ROCKINGHAM — Rushing their way into the second edition of ROSports’ “Top 10 Sports Stories” from the 2019-20 school year are Richmond Raider running backs Jaron Coleman and Jaheim Covington.
The No. 9 story from this past year is a combined effort from the dynamic duo in the Raiders’ backfield, as each player took a turn breaking the football program’s all-time longest rushing touchdown record.
Prior to the 2019 season, which saw the Raiders and head coach Bryan TIll go 13-1 and win their second consecutive Sandhills Athletic Conference title, a pair of running backs from the 1998 state championship team held the longest marks.
During that season, teammates Marcus Ellerbe (93 yards) and Michael Waddell (94 yards) recorded scoring runs that would last over two decades.
But enter Coleman and Covington, whose new record-setting runs highlighted one of Richmond’s most successful seasons in the last decade.
In Week 2 at Anson High School on Aug. 30, a game that would be shortened to the first half following an altercation on the field and the ejection of one player from each team, Coleman galloped 95 yards down the left sideline to the end zone to edge Waddell’s record by one yard.
The game against the Bearcats ended in a 33-0 win for the Raiders, and Coleman’s sprint came on the first play of Richmond’s third drive. The score gave the visiting team a 21-0 advantage with 10:54 remaining in the first half.
Fast forward to the second round of the NCHSAA 4AA state playoffs on Nov. 23, when the No. 1 Raiders and Covington were hosting the No. 8 Hough High School Huskies.
Coleman’s record of 95 yards, which held for nine games, was broken by Covington late in the third quarter.
Following an interception inside the three-yard line by teammate Xavion Lindsey, and a false start that backed Richmond to its own one, Covington rewrote the record book with a 99-yard spectacle.
Taking the handoff from quarterback Caleb Hood, Covington rounded the right edge of the line, breaking several tackles before busting loose up the middle of the field. His score that went nearly the length of the field iced the win for the Raiders, giving them a 29-21 lead in the waning seconds of the third.
Below is the link to the original game story against Anson when Coleman broke the initial record, written by sports editor Kyle Pillar for the Aug. 31, 2019, edition of the Richmond Observer:
Also included is the link to the original game story against Hough when Covington set the current record in the playoffs, written by sports editor Kyle Pillar for the Nov. 23, 2019, edition of the Richmond Observer:
The No. 8 Top Sports Story will be published in Thursday’s edition.
