ROCKINGHAM — Thursday’s early dismissal from school marks the end of the 2018 school calendar for Richmond Senior High School students, but there are several Raider and Lady Raider athletic events scheduled during the holiday break.
The winter sports season began around the Thanksgiving holiday with Richmond sporting boys and girls basketball, bowling and swimming teams, as well as wrestling and indoor track.
Richmond basketball to compete in Anson Shootout and Ashbrook Holiday Invitational
The Raider and Lady Raider basketball teams are roughly a quarter of the way through their 2018-19 regular season schedules. Both teams fell to Ronald Reagan High School on Monday, and the boys now have a 1-5 overall record, while the girls have a 4-4 overall record.
Head coaches Teddy Moseley (girls) and Donald Pettigrew (boys) are hoping to turn things around while classes are out of session. Both Richmond squads will travel to Anson High School Friday, Dec. 21, and Saturday, Dec. 22, to compete in the Anson Shootout Holiday Tournament.
The two-day event will see both teams compete at least twice, with the Lady Raiders facing Union Academy Charter School (Monroe, N.C.) in the opening round Friday at 4 p.m. The Raiders will begin with Parkwood High School (Monroe, N.C.) at 5:30 p.m. The opponents for either team on day two will be determined by how they play on day one.
After the Anson Shootout, just the Raiders will pack up and head to the Ashbrook Holiday Invitational at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, N.C. A three-day event, the Raiders will start against Hunter Huss High School (Gastonia, N.C.) on Thursday, Dec. 27, before playing Friday and Saturday.
Bowling and swimming wrap up regular seasons after break
Ralph Butler’s boys and girls bowling teams will be the last Richmond programs to compete before the break. The Raiders and Lady Raiders will head to the Sand Hills Bowling Center in Aberdeen, N.C., Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. to face Jack Britt and Scotland high schools in the fifth meet of the season.
Both teams are in the middle of their respective conference standings, and wins against the Buccaneers and Fighting Scots would make things more interesting. It’s the second time this season that Richmond will face Thursday’s opponents.
The bowling regular season will wrap up with two more meets on Jan. 10 and Jan. 24, 2019. Beginning on Jan. 31, the girls’ singles championships will take place, followed by the boys’ championships on Feb. 7.
In the pool, Mike Way’s swimming teams are in a similar position as the bowling teams. Battling tough conference opponents and trying to build a program in its second year, the Raider and Lady Raider swim teams will close regular season play on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at St. Andrews University at 5:30 p.m.
That meet will be hosted by Richmond and Pinecrest High School, and set the stage for the Sandhills Athletic Conference championship meet on Jan. 19. Seniors Greyson Way and Natalie Davis have posted top five finishes in the 50-yard freestyle event this year for the Lady Raiders, while junior Dakota Locklear has consistently placed near the top of the leaderboard in the same event for the boys.
Wrestling headed to Mallard Creek in first of two holiday break meets
One of the biggest tournaments the Richmond wrestling team will compete in this season is slated for Friday, Dec. 21, and Saturday, Dec. 22, at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte. The Raiders will compete in the E.B. Memorial Clash at the Creek, a 25-team tournament that will host teams from all across the state.
Richmond will then battle West Stanly High School in a non-conference multi-dual event on the road on Saturday, Dec. 29, to close out the holiday break events.
