CHAPEL HILL — Returning to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, the Richmond Senior High School boys’ soccer team will get a shot at redemption.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association, after delaying its initial release, published its finalized playoff brackets Sunday afternoon.
Richmond and head coach Chris Larsen received the No. 20 seed in the 7A West bracket. It’s the first time since the 2020 season (played in the spring of 2021) that the Raiders are in the playoffs.
That matches the Raiders with No. 13 Ballantyne Ridge High School for the first round, which will be a rematch of a regular-season non-conference match.
“The biggest thing for our program is that we’re happy to get back into the playoffs after missing them the last handful of years,” Larsen said. “That was one of our goals when the season started and the guys found a way to get it done.
“Now it’s time not to be satisfied with just making the playoffs,” he added. “We want to go and be competitive and see if we can’t come out with an upset win.”
The NCHSAA used the teams’ ratings performance index (RPI) to field the 48-team 7A bracket, splitting it in half for the East and West brackets. The top eight teams on either side received a first-round bye.
A team’s RPI is calculated using its winning percentage, its opponents winning percentage and its opponents’ opponents winning percentage.
Richmond finished the season with a final RPI of 0.474070, while Ballantyne Ridge’s RPI was slightly higher (0.556290).
During the third week of the regular season, the Raiders played at Ballantyne Ridge on Aug. 28. That match resulted in a 10-1 loss for Richmond, something Larsen said the team hasn’t forgotten about.
“The first time we played them, we weren’t our true selves,” Larsen recalled. “We’d lost a heartbreaker the night before and we went into that game not really focused.
“Now it’s different. We’ll have had a week off between matches, so we’ll be focused and ready to play. The guys remember that feeling from the first time, so hopefully we can put forth a good fight and play like I know we can.”
The No. 13 Wolves, coached by Timothy Long, recorded an 11-7-3 record this season.
Playing in the 8A/7A Southwestern Conference, Ballantyne Ridge finished third in the standings behind Providence and Ardrey Kell high schools, which are the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively, in the 8A West.
The Wolves are averaging 3.0 goals per match and have allowed 2.1 goals against this season. On their home pitch, they’re 6-2-3.
Leading Ballantyne Ridge in scoring is Dominik Danko, who has netted 22 goals. He’s tied for fifth-most goals in the 7A classification. The Wolves’ next leading scorers are Gabriel Zaballos (9) and Collin Nwasike (7).
Noting that more than two months have passed since the two teams met in late August, Larsen compared Ballantyne Ridge to the likes of several teams Richmond has played well against this season.
“We played Pinecrest tight in our first match and took Jack Britt to overtime,” Larsen said. “And we split with Hoke County and beat Cape Fear earlier in the season. I think all four of those teams are equally as good as what we’re going to see in the first round.”
The Raiders recorded an 8-12-2 record this fall and took fourth place in the 8A/7A Mid-South Conference. Five of Richmond’s eight wins this season have come on the road.
Keeping with its defensive identity, the Raiders have allowed just 1.96 goals against this season. But in order to advance in the playoffs, Richmond’s offense, which has averaged 1.25 goals per match, will have to rise to the occasion.
Richmond’s top three goal scorers this fall have been senior Memphis Jacobs (7) and juniors Kevin Diaz Lopez (6) and Cole Lambeth (4). Senior DJ Gainey, junior Patrick Smith and sophomore Bryan Mendez Mendoza have each netted three goals.
“The biggest benefit for us is that we’ve already seen them and played against them,” Larsen said. “We have our game film from the first match to watch and we know what they might try to do.
“I also hope since the first match was lopsided, (Ballantyne Ridge) might think they’ve already beat us once, so they may not be as prepared. We’re an improved team and maybe we can catch them sleeping a little bit.
“The newness will have been worn off, too,” he concluded. “We’ll play the same team at the same place. Now we just have to play to the best of our ability. The guys are well-rested and eager to get after it.”
The Raiders will travel west and take on Ballantyne Ridge in the first round Tuesday starting at 6 p.m.
