ROCKINGHAM - Things for Richmond Senior High School athletics have been returned to normal, as Monday marks the second full week back from Hurricane Florence.
All six fall programs will be in action, with several teams still scrambling to make up lost time ahead of conference tournaments and postseason play. ROSports will also be returning its “Official Richmond County Athletes of the Week” feature, which will be published later this week.
Richmond soccer and volleyball begin final stretch of regular seasons
Both the soccer and volleyball programs will compete in three matches this week, as the regular seasons are nearing their respective ends. With an 8-7 overall record, Ashleigh Larsen’s Lady Raiders have only five matches left before the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament begins. The Raider soccer team, coached by Chris Larsen, has a 5-5 overall record, but still has nine regular season matchups slated on the schedule.
The Lady Raiders ended their three-game losing streak Saturday as they swept Purnell Swett High School 3-0. But Richmond will be right back on the court Monday, as it’ll host Scotland High School, the two teams’ first meeting this year. The Lady Fighting Scots (6-6, 5-3) are currently one game up over the Lady Raiders in the SAC standings, so Monday’s match will be a battle for third place.
The volleyball team will round out the week Tuesday at SAC bottom feeder Hoke County High School (0-13, 0-8 SAC), before returning home to host Lumberton High School (7-3, 3-3 SAC). All matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. following the junior varsity matches.
Chris Larsen and the Raiders will play first with a big-time matchup against Pinecrest High School (10-1, 6-0) on Monday. Richmond is looking to avenge an early-season loss to the SAC-leading Patriots, which was a close 3-1 defeat. The Raiders haven’t played since last Wednesday, as Thursday’s match at Lumberton High School was rained out and no makeup date has been announced.
Also on the docket for Richmond is a physical Jack Britt team, which will be an away game Wednesday. Larsen’s team stunned the Buccaneers (4-5, 1-3) 3-0 last month, and wins against both teams could keep their current third-place seeding in the SAC intact. Richmond will close out the week by hosting non-conference Terry Sanford High School (10-1) Thursday. All games are scheduled for 7 p.m. following the junior varsity games.
Tennis eyeing to keep its seven-match winning streak alive
The hottest team over the last month at Richmond has been Mike Way’s Lady Raider tennis team, which has won its last seven contests. That streak has catapulted Richmond into second place in the SAC standings.
The Lady Raiders will be in action three times this week, first on the road at Jack Britt Monday, followed by a home match against Seventy-First High School on Tuesday, which only brought two players to the first match this season. Richmond will close out the week Thursday against Scotland, as all matches are set for 4 p.m.
Golf and cross country back on the road
The Lady Raider golf team has yet to play a complete 18-hole match this season, as heat, rain and Hurricane Florence have either shortened or postponed each of its first four matches. Hopefully that trend ends Monday, as Keith Parson’s team will tee off at 2 p.m. at Scotch Meadows Country Club in Laurinburg.
Despite the limited playing time, Richmond has finished third in all of its matches, with junior Hailey Miller leading the way in every contest. Also impressive have been Kenleigh Frye, Kirsten McDonald and Taylor Young, a trio of freshmen who have grown throughout the season.
The Richmond boys and girls cross country teams will return to the course Tuesday at Pinecrest (5 p.m.) after a two-meet week last week to make up time from Hurricane Florence.
During its SAC meet last week at Jack Britt, the girls team finished second behind the host Lady Bucs, with junior Airel Brown leading the way. The Raider cross country team wasn’t far behind its female teammates, as it placed third behind Jack Britt and Hoke County.
Varsity football team seeking redemption against Jack Britt; Junior varsity looking to remain undefeated
Richmond head varsity football coach Bryan Till will tell you that his most disappointing loss last season was on the road at Jack Britt. The team’s 41-20 loss can be redeemed this Friday at home, as the Raiders welcome in a Buccaneers team that barely beat Lumberton in quadruple overtime Friday.
Till’s Raiders (4-1, 1-0 SAC) are trending in the right direction, as they’ve now won three straight games and are coming off an impressive 31-0 victory over Pinecrest. The shutout was the defense’s second in three games, and the offense, which is led by a handful of sophomores, will look to redeem itself from a season ago. Kickoff against the Bucs (2-3, 1-0 SAC) is Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Raider Stadium.
Patrick Hope’s junior varsity Raider football team hasn’t lost a game since his tenure began last season. Richmond cruised past Pinecrest 42-12 last Thursday, and will look to keep the streak alive this week on the road at Jack Britt. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
