ROCKINGHAM — A new era of Richmond Senior High School wrestling is being ushered in this week as the Raiders officially begin their new season.
Nearly a year after being named head coach, Richard Kerekes and assistant head coach Andre Ellerbe are ready to return the Raiders to the mat for the first time in 14 months.
Looking to fill the void left by former 24-year verteran head coach Earl Nicholson, Kerekes and Ellerbe are excited to see what a young, but experienced Richmond squad can do.
Both coaches bring wrestling experience to the Raiders, having helped start the county’s middle school program during the 2018-19 school year.
Kerekes was a three-time state qualifier at Maiden High School and wrestled his freshman year at UNC Pembroke, while Ellerbe was a heavyweight state qualifier at Scotland High School, before wrestling for four years at St. Andrews.
“We are really excited as coaches because at the middle school level, we were teaching the basics from top, bottom and neutral,” Kerekes said. “With high school, these guys are much more advanced and we can teach them more in depth and the competition is a lot more intense.
“Being able to go a lot deeper into technique makes it more exciting for us and the kids,” he added. “An added bonus is that we’ve coached a lot of these guys already at the middle school level, so we’re familiar with them and they have the basics down pat.”
Assistant head coach Andre Ellerbe explains works with a Raider wrestler during practice.
The two coaches take over a program that went 20-10 during the 2019-20 season, but are without former state qualifiers Joey Nicholson (who also holds the program’s all-time wins record) and Austin Gallops.
This year’s team has fewer wrestlers than past years due to the overlap of spring sports, but Kerekes said the Raiders are most excited about hitting the mat and getting more matches under their belt.
He added that Richmond’s wrestlers tend to stay in shape throughout much of the offseason on their own, so knocking the conditioning rust off hasn’t been too bad this spring.
“With the experience we have, it’s easy to get kids back in shape,” Kerekes said. “But it will be harder to make up for the lack of mat time because of the pandemic, and that’s our main struggle right now. That has hurt us with our technique.
“We’ve had a long pre-season, but because of COVID, we haven’t done a lot of wrestling,” he added. “Our focus had been strength and endurance, but now it’s all about working on the mat and perfecting two or three moves from top, bottom and neutral.”
With roughly 15 wrestlers on this year’s team, senior Kaden Walker returns as one of the top competitors for the Raiders. After missing his junior senior with an ACL injury, Walker is back to 100 percent and aiming to chase a state title in the 172-pound weight class.
Other notables Kerekes said should impress this season are junior Andres Sanchez (120, 126-pound), sophomore Naamon Perkais (138, 142-pound) and fellow sophomores Jaxon Martin, Braxton Jenks and Messiah Shaw, who will all compete for different weight classes.
“Kaden and Naamon are both looking really solid,” he added. “The younger guys worked with us in middle school for two years and they look like they’re piecing in together. These kids know what to do on the mat.
“Andres gave Joey (Nicholson) a hard time during practices, so he should have a great season,” he added. “Jaxon has been working his butt off since we got back, Braxton is a solid wrestler and Messiah just joined us from football and I think he’s going to have a really good season.”
Senior Kaden Walker (right) works through drills during Monday’s practice.
When asked what the Raiders’ strongest component is as a team, Kerekes said it’s their responsibility on and off the mat. Whether it’s starting practice ahead of schedule, holding one another accountable or each wrestler’s drive to get better, the first-year head coach believes that will carry the team to many successes.
The Raiders compete in a tough Sandhills Athletic Conference, with teams like Pinecrest, Jack Britt, Lumberton, Purnell Swett, Scotland and Seventy-First high schools posing as competitors for Richmond.
“We have some really confident kids who are also really aggressive,” Kerekes said. “We are a small team, but of the 15 guys we have, they have a good amount of experience and mat time. For our size, we’re pretty advanced, and I expect a lot of them to be after titles this year.
“We want to remain competitive, especially in a tough conference,” he closed. “I’m hoping to place in the top four, and we will get to the top couple of teams at some point, but we need to keep developing our middle school and club programs.”
According to the NCHSAA’s modified sports manual, wrestling teams can compete in two matches per week and follow a dual or tri-match format. Wrestlers will not be required to wear face masks during competition, but can choose to do so if they want.
However, masks must be worn by everyone who is not wrestling. Hand sanitizer, wash stations and wipes will be made available near the mat, and mats will be disinfected prior to and between team competitions.
Richmond will open its season on Tuesday at non-conference Anson High School at 6 p.m., followed by a tri-match at Asheboro High School on Friday.
