ROCKINGHAM – With the first ever Top 10 Sports Stories countdown in the books, the ROSports department would like to recognize some of the other top athletic moments that just missed the cut.
With hundreds of student-athletes participating in over a dozen programs at Richmond Senior High School, seven of which have boys and girls teams, it’s hard to encapsulate everything into just a list of 10 moments. Therefore, this list has been created to include some of the other defining team and individual efforts during the 2017-2018 athletic school year.
These six moments are in no particular order:
Hailey Miller competes in state playoffs for Lady Raiders golf at Pinehurst Resort
As only a sophomore, golfer Hailey Miller was the lone Lady Raider to qualify for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 4A state playoffs this season. In late October, she competed in the two-day tournament at Pinehurst No. 1, and finished in 74th place. Over the course of the event, she shot a total score of 196 (+52), shooting an opening round of 100, followed by a 96.
“It was a great experience to see all of the competition,” Miller said of her state playoff venture. “I didn’t play like I wanted to, and it was rough getting things to work the way I wanted them to.”
Miller was the No. 1 Lady Raider golfer this past season, and anticipates on getting better for her junior year.
Altman Griffin and Dante Miller commit to Division I programs
This past school year saw many RSHS student athletes ink their future careers at several universities in a variety of sports. But among the top were two now graduated seniors, Altman Griffin and Dante Miller, both of whom committed to Division I programs.
On the volleyball court, Griffin helped lead the Lady Raiders to a 25-1 record her senior year while racking up a team-high 259 kills. Richmond won its second consecutive conference title, as well as won the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament. After being named the SAC’s “Player of the Year” for the second year in a row and helping Richmond secure its first No. 2 seed in the NCHSAA playoffs, Griffin signed her Letter of Intent in April to join the UNC-Wilmington volleyball program as a walk-on commit.
Also in the limelight was Miller, who finished off his Richmond football career with an All-SAC selection, as well as being named to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. In February, Miller switched from his verbal commitment to James Madison University to Columbia University in New York City, signing his National Letter of Intent to play football for the Lions. He rushed for 1,327 yards as a senior and scored 19 rushing touchdowns, adding to a well-balanced Richmond offensive attack.
Lady Raiders basketball team upsets No. 3 Jack Britt High School in SAC tournament
What former Lady Raiders head basketball basketball coach Rosalind McDonald called a “developing year,” the 2017-2018 Richmond team did find some Raider Magic during the SAC tournament. Ranked as the No. 6 team, the Lady Raiders traveled to Jack Britt in February and stunned the No. 3 Lady Bucs 58-47.
With the help of called-up junior varsity player Jayla McDougald, who scored 11 points in her varsity debut, the Lady Raiders survived and advanced to face off against Lumberton High School in the second round, which they lost to and ended their season.
“I expect (us) to win every single night,” McDonald said with a big smile following the win. “We don’t always do it, but I expect it. The junior varsity players really stepped up for us tonight.”
Raiders 4×100 relay team disqualified after winning state title
Richmond head boys track and field coach Chris Campolieta was adamant about who was the fastest 4×100 relay team at the NCHSAA state championships at North Carolina A&T State University in May.
On paper, the Raiders team made up of Miller, Malik Stanback, Preston Coker and Jaleen Baldwin had the best time in the state with a mark of 41.46 seconds. However, due to an “exchange infraction,” in which the baton was handed off outside of the designated area, the Raiders’ time was wiped clean, they lost their title, and North Mecklenburg High School received the state’s top spot.
“It’s frustrating,” said Campolieta after returning to RSHS following the meet. “We were definitely the fastest team, and everyone who was there knows it. They said that an exchange happened outside of the zone. I’m going to go back and look at the video to see what happened.”
Richmond adds swimming and bowling programs to winter sports lineup
Not only was it Richmond’s first season in the newly-formed SAC, the high school also added two new winter programs in bowling and swimming for both boys and girls. Like many of the other schools in the SAC, this was a new experience for Richmond’s coaches and student-athletes, and they didn’t disappoint. Some area schools, such as Pinecrest and Jack Britt, have long-established programs in both sports, but Richmond managed to make waves and knock some pins down to stir up the competition.
Taking over the bowling program was head coach Jeff Ingram, and the Raiders finished fifth in the SAC, while the Lady Raiders finished seventh in the standings. While Ingram called the season a “learning experience,” he did have some bright spots. His son Justin Ingram was named to the All-SAC team for boys, and finished 12th overall at the NCHSAA state championship. The head coach also said rising senior Savannah Lampley deserved to be on the All-SAC team despite not making it.
With swimming, head coach Mike Way used what he called a “group of athletes” to form the inaugural boys and girls swim teams at Richmond. After learning the mechanics and pacing of swimming during the first part of the season, Way’s crew improved by season’s end. Despite not having anyone make regionals, several individual swimmers, as well as many relay teams, were able to shave several seconds off their times in the final meet of the season to set personal bests.
JV football team wins SAC title over Scotland thanks to a perfect season
The final honorable mention moment comes courtesy of the junior varsity football team, which completed a perfect 10-0 season in 2017, its first undefeated season, and won the SAC championship under first-year head coach Patrick Hope.
In the title game, the Raiders defeated their biggest rival in Scotland High School by a final score of 14-0. Rising junior quarterback Noah Altman rushed in for a first-half score, and Altman would later connect with wide receiver Tremel Jones for the game’s final touchdown.
“Winning the SAC-8 is a tremendous accomplishment for these guys,” Hope said after the win. “To be the first to do anything it always great, but to be the first team to complete an undefeated run is truly special.”
