ROCKINGHAM – It may be hard to believe that the Richmond Senior High School fall sports season is on its final stretch — for some programs.
This week marks the end of the regular season for the Lady Raider golf, volleyball and tennis teams ahead of postseason play, but several other programs, including football and soccer still have a way to go.
Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in this week’s action:
Lady Raider tennis looks to extend winning streak; senior night Monday
Arguably to hottest team this fall for Richmond has been Mike Way’s tennis team. Currently, the Lady Raiders have won 10 straight matches dating back to the end of August, and will look to notch their 11th consecutive victory Monday on senior night against Purnell Swett High School.
This year’s team is comprised mostly of seniors, as all of them will be recognized ahead of the match against the Lady Rams at 4 p.m. Seniors on this year’s team are: Morgan Hooks, Jayana Nicholson, Taylor Parrish, Emily Parsons, Greyson Way, Chole Wiggins and Ashley Yepez. The lone junior is Emily Buie.
Richmond will round out the week and the regular season Wednesday (4 p.m.) at home against Sandhills Athletic Conference leader Pinecrest High School. The last time the Lady Raiders lost was to the Lady Patriots 9-0 on Aug. 23. The regional playoffs are set to begin shortly after the conclusion of the regular season.
Richmond volleyball to honor two seniors and prepare for SAC tournament
In what has been a rollercoaster season for first-year head coach Ashleigh Larsen, the Lady Raiders have been on a high note over the last 10 days. After enduring a short losing streak, Richmond has bounced back to win their last four matches, all of which have been against SAC opponents.
Richmond won’t win its third-straight SAC title, but the final two matches of the season are crucial for state playoff contention. Currently locked into third place in the SAC, the Lady Raiders (11-7, 8-4 SAC) will host fifth-place Seventy-First High School (5-8. 4-7 SAC) Tuesday for senior night, before shutting the door on the regular season Thursday at fourth-place Scotland High School (7-8, 6-5 SAC).
Larsen will only see off two seniors in middle hitter Savannah Chappell and outside hitter Savannah Lampley. Both matches are set for 6 p.m., and the SAC tournament will begin following Thursday’s finale.
Lady Raider golf aiming to meet playoff qualifications with two-match week
Keith Parsons’ Lady Raider golf team has had an interesting schedule this fall, most notably because of the weather. Thanks to heat, thunderstorms and Hurricane Florence, several matches were either cancelled or shortened to nine holes instead of the regular 18 holes. Because of this, many golfers haven’t gotten in the required number of rounds to meet the state’s playoff rules.
That leads to two matches being played this week on back-to-back days. According to North Carolina High School Athletic Association director of sports and championships Brad Alford, golfers must submit their five best nine-hole scores to qualify for regionals and the state playoffs. This affects Richmond, including No. 1 Lady Raider Hailey Miller.
Miller, a junior, and the rest of the Lady Raiders will compete at Pinehurst No. 3 Monday in the regular season finale, before returning to the resort on Tuesday for a makeup opportunity to get a fifth round score. Both matches are scheduled to being at 2 p.m., and the Lady Raiders have finished third as a team in all of their matches this season.
Richmond soccer, Larsen hoping to rebound from physical week
The Raider soccer team had perhaps its toughest week of the season last week, as it battled SAC foes Pinecrest and Jack Britt high schools before closing out the week against a tough non-conference opponent in Terry Sanford High School. Richmond (5-8, 3-4 SAC) dropped all three matches, sliding to fourth place in the conference standings.
But head coach Chris Larsen expressed his confidence in his team, noting his players have the ability to redeem themselves with three more matches this week. All of them will be against SAC opponents, as the Raiders will try to make a late-season push to climb in the standings.
They’ll travel to second-place Hoke County High School (11-1, 7-0 SAC) Monday, before hosting fifth-place Lumberton High School (6-7-1, 3-4 SAC) on Wednesday and seventh-place Scotland High School (3-8, 1-5 SAC) on Thursday. It will be the first time that the Raiders will play the Pirates and Fighting Scots this season, and they fell to Hoke County at home 3-1 on Sept. 25. All matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Raider varsity and junior varsity football looking to keep respective streaks alive in Week 8
The Raider varsity football team won its fourth game in a row Friday as the Raiders dismantled Jack Britt High School 31-8. Head coach Bryan Till’s team nearly recorded its third shutout of the year, but a late-game score by the Buccaneers dashed the opportunity. Till expressed how “proud” he was of his team’s overall effort, as both sides of the ball played high-caliber football.
However, the Raiders (5-1, 2-0 SAC) are undefeated in SAC play and will look to remain atop the conference standings by welcoming in Hoke County this Friday for homecoming. The Bucks haven’t won a game since beating Purnell Swett in 2016. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
At the junior varsity level, the Raiders and head coach Patrick Hope are undefeated on the season after scoring 42 first-half points last Thursday against Jack Britt on the road. Richmond is now 5-0 and haven’t lost a game since Hope’s tenure began at the beginning of last season. The JV team will also play Hoke County this week, but will travel to Raeford on Thursday with kickoff at 6:30 p.m.
ROSports will publish a varsity football preview article later this week, as well as feature quotes from tennis and volleyball seniors. The Official Richmond County Athletes of the Week will be named, too.
