When Richmond played New Madrid County Central in 11-man football in 2022 in Ste. Genevieve, the Spartans “might’ve caught them by surprise a little bit,” Richmond coach Nick Persell speculated. Persell didn’t expect that to happen when the teams met Aug. 26 at Boonville. “They’ll be ready to play,” he said Aug. 8 on the practice field on the high school campus. The Eagles, who lost 61-27 last year, were ready enough that they defeated Richmond 50-38. Persell expected the season opener to be the first varsity start for many of his Spartans. Offensively, Richmond’s skill position players are “all going to be new faces,” he said. “New face at quarterback, tight end, both receivers, fullback and tailback,” Persell said. Junior Jacob Johnson is the “new face” at quarterback. He succeeds Donivin Williams, who graduated in May. Johnson learned about leadership while backing up Williams last season, he said. “And (I learned) how to keep everyone’s spirits up and, overall, be a better…