ROCKINGHAM — Two Richmond Senior High School student-athletes got a welcomed surprise Friday morning when they were named the 2019 Homecoming king and queen.
Adding the title to their senior year memory bank were Javon Little and Hailey Miller. The pair was announced as this year’s homecoming court king and queen near the end of Richmond’s pep rally ahead of its annual school spirit week game against Lumberton High School.
The newest addition to their high school resumes made an already successful fall season for both athletes even sweeter. Miller, who has been a four-year golfer, qualified for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 4A state championship earlier in the week.
Little, who has been a two-year varsity starter at defensive end for the football team, helped the Raiders improve to 9-0 on the season with a 51-7 blowout win against Lumberton. Against the Pirates, Little had one quarterback sack, a tackle for loss and one assist. He also received a postgame grade of 99 from defensive line coach Milton Swiney.
Friends since third grade at Washington Street Elementary School, Little said it only made sense to ask Miller to accompany him on the homecoming court.
“I was so surprised when our names were called. I just got really excited,” Little explained. “Winning homecoming court motivated me in many ways (for the game) because it made me feel good knowing we had won and it showed me everyone’s love and support.”
Throughout the week, Richmond’s students participated in spirit week. Miller and Little were among those to dress up, sporting outfits for their favorite holiday and movie or novel character. They also showed out for senior citizen and camo day, before capping the week dressed in a blue suede blazer and blue and fuschia dress.
“My favorite part of this week was a little bit of everything,” Little smiled. “There was the blowout game, and dressing up was my favorite part because I got to see how my boys would dress.
“Winning king and queen will always be a memory I’ll remember because I never expected to win,” he added.
Miller said she was “surprised and excited” because her and Little had been talking about the contest for a while, and explained that she was “really happy for us” when they won.
“It was a pretty busy week, but being able to see everyone participate in spirit week and knowing regionals was the same week as homecoming helped keep me excited,” Miller said. “It’ll definitely be a week to remember, especially with it being my senior year and knowing I’m making memories that will last a lifetime.”
Following the pep rally, which featured Richmond County’s own rappers Dubb Bankroll and Yung Rich, Little went to work preparing for the game with the rest of his teammates.
Miller, along with the other female participants on the homecoming court, rode in the annual parade in downtown Rockingham. She was driven in a white Chevrolet Corvette by her father, Dwayne Miller.
“Javon was a fun date and made me feel comfortable walking down the red carpet,” she said of Little. “I’m really glad he chose me; that moment they announced his jersey number I knew it was us (who won), which made it a special moment.
“It was cool having my dad escort me on the field and drive me through the parade since it’s kind of like it is when it comes to golf,” Miller added. “It was also great having my sister, Casey, and niece, Paislee, in the car with me, who helped make the parade a good time. Having my dad there brings back times of us being on the course together.”
Miller will start her bid for a 4A state championship in the first of her two rounds at Pinehurst No. 5 on Monday. Her tee time during the opening round is set for 10:51 a.m. at the first tee box.
Little and the Raiders will try to stay perfect and earn the program’s 500th all-time win when they host Seventy-First High School on Friday for senior night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
There were 31 total couples on the 2019 homecoming court. All senior football players wanting to participate choose a homecoming queen candidate. Below are all of the couples who represented this year’s court, in alphabetical order by last name by offense and defense:
Offense
Noah Altman, quarterback; Layne Maultsby
Brian Bowden, offensive guard; Jade Sweeny
Alex Branch, wide receiver; Hannah Bennett
Jaheim Covington, running back; Allexis Swiney
Drew Davis, punter; Caroline Freeman
Christian Garcia, offensive line; Jamey Eason
Austin Hart, offensive guard; Kayla Howell
Armond Martin, wide receiver; Avy Lucero
Zierre McCray, wide receiver; Megan Furr
Justin Morman, wide receiver; Edie Rae Bryant
James Patterson, offensive guard; Anna Pope
Bryson Sanders, offensive line; Abby Calhoun
Adam Stubbs, offensive line; Takira Hall
Defense
Derek Allred, linebacker; Amyia Griffin
Zyier Baldwin, cornerback; Maddisyn Diggs
Dereck Barringer, safety; Carly Batson
D’andre Bethea, linebacker; Keionna Love
Omarion Brown, safety; Briana Stancil
Desmond Covington, linebacker; Jasmine Redfearn
Thomas Dawkins, linebacker; Myah Hogan
Tyrone Easterling, linebacker; Camryn Odom
Elijah Green, defensive line; Jali Blue
D’Marcus Harrington, cornerback; Aliya Jones
Xavier Harrington, defensive end; Emily Jacobs
Javon Little, defensive end; Hailey Miller
Gavin Russell, linebacker; Carley Lambeth
Travis Short, linebacker; Kylee Lowery
Javier Staton, defensive end; Samharra Bell
Brandon Streeter, defensive tackle; Monasia Kearns
Chris Wall, cornerback; Tyra Frye
Joerail White, linebacker; Michaela Turner
