ROCKINGHAM – Hundreds of local soccer enthusiasts battled the steamy summer conditions Saturday to participate and spectate the fourth annual Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries three-on-three charity soccer tournament at George Browder Park in Rockingham.
Hosted by the Richmond Rush Football Club, and headed by husband and wife tandem Keith and Colleen Parsons, the small-sided tournament saw its largest ever number of participating teams, with 21 squads competing across five divisions, two of which were new this year. Keith Parsons also noted that he was “pleased” to see two teams from Moore County participate in the event, further proving the growth of the tournament.
“This is the best (tournament) we’ve ever had, and certainly the biggest in terms of numbers,” Parsons, the newly announced Richmond Senior High School golf coach, said. “The level of play continues to get better every year, and the younger teams are so good. I think soccer in Richmond County, in and of itself, is getting better. You can see that in the high school and middle school teams, and out here as well.
“I appreciate everyone’s support, especially Hwy 55 and J.R. Cottle for sponsoring our event,” he continued. “Charles and Kristen Hudson of Unique Auto Sales stepped up to sponsor our open division, and we had members of Richmond’s Beta Club helping with the concession stand. Plus I have to thank the City of Rockingham for allowing us to use their fields — they did a great job of getting them ready for us.”
Parsons also wanted to thank other corporate sponsors Jeff’s Trophies and T’s, Life’s Memories Outdoors and The Embroidery Corner for supplying various needs for the tournament.
The charity event was headlined by third-year title sponsor Hwy 55 of Rockingham, as owner J.R. Cottle not only had several of his staff members on hand to help out and serve hotdogs and hamburgers, but he also participated in the soccer tournament. As explained by Parsons, all of the proceeds of the event go toward benefitting a local charity.
This year, the Parsons selected “Impact Backpack,” a student school supply non-profit founded by Brett Bowers and Justus Ellerbe, two 2016 Richmond Senior High School graduates. The organization, which was started in June, works through the Second Baptist Church of Hamlet, and is aimed at providing area students with non-perishable food items and school supplies.
“Being able to partner with Brett and Justus this year was a neat thing,” Parsons said. “I really love what they’re doing with their organization, and I’m glad we could help them in whatever way we could.”
Ellerbe attends East Carolina University and is a criminal justice major, and Bowers is set to begin the seminary program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary this fall. Bowers was on hand for Saturday’s event, and even coached the championship boys team in the middle school division.
“I thought the whole event was awesome,” Bowers commented. “Again, seeing all of these people and our community coming together for a great cause really shows me how God is working in my hometown. Any money we can raise is definitely appreciated. Keith and Colleen’s generosity has been amazing, and we appreciate everything they’ve done to help Impact Backpack.
“I loved coaching out here today, and the kids made it easy for me,” he smiled. “They’re a good group of guys with good chemistry on the field.”
As explained by Parsons, three-on-three soccer is a faster-paced version of the traditional game, and requires a similar, but unique skill set and strategy. There are no goalkeepers, and the fields are smaller, as players may only score a legitimate goal by crossing the midfield line.
It’s a higher-scoring affair, and the Parsons started the Richmond Rush club five years ago to help grow the sport in the local area. Each team participated in a double round-robin bracket across five fields Saturday, with wins, losses and goal differential playing a part in tournament seeding.
The majority of teams competed in the “open” adult division, sponsored by Unique Auto Sales, and was comprised of male and female players. Taking home the first-place honors was Richmond FC, made up of coach Wayne Millen, Austin Campbell, Nick Fuller, Tad Hamilton, Johnny Juarez and Christian Padron. They defeated Mi Casita 10-7 in the final match.
The next two brackets were the high school boys and girls divisions, with both winning teams having current RSHS players on their roster. In the girls bracket, Richmond Rush 1 knocked off an undefeated USA Academy (Moore County) team in the championship game 7-3. Medal winners on that team, coached by Shannon Huff, were rising seniors Tatum Hubbard, Jayana Nicholson and Valery Standridge, rising junior Avy Lucero and rising freshman Kaitlyn Huff.
For the boys high school bracket, the four-man team of the Red Oaks held on to defeat AC Rock 7-1. Heading into the championship match, AC Rock hadn’t lost a game all day. Rising senior Evyn Brower, and rising juniors Noah Aiken, Cole Deane and Luke Hawks were members of the winning team, coached by Bennett Deane, III.
New to this year’s tournament was the middle school bracket, divided into boys and girls divisions, as Parsons noted it was nice to add a younger age group after not having one the previous three years.
ACS 06 won the girl’s tournament, beating Richmond FC in penalty kicks. At the end of regulation, the game was tied at 5-5, and the ACS team outdid its opponent 2-1 in penalty kicks. Coached by Shaun Queen, Sophia Kaczmerak, Mia Martin, Addy Nordgren and Grace Queen took home title honors.
In the boy’s middle school bracket, the Good Feet People team, coach by Bowers and assistant coach Gabe Altman, defeated ACS Orange, headed by Hudson, 9-5. Team members awarded a championship medal were Carson Dixon, Gavin Graves, Graylen Hall, Samuel Hawks and Christian Robinson.
“It was a great turnout this year, and we had a bunch of teams from outside the county, which is really good for this event,” Cottle said. “Keith organizes this and gets nothing out of it — and every year he chooses a local organization to receive the funds. Hwy 55 is glad to give back to Richmond County and have a fun day playing soccer.”
Parsons said he’ll give himself some time off, but is already looking forward to having a “bigger and better” turnout at next summer’s event.
To find out more about Bowers’ and Ellerbe’s Impact Backpack organization, and to donate, visit their Facebook page “Impact Backpack Drive.”
For a full photo gallery of the day’s events, including photos of each bracket’s championship and runner-up teams, click here.
