ball. Against the Cougars, he threw a 90-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Riley and ran 70 yards for another score.
Defensively, the Raiders have been getting surprisingly solid play from defensive back Tavyn Jackson. He had six tackles with a pass break up against the Cougars. Through the first eight games of the season, he has recorded 45 tackles with three interceptions.
Consistency in his play will be pivotal for the Raiders in the playoffs. But first there is Chiles on Friday in a game that the Raiders know they can’t take for granted.
“We treat every team that we play as if it’s a state championship game because if we lose we’d be looked down upon,” he said. “It’s not a point of showing that we can do but actually doing it.”