The Week Ahead: Busy athletic schedule set as classes begin

ROCKINGHAM — With students returning to campus for the first day of school Monday, it will also mark the start of the third week of athletic play.

Another one of the six falls sports programs — boys’ and girls’ cross country — is set to join boys’ soccer, volleyball, girls’ tennis and football, which have already played games.

Raider soccer eyes return to win column

The Raiders and head coach Chris Larsen will get two chances this week to right the ship and end a three-match losing streak.

Playing two non-conference matches, Richmond (1-3) will start with a road contest at St. Pauls High School (1-1-1) Monday. East Mecklenburg High School (1-2) will visit Richmond Wednesday. Both matches will start at 7 p.m.

In junior varsity action, the JV Raiders (1-2-1) will also play at St. Pauls Monday (5 p.m.) and at home against East Mecklenburg Wednesday (5:15 p.m.).

Lady Raider volleyball to open conference play

A three-match week awaits the Lady Raiders (3-2) and head coach Ashleigh Larsen, which will feature one non-conference and two Sandhills Athletic Conference games.

Monday’s match will close out the two-game series with Montgomery Central High School (2-3), as Richmond will go for the sweep.

Tuesday and Thursday will feature road matches at Southern Lee (3-1) and Pinecrest (4-3) high schools, respectively, to begin SAC action. Varsity matches will begin at 6 p.m.

The JV Lady Raiders (2-2) will play each night ahead of the varsity team. All three JV matches will send up its first serve at 5 p.m.

Lady Raider tennis seeking first win

Two tough road losses is how the Lady Raider tennis team and head coach Jessica Covington started the season last week.

Playing on their home court for the first time this season, Richmond (0-2, 0-2 SAC) will continue SAC competition with matches against Hoke County (0-3, 0-2 SAC) and Union Pines (2-1, 0-0 SAC).

Tuesday’s match with Hoke County will be a doubleheader, while Thursday’s with Union Pines in just one match. Both events will begin at 4 p.m.

Cross country teams open season

The next program to join the competitive slate this fall will be the Richmond boys’ and girls’ cross country teams.

The Raiders and Lady Raiders will run their first 3.2-mile race of the season Tuesday at Union Pines. Another SAC opponent, Lee County High School, will also compete.

The boys’ race will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the girls’ race at 5:30 p.m. Coaching the team together this season are Ashleigh Buie and Morgan Tedder.

Football teams ready for Butler, varsity home opener

Following a near upset of a state champion runner-up Friday at Seventy-First High School, a lot of positive energy is surrounding the Richmond Raider football program and head coach Brad Denson.

Although the Raiders (0-1) came up short by one touchdown, they didn’t back down from a daunting opponent. The same mentality will be used in Friday’s home opener against non-conference Butler High School (0-1).

The Bulldogs lost 64-14 to Rolesville High School to open their season. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Raider Stadium.

The JV Raiders (0-1) will also try to get their first win of the season at Butler Thursday. The game will begin at 6 p.m.

Lady Raider golf still in preseason

The Lady Raider golf team and head coach Keith Parsons will continue its preseason practice this week.

The SAC golf season doesn’t open until Monday, Sept. 9, at Scotch Meadows Country Club in Laurinburg.