ROCKINGHAM — Two new coaches will lead the Richmond Senior High School boys’ and girls’ cross country teams this fall.
Teddy Moseley and Donald Pettigrew, the school’s head girls’ and boys’ basketball coaches, respectively, will take over as the teams look to return to a normal fall schedule.
Moseley will be the girls’ head coach, while Pettigrew will serve as the boys’ coach. The two teams, however, have been training together leading up to Wednesday’s first meet of the season.
“It has been a good experience thus far,” Moseley said. “These girls all push each other to compete and to get better on a daily basis at practice. They all run at a high level.”
Last season, the Lady Raiders won two of their Sandhills Athletic Conference meets and finished third in the conference championship run. They also qualified for the NCHSAA 4A Mideast Regional, placing 10th overall and will see three of the five runners return.
One of those is senior Maylyn Wallace, a three-year runner, and the other two are sophomores Kaleigh Cloninger and Gabby Lutz.
Other runners who Moseley expects to help the Lady Raiders compete in the newly realigned SAC are freshmen Mariana Mendoza, Ella Munn and Alivia Webb. Also new to the team this year is junior foreign exchange student Michaela Nemrovovich.
“Maylyn with her senior leadership has provided a bar and expectations that the other runners strive to achieve,” Moseley explained. “As a coach, she is exactly what you look for in an athlete and especially as a leader.
“She provides that positive input on a daily basis at practice, and constantly encourages her teammates. I've had the honor of coaching lots of athletes, and she is by far the most vocal leader, but she also leads by example.”
Junior Kodie Simmons and sophomore Cain Hunsucker (background) are two returners for the Raiders. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
The Raiders will continue to build their program after multi-year guys like Carson Jordan and Will Thompson graduated. Several runners from last year aren’t running this fall due to playing other sports.
Among the returners are junior Kodie Simmons and sophomore Cain Hunsucker. Newcomers include many members of the basketball team like Zion Baldwin, Dakota Chavis, Javian Drake, Toby McInnis, Jamarion Wall and Deshon Watson.
“In a short time, we’ve come a pretty long way,” Wallace said after Thursday’s practice. “I’m excited for the season, and I think we’ll continue to get better as the season keeps going.
“I want to drop my times this year and I’ve been training a lot more this offseason,” she added. “I’ve also tried to help the newer runners and encourage them as much as I can.”
Both Richmond cross country teams will open their season Wednesday at Union Pines High School, beginning at 5 p.m.
Below is the complete 2021 schedule for the Richmond boys’ and girls’ cross country teams. All meets are against SAC opponents and home meets are bold.
Wednesday, Sept. 1 @ Union Pines, Southern Lee
Wednesday, Sept. 8 vs. Hoke County, Southern Lee
Wednesday, Sept. 15 @ Hoke County, Lee County
Wednesday, Sept. 22 @ Lee County, Scotland
Wednesday, Sept. 29 @ Southern Lee, Pinecrest
Wednesday, Oct. 6 vs. Scotland, Union Pines
Wednesday, Oct. 13 @ Pinecrest, Hoke County
