ROCKINGHAM — Dereck Barringer, a senior on the Richmond Senior High School football team, has been named the Week 3 Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week presented by Moss Brothers Tire and Service.
Each week, one male and one female student-athlete from Richmond Senior High School will be selected by his or her coach as ROSports’ Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week based on his or her performance in helping their respective team.
Following the Raiders’ 42-14 blowout win over David W. Butler High School on Friday, Barringer had a career night on the stat sheet. His play in the secondary limited a strong passing game by the Bulldogs, and his performance earned him his first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age:17
Birthday: Jan. 9, 2002
Year:Senior
Fall Sport: Football
Position: Strong Safety
Years on Varsity: 3 Years
Height & Weight: 5-1,185 pounds
Experience: 8 Years
“LEARNING ‘D’ FACTS” WITH DERECK BARRINGER
RSHS Academics: Barringer is also off to a strong start in the classroom during his final fall semester at Richmond, as he’s taking several classes on campus and at Richmond Community College. Enrolled in the RichmondCC cluster, he’s currently in Math 143 and History 132 at the college. On Richmond’s campus, Barringer takes sports marketing with Mrs. Christy Moss and caps his day with the football team in fourth block weight training with Coach Milton Swiney.
“Sports marketing is a really fun class,” Barringer explained. “I like it because Mrs. Moss goes into a lot of details about all the things behind sports that generate money and promotions. She’s also a really good teacher who is really energetic.”
Currently, Barringer has a 2.97 GPA and frequently makes the A/B honor roll. Following football season, Barringer will run track and field in the spring, and hopes to participate in the 200-meter dash and the 4×200-meter relay.
Future Plans: It’s no secret to anyone within the Richmond football program that Barringer is looking to play ball at the college level. His performance this season is imperative in making that happen, and noted that Elon University and North Carolina A&T University have contacted him and Richmond head coach Bryan Till expressing interest. Barringer is still waiting for his first official offer.
“It makes me want to work harder because not having any offers right now makes me feel bad,” he said. “But the fact that there are still schools that have shown interest doesn’t make it so bad. I’m looking at the bright side and will continue to work to get better.”
He added that his “dream school” is Louisiana State University, and noted he hopes to receive an offer from East Carolina University. Barringer said he’s interested in studying graphic design, hoping one day to open his own business.
Athlete of the Week Stats: The No.1-ranked Raider football team made a statement last Friday with a 28-point thrashing over No. 8 Butler High School, and a large part of that was the team’s defense. While the offense exploded for 27 points in the second half, Barringer and the Raider secondary shut down a Bulldogs’ passing game that attempted 41 passes.
Having one of the best performances of his high school career, Barringer recorded four solo tackles, including a tackle for loss. He added three assists on tackles with his teammates, and racked up a game-high five pass break ups. Barringer’s speed and shifty maneuverability in the open field allowed him to close gaps and force would-be catches to the ground.
After each game, Richmond’s position coaches grade each players’ performance, and Barringer received a 90 against Butler.
Coach’s Corner: Till, who is in his third season at the helm of the Raiders, has seen Barringer grow in his role in the secondary since his sophomore year. He discusses Barringer’s performance against the Bulldogs and explains what makes him such a great teammate.
“Dereck has tremendous well-roundedness of game,” Till said. “He makes tackles in the open field, and broke up some big passes against Butler. He also closes space really fast, and on Friday, he had a really impactful performance and was a big reason we were so successful.
“He’s a goofball but in a good way,” TIll added. “He keeps it light for everyone else. Dereck enjoys the game of football and getting to hang out with his buddies on the field. When he’s up and energetic he has a really positive effect on his teammates.”
Raider Video Chats: Dereck Barringer, Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week
New this season is our “Raider Video Chats” segment that allows student-athletes to connect with fans and readers through video interviews. In his video, Barrigner discusses his big game against the Bulldogs, Richmond’s expectations in Week 4, as well as sharing some personal tidbits about his life in our “Rapid Raider Response” segment.
Click photo for video.
