ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County elementary school students have had some extra special visitors greeting them on the way into the classroom on Friday mornings this fall.
As a part of the Richmond Senior High School football program and head coach Bryan Till’s efforts to continue to immerse the Raiders in and around the community, several senior players venture out to their alma maters on home game days to welcome future Raiders ahead of another day of learning.
Something Till, who is in his third season as the Raiders’ head coach, started during his first season in 2017, has grown into a local sensation that his players, as well as students and families, have come to enjoy.
“We started this when I was thinking of ways to get our kids in front of their community,” Till explained. “It has been well received by all the elementary school principals. The idea was for our guys to interact with the young kids and to get an understanding of how impactful their position as a Raider football player is for good.
“They don’t all get to go to their home school all the time,” he said of his players. “We try to space it out so there is equal representation at all schools.”
Till said that players have made visits to all seven Richmond County Schools elementary schools, and there are multiple senior players who go out and visit the future Raiders each time. Those schools include East Rockingham, L.J. Bell, Washington Street and West Rockingham, Fairview Heights and Monroe Avenue, and Mineral Springs.
Players arrive early on home game days with hopes of brightening the mornings of others, while also hoping to use the experience to encourage fans, both young and veteran, to come out and participate in Friday night lights with the Raiders.
“I want (our players) to understand the importance of their position in the community as a player on the Raider football team,” Till shared. “They should understand that people look to them and see how they want to act. I also want them to see how good it feels to have a good reputation and do the right things so that they will want to continue to do this.
“I hope the young kids see how our guys can be strong men but also kind and willing to help when it is needed,” he continued. “I want those kids to grow up and idealize those traits as much as the exploits on the field.”
The 12th-grade players stand out front of the schools and open car doors, assist students with their backpacks and get them down on the sidewalk and offer “good morning” and “have a good day” salutations.
“It’s a crazy experience because of the way the kids look at us when we get off the bus,” senior safety Dereck Barringer said of visiting Fairview Heights. “Their faces light and it makes all of us feel good because they see us as superheroes.”
“It really does make my day better,” fellow secondary player Zyier Baldwin echoed of going to the same school. “We just want to encourage them to make good grades and maybe someday become a Raider football player.”
The small acts of kindness have gone far beyond the bus circles and car rider lines of area schools, as parents, grandparents and other family members have taken to social media to express their gratitude for what the Raiders are doing.
Carla Callahan posted a photo of her grandson Blaise Callahan, a kindergarten student at Washington Street, getting lifted out of the car by senior running back Jaheim Covington.
“Hats off to Washington Street School!!!” her post read. “The Raider football team was greeting the students on game day. Blaise was so excited this morning he didn’t even cry.”
Blaise Callahan was having trouble getting used to going to school, and since he formed a special bond with Covington, he looks forward to seeing his favorite Raider on Friday mornings.
Another parent, Courtney Idol Gardner, whose daughter Chloe is a third grader at West Rockingham, also shared their experience.
“This is the first week since school started that Chloe has gotten out of the car every morning excited to go to school,” she wrote. “Y’all have no idea how hard this has been … But this morning she saw the Raider football players there opening the door for her and giving her high-fives, she was so excited and all smiles.”
Senior defensive end Javier Staton is one of those players who returns to West Rockingham to greet students like Chloe.
“The mornings are always so nice and energetic,” Staton shared. “It’s cool to give high-fives and help them get their day started. This shows that we’re young men in the community trying to good things and put smiles on their faces.”
“It’s really cool because I used to to go to East Rockingham, and I miss it,” wide receiver Armond Martin shared. “The kids get out of the car and smile, then we smile and it makes everyone’s day better.”
Christie Robson’s daughter Sophie, who is a kindergartener at Mineral Springs, also took to Facebook to share the impact of the Raiders on the school in the northern end of the county.
“We saw three of the Richmond football players coming in to see the kids,” she wrote. “I am so glad they are (given) the opportunity to come into these elementary schools and speak to the children… you wouldn’t believe the smiles I seen on those kids faces. Thank you Coach Till and other staff for allowing this.”
With hundreds of future Raider students, and many future student-athletes, passing by the current senior football players on their way to class, Till said he wants his program to “be a point of pride for our fans across the state.” He explained that pride begins at home in Richmond County with its schools and future high school students.
“When people feel appreciated and a part of something, those positive feelings help them work together to do even greater things,” Till said. “We want these future Raiders to grow up seeing our community working together on Friday nights so that they know what all we can do together outside of Friday nights as well.”
Offensive linemen Adam Stubbs added the main goal is for him and his teammates is to “go out and set a good example for all the younger kids.” He hopes the more time the Raiders spend with the local community, the stronger the link will get between it and the football program.
“The best part for me is opening the doors and helping the kids get out and seeing their smiles,” Stubbs closed. “I tell them to have a good day and I hope we really do make a difference.”
The No. 1 ranked Raiders will host No. 29 Seventy-First on Friday in Richmond’s final regular-season home game. It’s senior night, and a handful of seniors will be around the county Friday morning trying to make the day better for some of their newest friends.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
