Contributed by Jimmy McDonald The Richmond Senior football team has 10 of its 11 games scheduled for next season.

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ROCKINGHAM — Slow and steady seems to be the strategy for the administration at Richmond Senior as they look to complete the 2013 football schedule.

After discussing the revival of the rivalry with defending 4AA state champion Butler last month, Richmond athletic director Kevin Mabe said he received the signed contract from the school Wednesday afternoon.

With the addition of the Bulldogs, the Raiders have now filled 10 of their 11 playing dates. This fall, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association will allow schools 12 weeks to play 11 contests.

“It’s not really late…more inconvenient really. My first year doing this we didn’t get the last one until February,” Mabe said. “We like to have it done before Christmas, but three teams ended up backing out on us. When Richmond Senior calls you for a football game, you’re either really excited or not interested in playing.”

Richmond is scheduled to open the season at Raider Stadium against Rocky River on Aug. 23. The following week the Raiders will head to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to take on the Seahawks in the Carolinas Kickoff Clash at Doug Shaw Stadium.

Mabe and coach Paul Hoggard are currently searching for opponent for Week 3.

“We have a couple of teams, one from Virginia, one from South Carolina and one from Charlotte, we have talked to,” Mabe said. “Hopefully we will get one to bite. It has to be a home game the first year and an endowment game. We know teams have to play a game, we know it will work out.”

Jack Britt and Richmond will meet in a rematch of last season’s third round playoff contest in Hope Mills on Sept. 13. The Raiders and the Bulldogs will battle the next week in Raider Stadium. The annual contest between Anson and Richmond will take place on Sept. 27 in Wadesboro.

The Raiders will have their open date on Oct. 4 before opening Southeastern Conference play at Hoke County. This season they will have two home conference games and three road dates.

After facing Hoke on Oct. 11, Richmond will welcome Purnell Swett and Lumberton into Raider Stadium before closing out it schedule at Pinecrest and Scotland.

— Sports editor Shawn Stinson can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 14, or by email at sstinson@civitasmedia.com.