ROCKINGHAM — Lee Hayden, a senior soccer player, has been named the Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week presented by Moss Brothers Tire and Service.
Each week, one male and one female student-athlete from Richmond Senior High School will be selected by his or her coach as ROSports’ Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week based on his or her performance in helping their respective team.
Although the Raiders are still looking for their first win of the 2019 season, Hayden has stepped up in many ways to help Richmond combat some tough early-season competition. This is his first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age: 17
Birthday: March 20, 2002
Year: Senior
Fall Sport: Soccer
Position: Striker
Years on Varsity: 3 Years
Height & Weight: 6-2, 160 pounds
Experience: 5 Years
“ON THE PITCH” WITH LEE HAYDEN
RSHS Academics: Hayden just began his final year at Richmond, and the senior isn’t slowing down with his course load. Enrolled in the Advanced Placement and Richmond Community College clusters, Hayden is taking five classes this semester.
At RichmondCC, Hayden is enrolled in Calculus 271, English 112 and Sociology 201. When he’s on RSHS’ campus, he’s taking AP Chemistry with Mr. Matthew Learn and AP Human Geography with Mrs. Mary McDonald.
“I really enjoy AP Human Geo with Mrs. McDonald,” Hayden shared. “She’s my favorite teacher this semester and she’s really nice. She also does a great job explaining all of the content.”
As he moves toward graduation in June, Hayden currently boasts a 4.65 GPA and is ranked 6th in the class of 2020. He was a junior marshal and is an ‘A’ honor roll student. Hayden is also involved with the National Beta Club and National Honor Society. He’s thinking of adding tennis to his resume during spring sports.
Future Plans: Hayden is busy applying to colleges this fall, and isn’t leaving the potential of playing college soccer out of the mix.
“I’ve been applying to a lot of different colleges, but I’d really like to go to UNC-Wilmington to study chemistry,” he explained. “There are a lot of possibilities to have a career with a degree in chemistry.
“Other schools I’ve applied to are UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State and Limestone College,” he added. “I’m thinking of trying to walk on and play soccer at UNCW.”
Some goals he has while he’s still at Richmond are to maintain his class rank and GPA, graduate and “enjoy my final year of high school.”
Athlete of the Week Stats: The Raiders have had a tough start to the season, facing top programs from around the state in their non-conference schedule. Last week against Gray’s Creek High School, Hayden would record his first goal of the season and help facilitate the Raider offense up front.
Midway through the second half, Hayden would close the deficit against the Bears with a goal in the 55th minute. His tally was assisted by fellow senior Luke Hawks, and Hayden also recorded three header attempts.
“It was a quick break and I dropped the ball back to Luke,” Hayden explained. “Then I spun off and Luke played me through, and I was able to get a touch on it and put it bottom left of the keeper.”
Coach's Corner: Second-year head coach Chris Larsen explained that Hayden has acclimated himself to some changes this season, and noted how what Hayden does to help the team doesn’t always show up on a stat sheet.
“Lee is dedicated and that showed throughout the spring and summer, and obviously now during the season,” Larsen said. “He’s always striving to get better. I’ve found him a home as a center forward and he’s doing a good job distributing and possessing the ball.
“It’s something a little different than he’s accustomed to, but he’s taken that over and opened other things up for other guys,” he added. “His work ethic is strong, and he’s gotten pretty good with both feet. Lee sets a great example for the team and proves what hard work will do.”
Raider Video Chats: Lee Hayden, Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week
New this season is our “Raider Video Chats” segment that allows student-athletes to connect with fans and readers through video interviews. In his video, Hayden talks about his goal, what the Raiders are doing to get better, as well as sharing some personal tidbits about his life in our “Rapid Raider Response” segment.
Click photo for video.
