ROCKINGHAM – For many of Richmond Senior High School’s athletic programs, Tuesday is the start of Week 4 of the fall season. But joining the mix for the first time this season will be the Lady Raider golf team, as well as the boys and girls cross country teams.
Now with all six major programs in play, as well as the junior varsity football program, Richmond student-athletes will be busy this week. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect for each program:
Raider soccer looking to jump over .500 following upset win over Lee County
In what was the most exciting match of the young season for the Raider soccer team, head coach Chris Larsen’s boys are looking to keep their magic going after upsetting Lee County 2-1 at home last Thursday.
The Yellow Jackets were ranked as the No. 8 team in 3A play, and the two goals in 56 seconds by junior Luke Hawks was enough to send them packing. With that surge, Richmond evened its overall record to 3-3 and 1-1 in Sandhills Athletic Conference play. Over the past two weeks, the Raiders have played three matches a week, but they’ll get some rest as they only play two in the next three days.
With hopes of finishing in the top two spots in the SAC, Richmond will need to take care of business Wednesday as it hosts Jack Britt High School. Last year was the first year the two schools were reunited in the same conference, and Jack Britt took the first match, before the second match resulted in a tie, sparking a newfound rivalry. The Buccaneers are 4-3, 1-1 this season, and are under direction of new head coach Wendell Wise. The match is set to start at 7 p.m.
The Raiders will return to the pitch a night later, and travel to Pine Forest High School (Fayetteville, N.C.) on Thursday for a non-conference meeting. The Trojans are 5-2 on the season, and rolled over the Raiders 5-1 last season. Larsen has noted the increased level of strength of schedule this year, and Thursday’s match will prove tough. The game will begin at 7 p.m.
Lady Raider volleyball hoping to get out of two-match rut
It had been a while since the Lady Raider volleyball program had dropped two matches in a row against SAC opponents, but it happened last week as Richmond fell to Pinecrest High School in five sets before being swept by Jack Britt. For head coach Ashleigh Larsen, it’s a new week with three new opportunities to right the ship.
Sitting with a 4-3 overall record, 1-2 in SAC play, the Lady Raiders will host Hoke County High School (0-7, 0-3 SAC) Tuesday. While Richmond has perennially dominated the Lady Bucks, Larsen expects her team to play with the same kind of aggressiveness against a winless team as it would against a playoff opponent. Tip off against Hoke County is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Perhaps the toughest matchup for the Lady Raiders this week will be the middle match, as they’ll travel to face a tough Lee County squad. Richmond competed against the Yellow Jackets in a preseason scrimmage, and since then, Lee County has started the 2018 season 3-2. Last week, a night after Richmond fell to Pinecrest, Lee County downed the Lady Patriots in straight sets. Richmond will look to defeat a tough opponent, with a start time of 6 p.m.
To round out the week, Larsen’s team will hit the road to Lumberton High School as the Lady Raiders return to SAC play Thursday. A season ago, Richmond swept the Lady Pirates, taking all but one set in the two meetings. This year, Lumberton is 6-1, 1-0 SAC, but will face Pinecrest ahead of what should be a competitive match against Richmond.
Richmond tennis working to keep SAC record toward the top
After starting the season with a pair of losses to tough non-conference opponents, the Lady Raider tennis team surged ahead in the SAC standings with a couple of clutch victories over Jack Britt and Hoke County. Richmond downed the two teams easily, going 16-1 in the two matches.
With those two wins, Richmond enters the week in fifth place place in the SAC, and has opportunities against Lumberton (2-2, 2-2 SAC) and Seventy-First High School (0-4, 0-4) to make a jump in the standings. Both matches are on the road and scheduled for 4 p.m., with Lumberton on Tuesday, and the Lady Falcons on Thursday.
Keith Parsons making head coaching debut at Bayonet Golf Course at Puppy Creek
After completing his first week as RSHS’ newest history teacher, first-year head coach Keith Parsons will also make his debut as the head golf coach. The Lady Raiders are returning several players from a season ago, including junior Hailey Miller, who is the lone golfer to have made regionals and states for Richmond in 2017.
With a new season comes some new faces, as Parsons is excited to have a couple of seniors and freshmen contribute to the team. Among the ninth graders are Kenleigh Frye, Kirsten McDonald and Taylor Young, all of whom are projected to make the start Tuesday at Bayonet Golf Course at Puppy Creek in Raeford, N.C.
Parsons will carry six golfers to each match, with the top four scorers contributing to the overall team score. Tuesday’s season opener at Bayonet, hosted by Hoke County, is set for a 2 p.m. tee time.
Miller, Wimpey open cross country season at Purnell Swett
New this season to the Richmond cross country program is head coach Shellie Wimpey, who will be taking on the role of the girls coach alongside decade-long veteran Reggie Miller (boys). Wimpey is making the switch from being the head volleyball coach after six seasons.
The Raider and Lady Raider teams will begin their respective seasons Tuesday at Purnell Swett High School (5 p.m.). They’ll square off against the host Rams, Scotland High School and Seventy-First High School. Runners to watch are Carson Jordan, Joey Nicholson and Airel Brown.
Junior varsity Raiders host Butler squad Thursday
Just like this time a season ago, the junior varsity Raiders are 2-0, and are now looking to keep a 12-game winning streak alive under second-year head coach Patrick Hope. The Raiders made easy work for the second week in a row last Thursday, brushing past the Pine Forest Trojans 49-26.
In that game, freshman quarterback Kellan Hood went 7-for-10 passing with 75 yards and one touchdown pass to Jarod Morrison. But it was the Raider rushing attack that accumulated 265 of Richmond’s 340 total yards of offense. Sophomore Jaron Coleman pounded his way to 199 yards on 22 attempts and two scores, while freshman Ke’Sean Ingram added 37 more yards on five attempts and two more touchdowns.
This week, the Raiders will host the David W. Butler High School Bulldogs, a team that they edged 6-0 last year, the team’s smallest margin of victory in 2017. This season, Butler is 1-0 and is coming off its bye week. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Raider Stadium.
Raider football looking to avenge 2017 loss to Butler Bulldogs
Head coach Bryan Till and the Raiders put together a stellar defensive performance Friday against an undefeated Pine Forest team, as Richmond strolled to a 28-0 win thanks to three second-half rushing touchdowns. Re-entering the win column, the Raiders are looking to lock up a big-time road victory Friday at Butler.
Against the Trojans, Richmond’s passing game wasn’t as electric as it was in Week 2 against Wake Forest High School, but it was the use of sophomore quarterback Caleb Hood’s and junior tailback Jaheim Covington’s legs that propelled Richmond to the win. Both rushed for two scores, including at 45-yard scamper by Covington down the right sideline to ice the win.
Defensively, the Raiders were led by seniors Divine Nicholson, Jonathan Jones and Rasheed Patrick. They, among others, held the Trojans to just 96 total yards of offense, including -6 yards in the second half. The shutout win was the first time Richmond had held an opponent off the board since Sept. 16, 2016.
This season, Butler is 1-0 and is also coming off its bye week like the junior varsity team. Kickoff against the Bulldogs in Matthews, N.C., is set for 7 p.m. A full game preview story will be published later this week.
