ROCKINGHAM — The next few months will be a journey set on making a comeback for the Richmond Senior High School boys’ bowling team.
Spending the past few weeks getting dialed in for the new season, the Raiders want to return back toward the top of the Sandhills Athletic Conference and state rankings.
Last winter, Richmond and head coach Chris Larsen just missed out on making a state championship appearance, finishing fourth overall in the final SAC standings. The Raiders were 17 pins shy of making the cut.
Larsen, who is back for his second season as the boys’ head coach, expects a competitive approach from the team which features several multi-year starters as well as some new talent.
Like the last seven seasons since Richmond added bowling during the 2017-18 school year, the Raiders and the six other Sandhills Athletic Conference teams will bowl against each other twice during the regular season.
All matches will follow the Baker format, which will see five bowlers roll two frames apiece during each match.
Rolling four games in each match, a point is awarded for each victory. The team that has the highest pin total will also receive another point for a possibility of five points, which determines the conference standings.
The only Richmond bowler to make the postseason a year ago was senior Landon Summerlin. As a junior, he finished fourth overall in the individual SAC championship sending him to states where he placed 10th overall to make the All-State team.
Due to lineup changes late in the season, Summerlin transitioned to the team’s anchor, bowling in the fifth and 10th frames. He’s expected to carry that role again this winter.
The Raiders will be without former four-year bowler James Eason and Sam Thompson, who was the team’s anchor last winter.
But two other returning starters, along with three more bowlers who have been a part of the program the past few seasons, highlight the Raiders’ roster.
Senior Landon Taylor was a big part of the team’s success last year, often starting off in the first and sixth frames. Fellow senior Jabari Douglas was a consistent bowler, too, and he’ll be back once football season ends.
Juniors Azariah Daniel, Owen Hancock and Hayden Wheeler are all returning bowlers. Wheeler was promoted to the starting five late during his sophomore season, as he, Daniel and Hancock hope to make bigger contributions this winter.
Larsen went with a larger roster than normal this season, carrying 13 total bowlers. Newcomers who have been contenders during the preseason have been senior Ahjujuan Ewing and junior Tate Craven, both of whom are expected to deepen the bench.
New to the sport and program altogether are seniors Dazion Moseley and Billy West, junior Carter Visingard and freshmen Daryl Dobson and Mason Taylor.
Junior Hayden Wheeler, bowling during tryouts in October, will be looked upon to contribute more frequently this season. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
When action begins later this week, the Raiders will have to contend with several tough teams within their conference, including Scotland High School. The Fighting Scots are the reigning state champions.
Other tough programs over the last few years have been Pinecrest, Hoke County and Union Pines high schools.
Richmond had a 9-6 record last year and averaged a game score of 169.1 pins, along with 17.1 strikes per match and an average closing percentage of 0.610.
The Raiders will begin their season Thursday at the Sandhills Bowling Center in Aberdeen. Richmond will bowl one match against Southern Lee and Pinecrest high school beginning at 4 p.m.
