Football team caps off first day of practice under Friday night lights
ROCKINGHAM – The Richmond Senior High School Football Team capped off the first day of practice for the upcoming fall sports season in fitting fashion by lighting up Raider Stadium for a midnight madness practice.
For the first time since the RSHS Class of 2024 Graduation in May, the lights of Raider Stadium lit the Rockingham sky, giving many fans their first look at this year’s team.
“There was a lot more excitement on the field than there has ever been in my four years, and it all started in the weight room. It was great in the weight room too. It feels great (having fans show up). Towards the end of last season, fans weren’t really showing up as much. Seeing them come out here on a Wednesday night at 12 a.m. is pretty nice,” senior lineman Lincoln Smith said.
Along with generating a bit of public excitement heading into this season, the midnight madness practice also helped the Raiders get ahead on their practice schedule. North Carolina High School Activities Association requirements limited the breadth of the Raiders’ offseason workouts. The NCHSAA rules also require the Raiders to have two helmets and shorts, as well as two helmets and shoulder pads practices before coaches can allow full contact. By scheduling a midnight madness practice, the Raiders put themselves a day ahead. Considering they face state runner-up Seventy-First High School in the season opener, the Raiders may be looking for every advantage they can get.
“I feel great. I feel like we’re going to have a good season. We need carry this (feeling) over to the other practices. I feel great out here. All of the work we’re putting in, all of the work I’m putting in, it’s going to be good. It feels great. This is my last time around, spending time with my friends,” senior defensive lineman Tate Simpson said.
Although coming into the season with 120 players on the varsity and junior varsity rosters, there may be a mad dash for starting positions with RSHS graduating 19 seniors last spring. The Raiders hope to get off to a better start this season than in 2023, where they opened the year 0-4. However, those four losses were against some of the most elite teams in the state with most making deep postseason runs. Seventy-First, Butler, Cardinal Gibbons and Myers Park remain on the schedule this season. Despite facing a tough quartet of teams to open the season, senior lineman Haden Taylor believes his team is ready for the challenge.
“[The midnight madness practice] was cool. It was different … It was good we had this much support (Wednesday) even though we haven’t performed where we should be. The culture is changing, I think. We kept getting stronger throughout the (summer) season. There are a lot of guys with potential that I’ve seen, especially in one-on-ones. They look pretty good. They should keep it going. This season should be good. I think we’re ready,” Taylor said.