ROCKINGHAM — Senior football player Jaliel Green has been named the Official Richmond County Male Student-Athlete of the Week presented by Rockingham NC Self Storage.
Playing in his final high school game this past Friday, Green put up a respectable performance against a very physical Leesville Road High School defense. He also reached a career milestone in the process.
A two-year varsity running back, and the starter this season, Green earned his first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Year: Senior
Fall Sport: Football
Position: Running Back
Years on Varsity: 2 Years
Other Sports: Indoor, Outdoor Track
CLASSROOM CREDITS WITH JALIEL GREEN
With a quarter of his senior year already in the books, Green is taking classes this semester at Richmond Senior High School and Richmond Community College.
He’s enrolled in Economics and Personal Finance and Honors Weight Training at Richmond, and is taking Machining Technology I at RichmondCC. He currently has an A (98%) in Weight Training and Bs in Economics (84%) and Machining (85%).
“My favorite class this semester is machining because I really like what we do there,” Green said. “It’s really interesting and I’ve learned a lot. We cut a lot of different metals and make different parts.”
Green said he wants to play college football and he received his first college offer from St. Andrews University earlier this month.
After college, Green says there are several options he’d like to pursue. They include playing in the NFL, becoming an actor or working in mass communications or sports management.
“GROUND GAME” WITH JALIEL GREEN
The No. 18 Richmond football team traveled to No. 15 Leesville Road last Friday to open the NCHSAA 4A East state playoffs. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the game ended in a 27-0 elimination.
Green was responsible for most of Richmond’s offense in the postseason game, collecting a team-high 72 rushing yards on 17 carries (4.24 yards per attempt).
Facing a stout defensive front, Richmond’s offense struggled to move the ball. Green managed to get three of the Raiders’ six first downs in the game.
His longest run of the game came in the fourth quarter, which was a 38-yard rush that saw him break several tackles and get to the Pride’s 35-yard line.
In 11 games this season, including Friday’s playoff game, Green ran the ball 178 times for 1,065 yards. He averaged 96.8 rushing yards per game and 6.0 yards per carry.
Finding the end zone 10 times on the ground, Green had the most touchdowns (rushing or receiving) on the team this year. His longest run of the season was a 48-yard rush, which also resulted in a touchdown at Hoke County.
Green rushed for two touchdowns in a game four times — against Southern Lee, Hoke County, Union Pines and Lee County. He also had five 100+ rushing performances against those teams and Scotland, which he rushed for a career-high 154 yards.
RAPID RESPONSE VIDEO WITH JALIEL GREEN
In his video interview, Green breaks down his successful senior season on the field, shares his thoughts on reaching 1,000 yards and receiving his first college offer and tells about the best piece of advice he’s received from a teacher.
The Richmond Observer will publish its Official Richmond County Female Student-Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.
