Scott's Branch LB Richardson shows speed, power on way to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

The Scott's Branch football team started region play with a bang last week, rolling past Branchville for a 26-8 region win. In the heart of that success was Nazaiah Richardson, their senior linebacker who helped set a tone on defense.

Richardson led the tackling effort in the win and, more importantly, sealed the game with a 93-yard fumble return touchdown in the second half, earning Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors in the process.

"He's just reading his keys better and understanding the defense," Eagles' head coach Pat Fleming said of Richardson's progression this fall. "He knows the expectations, and he's done a really good job of being the quarterback of the defense, knowing where everyone is supposed to be alignment-wise and making adjustments. We were expecting this, but it's good to see it all coming together."

Richardson racked up 13 tackles in the win, leading Scott's Branch. While the fumble return was his biggest highlight, Fleming was impressed by his leadership skills for the SB defense.

"He's the hardest worker on the team. The younger guys are seeing his accomplishments and mirroring that," Fleming said. "We had Jaden Dixon starting his first game at inside linebacker (next to Richardson), so he was making sure he was aligned right, knowing all the calls. On pass plays, he was getting out and making great plays in coverage and making open-field tackles. Just everything we needed to be successful."

The fumble return was the backbreaker for Branchville, as the 93-yard return put the game out of reach, extending the Eagles' lead to four scores.

"We practice scoop and score every day with the linebacker group, and he just saw it and it was second nature to him," Fleming said. "Once he got a step, he's an 11-flat, 10.9 100 meter guy, so it was over with once he got a step on them."