ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Senior football team entered the season under coach Mike Castellano with low expectations.

Following its 34-7 victory over Rocky River in the opener, experts across the state are rethinking their position on Richmond.

CarolinaPreps.com ranked the Raiders at No. 22 in its preseason 4A power rankings. This week, Richmond moved up 14 spots to eighth.

Mallard Creek maintained the top spot with its 58-6 thrashing of Independence. Vance jumped three spots to No. 2. Scotland slid from second to third this week. Dudley stayed steady at No. 4. Butler also climbed three places, going from eighth to fifth.

Wake Forest tumbled three spots to sixth. Hillside jumped up into the Top 10 at No. 7, after being outside of it in the preseason rankings. East Forsyth, like Hillside, also found its way into the Top 10 at No. 9. Charlotte Catholic rounded out the Top 10, falling a spot this week.

Richmond will square off with three current members of the Top 10 this season — Butler, Dudley and Scotland. Pinecrest, another future opponent, was ranked 11th after Week 1.

In the MaxPreps.com rankings, Mallard Creek was also the top 4A in the state.

Charlotte Catholic checked in at No. 2. Scotland was third. Providence was ranked fourth, followed by Wake Forest.

Pinecrest was No. 6 and Richmond just behind in seventh. Rounding out the Top 10 were Vance, Millbrook and Conley.

MaxPreps uses a computer program to determine team rank. It does not poll coaches, sportswriters, or fans, nor does MaxPreps’ staff make any judgments on the merits of any individual team. Prior season history, school size and comments on message boards are not considered in the rankings.

The system utilizes the huge number of game results stored in the MaxPreps database. Generally, the more a team wins, the higher the ranking, but the system takes into account quality wins (against other highly ranked opponents) and strength of schedule.

For example, a team’s ranking is hurt more by losing to a team that is ranked below it versus a team ranked ahead.

The Associated Press and NCPreps.com didn’t post a poll this week by press time.

Reach managing editor Shawn Stinson at 910-817-2671 and follow him on Twitter @scgolfer.

Contributed by Jimmy McDonald The Richmond Senior football team is ranked eighth in the latest CarolinaPreps.com power rankings.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_UT0A1496.jpgContributed by Jimmy McDonald The Richmond Senior football team is ranked eighth in the latest CarolinaPreps.com power rankings.

By Shawn Stinson

[email protected]

CarolinaPreps.com

4A Power Rankings

1. Mallard Creek

2. Vance

3. Scotland

4. Dudley

5. Butler

6. Wake Forest

7. Hillside

8. Richmond

9. East Forsyth

10. Charlotte Catholic