ROCKINGHAM — The highlight of Richmond Senior High School’s conference wrestling match on Wednesday was when it honored its three seniors ahead of the two matches.
Seniors Austin Gallops, Joey Nicholson and Camden Preslar were escorted by family members and recognized at center mat for their respective four years with the Raider wrestling program by athletic director Rob Ransom.
Richmond hosted Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents Jack Britt, Scotland and Seventy-First high schools in its final home match of the season. The Raiders battled the Buccaneers and Falcons, but would come up on the losing end of both matches.
Richmond lost to Seventy-First 45-28, before ending the night with a 57-21 loss to Jack Britt.
Head coach Earl Nicholson also surprised those in attendance when he announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season, following nearly a quarter century as the Raiders’ coach. Read more here.
“Overall, it was a pretty good night. A lot of guys showed some big improvement against Seventy-First,” Coach Nicholson shared. “Many were rematches from Saturday (in the Bulldog Brawl). Christian Sanchez lost 12-1 last time to (Salvador Anderson), and tonight he lost by just three points.
“Dante Baldwin lost by eight points to (Richard Guzman) over the weekend and only lost by a point tonight,” he added of the sophomore 126-pounder. “Even in Joey’s match tonight (against Jack Britt), he dealt with the strength pretty well and we have a game plan for next time.”
Up first for Richmond was Seventy-First, and the match started with Gallops and the 160-pound weight class. Gallops would be the only of the three seniors to go 2-0 on the night, starting with a pin over Toryon Washington. It took him juist 62 seconds into the first round to earn the win.
Austin Gallops pins Toryon Washington on senior night.
The Falcons used two pins and forfeits in the 182-pound and 195-pound classes to jump ahead 24-6. Sophomore heavyweight Jaylen McLean picked up six more points for Richmond when he won by pinfall over Ashton Williams in 43 seconds.
Trailing 24-12, Richmond’s next win in the match would come from sophomore 113-pounder Andres Sanchez. He rolled to a 16-2 major decision win (four points) against Gregory Young.
Richmond collected its final 12 points thanks to pins by Nicholson and junior Bryant Coll (132-pounds). Nicholson entered the night with 146 career wins, the most in Raider history, and added another when he held Dakari Johnson to the mat with 42 seconds remaining in the second round.
Coll made quick work against Jahmir Lucas, pinning him in the opening 30 seconds of their match.
Joey Nicholson flips Dakari Johnson seconds before pinning him.
Next against the Buccaneers, Richmond fell behind 30-0 following three pins and two more forfeits in the same weight classes. Freshman Christian Sanchez stopped the bleeding with a forfeit win in the 106-pound match, which was followed by an Andres Sanchez pin over Andrea Moore (52 seconds).
Joey Nicholson stepped back on the mat to face Edward Brady, who Coach Nicholson explained had recently dropped down from the 126-pound division. Going all three rounds with Brady, Nicholson couldn’t get the advantage and fell in a 9-4 decision.
Collecting two more pins and the final points for the Raiders were freshman Irwin Campos (126-pound) and Gallops.
Campos, who floats between junior varsity and varsity, pinned Elijiah Howell in the first round. Gallops capped his night with a hard-fought 4-2 minor decision over Isaiah McCain-Mercado, which ended in the final seconds when Gallops got two points for a reversal.
The win moved Gallops’ season record to 24-8, while Nicholson’s one win increased his team-best record to 29-5. Andres Sanchez’s two wins moved him to the 25-win mark.
Preslar, who competed in two junior varsity matches in the 126-pound weight class, dropped both decisions.
Camden Preselar spars with his first opponent on senior night.
“Camden has been with us for four years and hasn’t been a true varsity starter, but he’s always stepped up and was ready to rock and roll for us when we needed him,” Coach Nicholson said.
“Austin is a mat rat, he loves the sport. He’s not the strongest or fastest, but fights to the end and wins matches on pure grit, determination and heart.
“With Joey, it’s been great coaching him these last four years,” he closed of his son. “He’s made it easy because sometimes it’s hard to coach your own kid. He’s been an extension of me and lives what he preaches. It’s a bittersweet moment, but it’s time for the next level.”
Richmond saw its SAC record fall to 2-6 on the season, and the Raiders will close out the regular varsity season at rival Scotland next Wednesday. This Saturday, the Raiders will host a JV tournament.
