ROCKINGHAM – Richmond Senior High School and Ninth Grade Academy student-students will be back in the classroom Monday for the first day of school, and with their return to campus, Week 3 of the fall sports season kicks off.
It’s another full week of Richmond athletics, as five different programs will be in action. Below is a breakdown of what to expect this week:
Lady Raiders’ 26-match conference winning streak on the line
On the season, the Richmond varsity volleyball team is 4-1, dropping its only match to non-conference powerhouse Union Pines High School in straight sets a week ago. In the two matches since then, head coach Ashleigh Larsen’s team defeated Uwharrie Charter Academy (3-2) and swept Purnell Swett High School (3-0) to open Sandhills Athletic Conference play.
As their quest to win their third-straight conference title continues, the Lady Raiders will put their current 26-match regular season conference winning streak on the line. This week won’t be an easy chore for Richmond, as it’ll face two of the SAC’s top teams from a season ago.
Up first will be Pinecrest High School on the road Tuesday (6 p.m.). The Lady Patriots finished second in the SAC last year, just behind the Lady Raiders. Head coach Scott Shepherd’s team is 2-1 on the young season, and defeated SAC cellar dweller Seventy-First High School in straight sets last Thursday. Between Richmond and Pinecrest, the two programs have combined to win the last four conference titles.
Richmond will then return home Thursday to host Jack Britt High School (6 p.m.). The Lady Buccaneers finished tied for third with Hoke County and Scotland high schools with an 8-6 SAC record a year ago, and are currently 1-2 on the 2018 campaign. They will face two opponents ahead of Richmond, and the Lady Raiders will look to bolster their conference record.
Note: The junior varsity team is a perfect 5-0 on the year, and will play ahead of both varsity matches at 5 p.m.
Raider soccer looking to heat things up following Larsen’s first win
After getting his first career varsity coaching win under his belt last Thursday at home against Forest Hills High School, Chris Larsen hopes to see his team start an early-season tear in the win column. The Raiders dropped their first two games to CATA and Porter Ridge High School to open the season due to a lack of scoring, but Larsen thinks the 4-1 win over the Yellow Jackets will be just what his team needs.
Richmond will also open its SAC schedule this week, as the Raiders look to stay competitive in their second consecutive three-match week. On the road Monday at Purnell Swett (6 p.m.) and Pinecrest Wednesday (7 p.m.), Richmond will wrap up the week at home Thursday with a tough non-conference opponent in Lee County High School (7 p.m.).
Richmond will look to win its second match of the season in Pembroke, as things look good for the boys in green and gold against the Rams. In 2017, the Raiders swept Purnell Swett and outscored the Rams 12-0 in two games, including a 9-0 mercy-rule win in the early going. This season, the Rams are 1-0-1 ahead of their SAC opener against Richmond.
The Patriots of Pinecrest are the reigning SAC champions from a year ago, and Chris Fitzgerald’s team is 2-1 heading into the week. The two squads met in a preseason scrimmage in mid-August, and despite a solid opening 20 minutes, the Raiders fell 3-0.
To round out the week, Richmond will head home and welcome in Lee County. The Yellow Jackets (4-0) will be a tough card, as they made it all the way to the semifinal match in last year’s 3A soccer playoffs before falling 3-2 in triple overtime to eventual state champion Chapel Hill High School.
Note: The Raider junior varsity team (1-1) will not play against Purnell Swett, but will compete against Pinecrest and Lee County. Both matches are set for 5:15 p.m.
Lady Raider tennis trying to re-enter win column
The Lady Raider tennis team, coached by third-year head coach Mike Way, saw moments of triumph and defeat last week. After dropping its first two matches of the season two weeks ago, Richmond was able to pick up its first win against Purnell Swett with a commanding 8-1 win last Tuesday. The Lady Raiders struggled, however, against Pinecrest to round out the week, falling 9-0.
Back in action twice more this week, the Lady Raiders will face SAC opponents Jack Britt (Tuesday, 4 p.m.) and Hoke County High School (Thursday, 4 p.m.). The Lady Buccaneers (0-1) and the Lady Bucks (0-2) could result in two SAC wins for the Lady Raiders. Way’s team is comprised of six seniors, as his daughter Greyson, and fellow senior Jayana Nicholson are the No. 1 and No. 2 players, respectively.
Richmond JV football hoping to win 12th-straight game under Hope
The junior varsity Raider football team got its 2018 season off to a fast start last Thursday, as Richmond pounced on the Wake Forest High School Cougars with a 42-13 drubbing. Behind 457 yards of total offense, including 315 yards on the ground, the Raiders defeated Wake Forest for the second straight year after ending the Cougars’ nearly four-year long winning streak in overtime in Week 1 in 2017.
Freshman quarterback Kellan Hood, the younger brother of varsity starting quarterback Caleb Hood, had a solid debut with 142 passing yards, including two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown over over 40 yards.
The victory was the JV team’s 12th in a row under second-year head coach Pat Hope. The Raiders will look to continue their winning streak and maintain the SAC title for the second year in a row by traveling to Pine Forest High School on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) This will be the Trojans’ season opener, as they also lost to Richmond in Week 1 last year, 34-6.
Till, Raiders to square off against undefeated Pine Forest
In Friday night’s road game against two-time defending state champion Wake Forest, the Raiders competed in a shootout with the Cougars that saw 11 total touchdowns scored. Though the outcome wasn’t what head coach Bryan Till wanted, a 49-28 loss, Richmond was able to score nearly quadruple the amount of points Wake Forest has allowed during its current 33-game winning streak (7.3 points per game).
Till noted that his team “didn’t execute in all phases” throughout the contest at Wake Forest, but there were some bright spots. Senior wide receiver Bobby Terry, who missed Week 1 with a knee injury, had two long touchdown catch-and-runs of 66 and 35 yards, respectively. Caleb Hood also had another solid night with 265 passing yards, and had four throws go for over 20 yards.
As the Raiders gear up for a Pine Forest team that’s currently 2-0 and coming off a 25-0 rout of Concord High School in Week 2, they’ll look to get back into the winning column. Richmond will also look to get its running game going again, as junior tailback Jaheim Covington was held to just 24 yards on eight carries against Wake Forest, a week after exploding for three rushing touchdowns against Ronald Reagan High School.
Last season, Richmond traveled to Pine Forest on Labor Day and blew past the Trojans in 40-14 fashion. In a game that saw the Raiders tally 416 yards of total offense, Caleb Hood accounted for 233 of them. Then a freshman, he went 7-for-9 through the air with 159 yards and two touchdowns, and also led the Raiders in rushing, collecting 74 yards and a rushing score.
Kickoff at home against Pine Forest is set for 7:30 p.m. An in-depth game preview story will be published later this week.
