Randolph-Henry High School’s (R-H) varsity football team showed ability in its Friday season opener that could hint at a year of improvement for the Statesmen on the gridiron, but it was too late to have a chance at victory against talented host William Campbell High School. The Statesmen returned home with a 54-6 loss.

“We pretty much did everything you can’t do in the first half,” R-H Head Coach Zach Orlando said. “We told the kids that we came out flat, and we just didn’t play very well.”

The score was 40-0 by halftime. After that, William Campbell outscored the Statesmen relatively narrowly, 14-6.

Orlando said that in the second half, the Generals’ starters stayed in the game until a little more than a minute remained in the fourth quarter.

“You went from 40-0 in the first half to 14-6 in the second half, and even in the second half, I wouldn’t say that we played great,” Orlando said. “I would just say that we didn’t make as many mistakes. It’s kind of like you can see the potential, but at the same time, you can’t come out that flat and expect to win.”

R-H was led on offense by junior Danny Parrish, who had 14 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown.

The Statesmen struggled to pass the ball, as sophomore Peter Jones went 6-for-15 passing for 13 yards and three interceptions.

On defense, senior Layton Payne led R-H with seven total tackles.

Randolph-Henry (0-1) visits James River High School, of Buchanan, on Friday at 7 p.m.

“They’re a good team,” Orlando said. “They’re not quite as fast as William Campbell, but I think they’re a very, very well-coached team. Once again, it’s one of them things where we can come out and we can play with anybody, but we’re also the kind of team that if we don’t play to our potential, we can lose to anybody.