ROCKINGHAM — With his trip to the state championship meet over the weekend, junior indoor track and field jumper Keonta Pegues has been named the Official Richmond County Male Student-Athlete of the Week.
Just one of two Richmond Senior High School student-athletes to qualify for the NCHSAA 4A title meet, Pegues was the lone Raider to compete and place.
Finishing the shortened season with a bang, Pegues earned his second career recognition. He also earned it once during the indoor season as a sophomore.
Athletic Profile
Year: Junior
Winter sport: Indoor track and field
Events: Jumps, sprints
Varsity experience: 3 seasons
Other sports: Football, track and field
Junior Keonta Pegues competes in the long jump state championship in Winston-Salem.
(Photo contributed by Samuel Kearns.)
“CLASSROOM CREDITS” WITH KEONTA PEGUES
A dual-enrollment and honors student, Pegues balances his three-sport athletic career year round while taking classes at Richmond and Richmond Community College.
Ranked in the top 13 students in Richmond’s graduating class of 2026, Pegues currently has a 4.425 weighted grade point average.
During the fall semester, he made straight As in his three classes at Richmond — Civics Literacy Honors (95), Math 3 Honors (93) and Weight Training Honors (100). In his solo class at RichmondCC, he also received an A in Music 110 (94).
As the midway point of the spring semester nears, Pegues is off to a strong start with his next batch of classes. This term he’s taking Spanish 111 at RichmondCC and Chemistry Honors, English III Honors and Weight Training Honors at the high school.
“GOING THE DISTANCE” WITH KEONTA PEGUES
Although the indoor track and field season was cut short due to cold temperatures and inclement weather, Pegues still managed to make his mark and qualify for the NCHSAA 4A state championship.
In Saturday’s meet, which was held at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, Pegues entered the long jump event at the No. 19 seed. Using that as motivation, he launched himself into the finals heat and finished with a final distance of 21 feet, 9 inches.
Just an inch short of tying his personal record distance, Pegues climbed the field and finished seventh overall.
Pegues was just five inches from breaking into the top five spots and a little more than a foot out of the top three.
Teammate Aaron Coleman also qualified for states in the 55-meter hurdles, but didn’t compete due to an injury. Throughout the season, Pegues also ran sprints for the Raiders.
“RAPID RESPONSE VIDEO” WITH KEONTA PEGUES
The Richmond Observer will publish two more Official Richmond County Student-Athletes of the Week next week.
