ROCKINGHAM — All six of Richmond Senior High School’s varsity winter athletics programs will be in action the first full week of 2019.
For the first time since the week prior to Christmas break, the boys and girls varsity basketball, bowling, indoor track, swimming and wrestling teams will return to their respective playing surfaces as final exams for the first semester are set to begin Thursday.
Below is a breakdown of what to expect for each program:
Lady Raider basketball looking to build off crucial win over Jack Britt
Even though the Lady Raiders’ performance against Jack Britt High School Friday was a low-scoring affair, they squeaked out a crucial 36-33 win over the Lady Buccaneers. The win put the team at 6-6 overall and upped its Sandhills Athletic Conference record to 2-1.
First-year head coach Teddy Moseley noted that making free throws down the stretch aided in the win, but the focus moving forward will be to start hitting more shots from the floor. On the season, the Lady Raiders are shooting 21 percent from the field, a mark that Moseley said needs to improve if his team wants to make a run at an SAC title.
Richmond will have two chances this week to make a move in the SAC standings, where the Lady Raiders currently sit tied with Jack Britt for second. First, Richmond will host Hoke County High School (7-5, 1-2 SAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 8, and end the week on the road Friday, Jan. 11, at Lumberton High School (5-3, 1-1 SAC). Both games are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
Raider basketball seeking first SAC win of 2018-19 campaign
Unlike their Lady Raider counterparts, the Raider basketball team has had a rocky start to its SAC schedule. Also a low-scoring contest against Jack Britt on Friday, the Raiders came out on the wrong end of a 42-37 decision to fall to 0-3 in conference play.
But second-year head coach Donald Pettigrew made it clear that there is “no quit” in his team, and he hopes games against Hoke County (7-4, 1-2 SAC) and Lumberton (9-3, 2-1 SAC) will start the mid-season turn around.
The Raiders are currently the only winless team in the SAC standings. Tip off against the Bucks (Tuesday, Jan. 8) and Pirates (Friday, Jan. 11) will begin around 7:30 p.m., directly after the Lady Raiders’ games.
Raider wrestling enters final stretch of season ahead of regionals
After posting a 3-0 record at the Joel McCanna Invitational at Carver Middle School on Saturday, head coach Earl Nicholson’s Raider wrestling team improved to 29-26 on the 2018-19 campaign. With just five regular season meets left before the playoffs begin, Richmond will get two more chances this week to improve individual and team records.
First on the docket will be the Raiders’ return to SAC matches against Jack Britt and Seventy-First high schools on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at home. Richmond has seen the Falcons at earlier tournaments this winter, but it will be the first time it’ll square off against the Buccaneers. Matches will begin at 6 p.m.
The week will end with the Raiders competing in the Eagles Duals at East Montgomery High School in Biscoe, N.C. Matches will get underway around 9 a.m. Saturday morning.
Bowling, swimming and indoor track return for first meets of 2019
The Raider and Lady Raider swimming teams, coached by Mike Way, will wrap up their regular season Wednesday, Jan. 9, at St. Andrews University. It’s the final of the four regular season meets, as Richmond will co-host the event with Pinecrest High School. Swimmers will hit the pool for the first event at 5:30 p.m.
There will be a two-week period between Wednesday’s meet and the SAC conference championship, which is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19, also at St. Andrews. Currently, both Richmond teams are in the middle of the standings, as Way hopes to condition swimmers ahead of the conference championship and regionals.
Ralph Butler’s boys and girls bowling teams, which are similarly placed in the SAC standings, will head to Lumberton on Thursday, Jan. 10, to face Lumberton and Pinecrest in their sixth meet of the year. Butler hopes to have full squads for both teams, as the final match before the holiday break saw some absences of bowlers. The event will begin at 4 p.m.
The bowling season will conclude with one more regular season meet in Fayetteville on Thursday, Jan. 24 (4 p.m.). That will be followed by individual championships, which will span over a two-week period at the end of January and the beginning of February.
Lastly, the indoor track team, coached by Reggie Miller, will head to South View High School on Saturday, Jan. 12, for the Polar Bear Run. The meet is set for a 9 a.m. starting time.
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