ROCKINGHAM — James Eason, a senior bowler, has been named the Official Richmond County Male Student-Athlete of the Week presented by Rockingham NC Self Storage.
Helping set the tone in a pair of victories against two teams tied for first place, Eason was nearly perfect during last week’s Sandhills Athletic Conference meet.
A year-round student-athlete who plays three sports, Eason earned his third career recognition and his first as a bowler.
Athletic Profile
Year: Senior
Winter sport: Bowling
Position: Anchor
Varsity experience: 3 seasons
Other sports: Soccer, baseball
CLASSROOM CREDITS WITH JAMES EASON
One of many student-athletes at Richmond who participates in the dual-enrollment program, Eason is taking classes at the high school and Richmond Community College.
In his penultimate semester of high school, Eason is currently taking four classes. At Richmond he’s in Annual Production Honors and Weight Training Honors, and he’s taking English 111 and Math 171 at the college.
During the first nine weeks of the semester, Eason made straight As and has a 3.9 GPA. He’s also a member of the varsity soccer and baseball programs. As part of annual, he attends sporting events to capture photos for the yearbook.
“My favorite class this semester is yearbook because it’s a fun and outgoing class,” Eason said. “It’s a relaxing class but we work hard to get the yearbook done. I like getting to take photos of sporting events.
“My goals for the rest of the school year are to continue to make good grades and meet new people,” he added. “I’m excited for graduation and want to enjoy the time I have left.”
“CLOSING FRAMES” WITH JAMES EASON
The Raider bowling team extended its season-long winning streak to four matches in last week’s Sandhills Athletic Conference dual meet. Richmond faced Scotland and Southern Lee, both tied for first place, and came away with wins.
Combining to add seven more points to their standings, the Raiders edged reigning state champion Scotland 3-2. They followed that with a more comfortable 4-1 win over the Cavs, evening the season series.
Eason was lights out in both matches as he floated between the anchor position with junior teammate Sam Thompson. Bowling 20 total frames, Eason closed 18 of them for an impressive .900 closing percentage.
In the Raiders’ match against Scotland, Eason was a perfect 11-for-11 on his frames. He bowled a single-match season-high nine strikes and closed out the other two with spares.
He followed that up by closing 7-of-9 frames (77%) against the Cavaliers, adding six more strikes and one spare. Eason’s performance helped the team finish with a .739 closing percentage between the two matches, the highest team effort this season.
In six matches this winter, Eason has knocked down 37 strikes and 13 spares. The Raiders will return to action on Jan. 4 against Scotland and Pinecrest.
RAPID RESPONSES WITH JAMES EASON
The Richmond Observer: How do you explain your success by closing all but two of your frames last week?
Eason: I just relaxed and was focused, and I had a little help from William White and my other teammates. I think about doing my job. Even if I don’t get a strike, I know I have to pick it up because we can’t leave frames open.
The Richmond Observer: What are the team’s expectations moving forward now that you’ve faced each opponent at least one time?
Eason: Hopefully we’ve got our nerves out of way and we can stay calm and focus on picking up pins. We have to be able to close out frames. We’d like to win a conference championship, and even though we’re young, I think we have it in us.
The Richmond Observer: You have been going on several college visits this year. Where do you hope to attend and for which sport?
Eason: I still have a lot of options right now but I’d like to play college baseball. I’ve gone on visits to Gardner-Webb and Pfeiffer, and have a few more planned.
The Richmond Observer: How would you define the term “student-athlete” and why is it important to uphold?
Eason: Being a student-athlete means everything starts in the classroom. My school work comes first and after I do that, I have to do what I have to on the field to be a good teammate. I try to prove that I’m capable of being successful at both.
The Richmond Observer: Who is your favorite holiday character and why?
Eason: It would have to be Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer because he’s the leader of the pack. Even though he’s not the biggest or strongest, he’s still able to be a good leader.
The Richmond Observer will publish its Official Richmond County Female Student-Athlete of the Week soon.
