Clear Springs’ Sam Richardson makes a first quarter interception during a game against Brazoswood on Sept. 24 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in League City.
LEAGUE CITY — For the first time in his career, Sam Richardson felt what it was like to be scored on.
Elkins receiver Chance Allen caught a pair of second half touchdowns against the Clear Springs cornerback in Saturday’s Region III-5A bidistrict playoff game.
It was the first two touchdown catches Richardson has allowed to a receiver he was covering in his two-year varsity career.
Richardson admitted it came as a shock at first.
“I felt like I had let the team down,” the junior cornerback said. “But my teammates were there to support me and keep me positive.
“My coaches helped, too. They always call me the ‘One Factor’ because I guard the other team’s No. 1 receiver. When we were watching the film on Saturday, (head coach Clint Hartman) said no matter what, even after those two touchdowns, I was still going to be the team’s ‘One Factor.’”
Richardson’s play during the past two season has earned that respect of the entire Clear Springs program. Despite standing 5-foot-8, Richardson has been one of the most dominant defensive players in District 24-5A.
As a sophomore, he had 56 tackles, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and five blocked kicks. This year, he’s been just as good with 57 tackles, four interceptions and five blocked kicks.
“Sam isn’t the biggest guy, be he doesn’t play small,” Springs defensive coordinator Frank Maldonado said. “Internally he has an aggressive fire that you need when you are a cornerback and are always exposed on that island. He’s a competitive, competitive guy.”
Even in Saturday’s 28-26 playoff victory over Elkins, Richardson had a strong game with six tackles, an interception and two blocked kicks. He also put a lot of pressure on the potential game-winning field goal for Elkins, which was no good.
Even the two touchdown passes were hardly his fault. They came against a 6-foot-2 receiver on plays in the back of the end zone.
“Those were perfect throws and good catches,” Maldonado said. “If you watch the film, Sam had pretty good coverage on both those plays. He just got outjumped by a bigger player, and that’s hard to do, because Sam can get pretty high up there.”
Richardson said he came to the realization those would be tough to stop for any cornerback.
“When you play this position, you have to have a short-term memory,” Richardson said.
“If I’m going to play (Division I), I’m going to get scored on at some point. That’s something I have to get used to and move on.”
With his speed clock in the 4.4-second range, Richardson is receiving plenty of looks from some of the top programs in the country. Right now, Richardson said he is drawing interest from LSU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, West Virginia and Southern Methodist.
Richardson said a long playoff run, followed by a good spring and summer of combine work, will hopefully net him an offer from one of those programs.
“I’m hoping to make a big statement right now, that way I can sign before or during the season next year,” Richardson said. “I’m participating in the All-American Combine, and I’m hoping that will help me drop my speed into the 4.3 range.”
And just like any good cornerback, Richardson already has learned from giving up the two touchdowns Saturday. He now has a game plan when he goes up against those tall, speedy receivers that he is likely to face again at some point down the road.
“I feel like I’m definitely more physical, so I’m going to use that to my advantage,” Richardson said. “I was a little too lenient on letting (Allen and Elkins receiver Jordan Jolly) off the line. I need to beat them up at the line a little more and make sure they don’t have that space.”
