ROCKINGHAM — Malik Covington’s smile was hard to miss Friday afternoon, as he saw his biggest dream become a reality thanks to the Richmond Senior High School football program.
Covington, a fifth grader at Washington Street Elementary School, spent the afternoon on the practice field and helped the Raiders close out their final day of spring practice. The 10-day workout period couldn’t be brought to an official end without the help of Covington.
With the Raider offense struggling to score during its final 11-on-11 scrimmage of the spring, rising senior running back Jaheim Covington found himself pulled from the lineup. Replacing him was Malik Covington, his younger cousin, and the 11-year-old ended the spring workout period with a bang by scoring his first career Raider touchdown.
Down to the last play of the scrimmage, Malik Covington took a handoff from rising junior quarterback Caleb Hood on the play call “trio read right.” Covington split to his right and got some key blocks from Brian Bowden, Gavin Russell and Jakolbe Baldwin, before racing 20 yards into the right corner of the end zone.
Once safely in for the touchdown, Covington was swarmed by the entire team, receiving high-fives and pats on the back from his new teammates. He even got the chance to break down practice with a “1-2-3 Raiders” call.
“It was fun being the running back,” Covington smiled afterward, explaining it was a dream come true. “I felt happy when I scored.”
Barbara Covington, Malik’s mother, explained her son was diagnosed with a stage two brain tumor on Oct. 1, 2010, at the age of two. He was also found to have tumors along his spine, but Covington battled through chemotherapy and had 99 percent of the brain tumor removed through surgery.
Although he’s made a tremendous recovery, Covington still deals with some side effects. He suffered significant hearing loss from chemotherapy, has to wear braces on both legs and has a mild speech impediment.
But none of that was evident Friday, as Covington’s fight lit up the spirits of everyone around him when the No. 44 jersey broke the huddle and trotted into the end zone.
“This was very special to us because ever since he was really little, he’s always talked about playing football,” Barbara Covington said. “His uncle, Robert Covington Jr., played for Richmond, and he took my son under his wing and played catch with him and taught him the game.
“The older he got, the more he wanted to play,” she explained. “But doctors said he can’t play as of now, and we don’t know what the future holds. It’s very inspiring to see him get this opportunity because we come from a family of (Richmond) athletes. I love seeing him happy.”
On hand to watch Covington achieve his new milestone were several family members, his CNA, as well as several teachers from school and his principal, Ms. Angela Watkins.
Helping set the play in motion was Richmond’s quarterback coach Jay Jones. The third-year coach, who is a weight training teacher at Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy, knew Covington from when he taught at Washington Street a couple years ago.
“I was over at Washington Street one afternoon about two months ago, and I saw him,” Jones explained. “He knows I help coach at the high school, and he told his mama that he wanted to play football for the Raiders.
“So, I went to Coach (Bryan) Till and said why don’t we have Malik out for spring practice,” he added. “This whole experience was really a dream come true for Malik and I’m so happy for him. He really is such a cool kind and I love how the team came together for him.”
Prior to suiting up in the Kelly green and gold Friday, Covington visited RCNGA last Tuesday to get a workout session in with members of the football team in the class of 2022. He also made a stop by the gym at Richmond last Thursday, using the time to get familiar with the team and complete agility and handoff drills to get ready for his debut.
QB coach Jay Jones and Malik Covington.
As Till gears up for his third season as Richmond’s head coach, he saw the opportunity to host Covington as not only a special moment for the soon-to-be middle schooler, but a special moment for the Raider program. He noted that part of the program’s responsibility to the community is to give back and help others.
“That young man had a dream of being out here and being a Richmond Raider,” Till said of Covington. “These kids are the reason why we have jobs, and we wanted our guys to see that giving back isn’t just something we talk about. This was an opportunity for them to give Malik a chance to part of the team.
“Being selfless is a lot more of a joy than being selfish,” he added. “This was as much fun for me as it was for everyone else. Our guys have been fired up all day about it.”
Covington, who is an A/B student, will soon depart elementary school and begin his next chapter at Rockingham Middle School in the fall.
“Malik did things today that people said he was never going to be able to do,” Barbara Covington closed. “I thank the Lord every day, and Malik is my miracle baby.”
