ROCKINGHAM – Wednesday and Thursday marked the first two consecutive days that several Richmond Senior High School athletics programs held practice in over a week thanks to the coming and going of Hurricane Florence.
Two of those programs were the Raider soccer and the Lady Raider volleyball teams, both of which haven’t competed in competitive games since before the hurricane hit. Chris Larsen’s soccer team was scheduled to play early last week, but rain prior to the effects of Florence kept his team off the pitch entirely.
Meanwhile the Lady Raiders, coached by Ashleigh Larsen, managed to squeeze in a conference match against Seventy-First High School last Tuesday before all Richmond County Schools athletics were suspended in preparation for the storm the following day.
With each program trying to return to its normal routine, both head coaches expressed optimism about their return to their respective playing surfaces, but also voiced concerns with the unexpected delay midway through the season.
Soccer to “get a game plan” and move forward
Before Florence, Richmond was supposed to faceoff in two crucial Sandhills Athletic Conference matches against Hoke County and Lumberton high schools. Leading up to the midseason pause, the Raiders had won two of their final three matches, silencing Jack Britt High School 3-0, and handing No. 8 Lee County High School a 2-1 loss.
With the last two weeks’ worth of games postponed and not slated to be started until next week, Larsen sees the limited practice time as imperative to his team’s success at making a conference title and state playoff run.
“You can tell we haven’t done anything in a while, so we’re a little rusty,” Chris Larsen said at Thursday’s practice. “You expect that when something like this happens — but it’s been good to get the guys out here practicing again to get back in the swing of things.
“The biggest thing for us is to try and get a game plan and move forward,” he added. “It’s hard for the guys to come out and practice hard every day and not know what games will be made up and which games we won’t play. I keep preaching that they’ve got the stay ready for whatever.”
While the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is still exploring its options on what to do regarding all fall sports, some of the Raiders’ games have been put back in place starting next Tuesday.
Richmond (4-4, 2-1 SAC) will host Hoke County (7-1,3-0 SAC) Tuesday (7:15 p.m.) for the first time this season, as well as Purnell Swett High School (3-3-2, 1-2 SAC) Wednesday (6 p.m.), a team it defeated 8-0 a few weeks ago. The Raiders will round out the week by traveling to Lumberton (5-5-1, 2-2 SAC) on Thursday (7:15 p.m.).
“We were playing pretty good before the break, and I think we’ll come out all right,” Larsen noted. “The guys have played hard against some tough teams in the early part of the season, so this little break should allow us to come out fresh.”
Volleyball schedule “out of our hands” while Lady Raiders prepare for next match
Unlike the soccer team, Ashleigh Larsen’s volleyball team still doesn’t know it will be back on the court. As the last Richmond team to play a game before Florence, Larsen said the Lady Raiders should pick things up again next week, but she’s awaiting official word from athletic director Ricky Young.
“The break was unexpected, but it’s good to have everyone back in the gym,” Larsen said Thursday. “The girls have had a ton of energy, and I’m glad that they’re getting it out at practice. We’re just doing some basic drills to get back in the swing of things. Nothing has been confirmed about (playing) next week, so it’s really out of our hands at this point.”
Richmond was on a roll before play was stopped, having won its three previous SAC matches, the biggest one being the middle match against Lumberton on the road. On the season, the Lady Raiders are 7-4 overall, with a 4-2 SAC record, which places them third overall in the SAC standings.
“We were on a hot streak and I hated to see it come to an end,” Larsen said of the delay. “A big break between games isn’t always the best thing — but there are bigger issues schools are dealing with.
“I’m optimistic for our return because the girls have shown me a lot during practice the last few days,” she added. “We’re fixing some things and hopefully we’ll continue to get better.”
If the upcoming week holds like Larsen anticipates it to, Richmond will face off against Jack Britt and Pinecrest high schools, which are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the conference standings. Also in the mix will be non-conference opponent Lee County High School, which the Lady Raiders fell to in four sets a couple of weeks ago. Wins against all three teams could boost Richmond back into contention for a third-straight conference title.
Both Larsens, as well as all the other Richmond head coaches, are waiting to see what the NCHSAA will do. In 2016, following Hurricane Matthew, the governing body did away with the conference tournaments for soccer and volleyball to allow for regular season play to be made up.
ROSports will provide an update when the NCHSAA makes its ruling, which is expected to be made by the end of the month.
