ROCKINGHAM — A lot of Raider magic took place inside Richmond Senior High School’s media center Wednesday, as the room became a sea of college t-shirts and hats, intertwined with big smiles and bright futures.
Wednesday served as the country’s “National Signing Day” for high school students to sign their National Letter of Intent (Division I and II) and letters of commitment (Division III or Junior College) to play college athletics.
Surrounded by family members, coaches, classmates, teammates and several Richmond County Schools officials, 12 Raider and Lady Raider student-athletes put pen to paper to make the next two or four years of their careers official.
Nine of the signees had made their verbal commitments public over the past couple of months, but three Raider football players made their announcement via their official signing. Six of the signees represented the football team, while four baseball players inked their futures. Rounding out the largest signing class in recent memory were two soccer players.
“This is a big day, especially having this many athletes sign,” Richmond athletic director Ricky Young said. “We will still have a couple more kids hopefully sign later in the spring, but this is a really good day to celebrate each of these kids and recognize them all at one time.
“We like to tell our kids in all of our programs that if they want to go play at the next level, don’t turn away any opportunities,” he added. “There are so many opportunities out there. We try to encourage them to go after them, and we’re very proud of our representation today.”
Young acted as the emcee of the event, calling each student-athlete to center stage by alphabetical order, allowing him or her to sign, address the crowd and thank parents, coaches and teammates.
Wednesday’s signees were: Nolan Allen, Alex Anderson, Tyler Bass, Cameron Carraway, Taveon Ellerbe, Tatum Hubbard, Rasheed Patrick, Jake Ransom, Malik Stanback, Bobby Terry, Jordyn Wall and Garet Weigman.
“The first thing we tell our kids is that the college coaches wouldn’t call them if they didn’t know they can already play,” Jim Butler, RSHS principal, said. “We know they’re athletically talented, but the question they always ask is what kind of kids are they, and what kind of grades they make.
“If you don’t put that with it, it doesn’t matter,” he added. “These kids represent the good character, good grades and athleticism that allow the difference maker for them to continue to the next level.”
Butler added that this year’s senior class holds a special place in his heart because it was the first group that started with his principalship two school years ago (2016-17).
“The class of 2019 came with me when I came (to RIchmond), so I have been with them all three years,” Butler noted. “It’s been fun to watch them come in as 10th graders and not knowing what the future was going to hold, but are now getting the chance to play at the next level. I’m excited for them.”
This group of 12 student-athletes joins a trio of Lady Raider softball players who signed their NLIs in November. They were Savannah Lampley (UNC-Wilmington), Taylor Parrish (Pfeiffer University) and Greyson Way (UNC-Greensboro).
“What today says for Richmond as a high school is that our teachers are really working with our kids to help prepare them for something like this,” head football coach Bryan Till shared. “All of these kids have had to do extra study sessions and stay with teachers to work on grades.
“There were so many teachers here today to take pictures with these kids, and that’s a testament to how the whole system works together to benefit out student-athletes and says a lot about the importance of their education.”
Baseball Commitments: Anderson, Bass, Carraway and Weigman
All four Raider baseball players had verbally committed to their respective schools over the past couple of months, starting with Anderson in September and the most recent being Bass two weeks ago. Coached by Young over their Raider careers, the foursome will head all over the eastern seaboard to continue their careers.
Anderson, an outfielder, will be making the longest trek of any of the 12 signees, heading to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., to play for the Blue Jays (Division III). Bass will head toward the beach, and play for the Brunswick Community College Dolphins as a middle infielder.
Carraway will head to the Division II circuit and fulfill a lifelong dream of playing for Wingate University. He was recruited as an infielder by the Bulldogs. Weigman rounded out the baseball signees, and is set to become a Guilford College Quaker, looking for playing time as a freshman behind the plate.
An interesting side note, all four players have grown up playing baseball together at various levels, including middle school ball at Rockingham and Hamlet middle schools, and several have played with showcase team Purpose Driven Baseball.
“This is a special group altogether,” Young said of this year’s baseball team. “There are 12 seniors, and that’s the most I’ve ever had on a team. These four guys have played together a long time, and they all pull for each other and have really good chemistry.
“I’m happy for all of them and I think they’ll all do well because they each picked a good school for them,” he added.
Football Commitments: Ellerbe, Ransom, Patrick, Stanback, Terry and Wall
The largest class Wednesday was Till’s group, sending six players to the signing table. Stanback, a wide receiver, was the first player to verbally commit early in the fall to Wofford College, this coming after sustaining a torn ACL during summer workouts and missing his entire senior season.
Ransom was the second to follow suit, making his decision to join the UNC-Charlotte 49ers as a preferred walk-on just a couple weeks ago. He will join a new coaching staff as a part of the offensive line after a successful career at Richmond, including three All-Conference selections.
Wall, also a wideout, was the most recent verbal commitment, Tweeting his decision to attend Presbyterian College starting in the fall just this week. Stanback, Ransom and Wall will all play for Division I programs.
Surprising those in attendance with their decisions were Ellerbe, Patrick and Terry, all of whom finalized their futures in the last couple days. Terry, a wide receiver and running back, announced he will head to Winston-Salem State University as a preferred walk-on. The Rams are a Division II program.
Ellerbe and Patrick, who have been teammates the last four years at Richmond, will continue their athletic and academic careers together at Louisburg College, a junior college in Louisburg, N.C. The future Hurricanes had stellar senior seasons for the Raiders, as Ellerbe (linebacker) and Patrick (defensive end) both earned All-Conference nods to cap their Richmond careers.
“This is what fit these guys, both academically and athletically,” Till explained. “All of them are getting really good opportunities. Jake and Bobby took walk-on opportunities despite having offers from other programs. Those are places they really wanted to go, and I have a real respect for their belief to earn scholarships once they get there.
“All of the guys understand that they’re blessed,” he continued. “Taveon and Rasheed took their trips this past Friday and got things together on Monday. Bobby squared things away this weekend, and Jordyn visited Presbyterian this weekend. The recruiting cycle is different for everybody, and I’m so proud of them for working things out.”
Soccer Commitments: Allen and Hubbard
With two signees, the Richmond soccer program will be sending Allen and Hubbard to Division III programs within the state. Hubbard was the lone Lady Raider to sign Wednesday, and she’ll join the Lady Monarchs as a defender at Methodist University. The offer to play in Fayetteville “fell in her lap,” as she verbally committed in December.
Allen, who is also a baseball player at Richmond, verbally committed around the same time as Hubbard to play soccer at Piedmont International University in Winston-Salem. He’ll join the Bruins as a defender, after wrapping up his varsity career with the Raiders this past fall.
“With Nolan, I got to coach him for two years on junior varsity before getting to move him around on varsity,” head soccer coach Chris Larsen said. “It’s nice to see the hard work he’s put in over the past four years pay off so he can continue to play at the next level.
“Tatum is getting a nice opportunity going into her senior season (this spring) knowing she’s going to have the opportunity to play again after high school,” he added. “This will be my second full year with her, and she’s worked hard to achieve this. Her hard work and effort in and out of season have helped her.”
For each student-athlete’s verbal commitment story, follow the link attached to their name above.
