ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond Observer Sports Department is excited to announce a new exclusive series that will feature several guest articles submitted by Richmond Senior High School student-athletes.
As the weeks drift by in the statewide suspension of in-person schooling and the temporary elimination of high school athletics, the original dates of senior prom and the senior nights of the seven spring sports have come and gone.
While administrators at Richmond are working toward making as many things as possible happen, including a live graduation for the class of 2020, eight senior student-athletes take to the keyboard to share their reactions, thoughts, feelings and experiences from seeing the last three months of their high school career taken away.
Each guest piece will be crafted by the student-athlete in whichever direction he or she wants to take it.
The theme of the series is “My Story, Our Year,” which is meant to encapsulate the unity and shared struggle between these eight seniors and their hundreds of fellow classmates.
Many of the members of the class of 2020 were born shortly before or shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In fact, one of our featured writers was born on that day.
All of this year’s soon-to-be graduates were born during an unprecedented time in American history and now they are capping their high school careers in a scenario many never thought would happen.
While the current circumstances are unfavorable, the fight shown by the entire Richmond senior class and the surrounding community these last two months has been admirable. The “My Story, Our Year” moniker will give readers an inside glimpse of how a variety of student-athletes from an assortment of sports are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Each guest writer represents one or several sports he or she played at Richmond, and come from a variety of backgrounds. Programs represented by the writers are boys’ and girls’ soccer, volleyball, softball, girls’ basketball, football, wrestling, girls’ golf and bowling.
They also have varying futures, with some playing college athletics, while others will attend Triangle schools.
There are four male and four female contributors, and ROSports will alternate between them each day. Let’s meet our guest writers:
Drew Davis
A four-year athlete who played a variety of positions in soccer for coach Chris Larsen, Davis also served as part of the football team’s kicking unit, spending time as the Raiders’ punter during his senior year.
Set to attend UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall and major in political science with hopes of becoming a lawyer, Davis served as the Beta Club’s president, the Senate’s parliamentarian and was a National Honors Society member. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout last week.
Madison Jordan
Also a multi-sport athlete, Jordan played varsity volleyball her final two seasons in high school as an outside hitter for coach Ashleigh Larsen. In the spring, she played varsity softball as an outfielder her sophomore and junior years. This year, she made the move to infield but saw her senior campaign cut to just three games.
A general member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society and Senate, Jordan will attend UNC-Charlotte and major in nursing following graduation.
Noah Jordan
Strictly a soccer player during his time at Richmond, Jordan was a crucial member of the varsity program since his sophomore year. He played for former coach Bennie Howard and ended his career with two years under Chris Larsen.
An Eagle Scout, Jordan will take his talents to Chapel Hill in the fall and study biology with a concentration on the pre-med track. This past year he served as NHS president, the Senate’s first vice president and was a general Beta Club member.
Layne Maultsby
Playing varsity volleyball all four years at Richmond, Maultsby served as the team’s libero and helped the Lady Raiders win back-to-back conference titles in her freshman and sophomore years. She also played softball as a freshman and was a three-year player for the Lady Raider basketball program. This spring, she tried a new sport with soccer, but her would-be season came to a close after five matches.
Maultsby will head to Raleigh in the fall and major in business at North Carolina State University. As a senior, she served as the Senate’s historian, the NHS’ public affairs officer and was a general member of the Beta Club.
Hailey Miller
During her senior year, Miller was a three-sport athlete who made the individual state championship tournaments in golf (third year in a row) and bowling. The face of the golf program the last four years, she picked up bowling over the winter and was successful enough to compete at states. Like Maultsby, she added soccer this spring and was a three-year basketball player.
Miller will also be attending N.C. State as a freshman, but hasn’t declared a major. She has been the Senate’s second vice president, the NHS’ public affairs officer and a general member of the Beta Club.
Joey Nicholson
Late last month after getting his acceptance letter from UNC-Pembroke, Nicholson became the most recent Richmond student-athlete to pursue his dreams at the college level. He will be wrestling for the Braves and hopes to compete for the 125-pound weight class as a freshman. He also plans to study sports medicine.
Nicholson was a four-sport athlete during his time at Richmond, most notably setting the wrestling program’s all-time wins record with 151 career victories in four years. He ran cross country and played varsity soccer in the fall, while also participating in middle and long distance events with the track team in the spring.
Valery Standridge
A four-year varsity starter on the girls’ soccer team, Standridge didn’t get to play out her final season for the Lady Raiders. She played midfielder and outside back and was a part of the 2018 team that won a program best 17 matches in a single season.
Following high school, Standridge will join the RIBN program at Richmond Community College and pursue an undergraduate degree in nursing. She will then transfer to UNC-Pembroke to finish her academics. At Richmond, she was a member of the Beta Club and NHS.
Joerail White
A force on the football field at linebacker, White returned for his senior year after missing his entire junior season due to a knee injury. He helped the Raiders to a 13-1 overall record and a second straight conference title. In the spring, he also is a discus thrower on the track and field team.
White was one of 12 Raider football players to sign his Letter of Intent on National Signing Day in early February. He will be attending Shaw University in Raleigh to play football, while majoring in business.
The first “My Story, Our Year” article will be published in Tuesday’s edition.
