ROCKINGHAM — Two classmates at Richmond Senior High School held a celebratory signing day in the gymnasium Thursday afternoon.
Caden Nolan and Terande Spencer, the school’s only two senior student-athletes currently committed to play college athletics, spent the afternoon celebrating their achievements with family members, coaches and a gym full of their peers.
The official high school early signing period opened Wednesday, as both Nolan and Spencer made their future playing careers official.
Nolan will play baseball at Belmont Abbey College, located west of Charlotte, while Spencer will head to the coast and play football at East Carolina University.
Athletic Director James Johnson opened the ceremony by congratulating both student-athletes on being on the right side of the “statistical probability” of getting the opportunity to sign at the college level.
He added that through their hard work and commitment, Nolan and Spencer “carried on the tradition of Richmond and made our school and community proud.”
Both players then formally signed their letters of commitment before getting a chance to speak to the crowd.
Introducing Spencer was head football coach Brad Denson, who noted that nearly 30% of Spencer’s 259 career tackles went for a loss across his three varsity seasons.
Denson then shared an anecdote about Spencer sustaining a knee injury early in the season and opting to play through the pain and have surgery after the season just so he could help the team.
“That showed his commitment to our team,” Denson said. “He already knew he was going to ECU and he required surgery. He could have said he was done and looked instead at his future.
“But Terande said ‘nope, I’m finishing the season’ and asked what he needed to do to be able to play. It shows his commitment to his teammates, this county, our school and to his coaches.”
Spencer was recently named the Mid-South Conference’s “Defensive Player of the Year,” the second straight season he won the award.
Standing in front of the crowd, Spencer first thanked God and then his family for everything from supporting him from day one to picking him up from practice. Next he thanked Richmond’s coaching staff for helping him with his recruitment journey, which included taking him on visits to multiple colleges.
“I want to thank my teammates because they pushed me every day to be better,” Spencer said. “And I want to thank this community for giving me the blessing to be here and be a Raider.
“I moved here in fifth grade and ever since then, I’ve never wanted to be anything else,” he continued. “So I want to thank everyone who took me in and made that happen. Go Pirates.”
Spencer will graduate from Richmond later this month and be an early enrollee at East Carolina. He’s also set to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Dec. 20.
The pipeline between Richmond and ECU remains strong with Spencer’s signing, as he’s the third Raider football player since the 2021-22 school year to go to Greenville. The other players were JD Lampley (2022) and Jacoby Martin (2024).
Eric Brown, Richmond’s head baseball coach, has coached Nolan since his sophomore season. Addressing the crowd, Brown tipped his cap to Nolan’s athletic ability as well as “being an even better person.”
Explaining that Nolan has played every inning of every game the past two years, Brown said that’s the plan this spring before the All-Conference ultimate utility player and pitcher heads off to college. Brown also expressed he “has no doubts” that Nolan “will excel at Belmont Abbey.”
To put into perspective the magnitude of Nolan and Spencer’s signings, Brown said “about 7%” of high school student-athletes play in college. He then made a quip about how it was a good day for Hamlet since both Nolan and Spencer live there.
“Growing up drinking the city water and eating at Convenience Corner every day shows where it can get you,” Brown laughed. “I’m proud of Caden and want to recognize him and his family for supporting his dream.
“His parents raised him to be a Raider, he’s played a ton of baseball and this is all Caden’s ever wanted to do. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him in baseball and in life.”
Nolan, who primarily plays shortstop and pitches for the Raiders, committed to Belmont Abbey earlier this fall. After thanking his coaches, teammates and God, Nolan expressed his gratitude to his family and shared what being a Raider means to him.
“I want to thank my family for everything they’ve done,” Nolan shared. “They’ve driven me to every practice and been at every game and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them.
“Playing here is special because I was born here and this is what I’ve always wanted to do. This is the best place to play and this is the best community. I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else.”
After Spencer and Nolan spoke to the crowd, they posed for photos with family members, coaches and teammates.
