WOODROW — Frenship football coach Jay Northcutt noticed late in the 2025 season that Cannon Richardson wasn't moving as well as he once had. Ironically, later seeing the linebacker traversing the hallways on crutches made Northcutt feel better.
Richardson had kept his ingrown-toenail afflictions from the coaching staff. They were aware of enough injury as it was.
Richardson didn't play the first five weeks of the season while rehabbing from a broken foot he suffered at a summer camp. He reinjured the foot in his debut, and it "bothered him the rest of the year." The fact that Richardson was able to perform like he did in the final six games — with the undisclosed ailments, too — reinforced for Northcutt how special the athlete could be in his senior
year.
Through one week, Richardson is supporting that belief.
Richardson led a swarming Frenship front that controlled Lubbock-Cooper in a 50-17 season-opening victory Friday at Pirate Stadium. Northcutt said it's the beginning of what should be an eye-catching campaign for the 6-foot-3, 230-pound hybrid athlete.
"I see him walking down the hall limping, and I'm going, 'What's happening?'" Northcutt said of the late 2025 interaction. "He goes, 'I just had surgery; I didn't tell you guys I had ingrown toenails.' That actually was like a relief.
"He's a good player, and I think he's under the radar because he just hasn't had as much tape because he's been injured."
The Pirates went three-and-out on their first two drives, with Richardson and defensive lineman Gunner Edwards closing out the second with consecutive sacks. It was the sign of a long night for Cooper's offense, which passed for 58 yards.
"We knew (their front) was really good. (Richardson) and (Edwards) are Division I players," Pirates coach Chip Darden said. "… We're inexperienced on the O-line, and we think they're gonna be really good. We like them, but we knew this was a really tough test for them right off the bat."
Richardson admitted it was tough to watch from the sidelines last season, but he grew into a more vocal presence. The senior was excited to enter this year healthy and show what the Tigers defense can do.
"Tonight is just a good way to show us we're really here," Richardson said. "We're here to compete, and everyone should be worried about us."
Frenship recorded 10 tackles for loss and held Cooper to 10 points through three quarters, before reserves took over. It was a dominant showing usually reserved for the Tigers' offense.
Frenship has built a reputation of a high-powered aerial attack under Northcutt, and that hasn't changed. New starter James Ordonez threw for five touchdowns as the team reached a half-century on the scoreboard. That's not out of the norm for a program that averaged 53.1 points per game two years ago.
Northcutt said his physically-imposing defense is the strength of the team, even if that goes against previous notions. A balanced performance like Friday's is a scary proposition for opponents.
"Everybody's going to see that on film," Edwards said. "We're not letting nobody get past us. We're shutting everything down this year."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Back from injury, Cannon Richardson out to show Frenship defense a strength
