ROCKINGHAM — Both the Richmond boys soccer and girls tennis teams had their respective matches, which were originally set to kick off the week, rescheduled for Tuesday due to the threat of inclement weather.
The boys soccer team had plans of taking on Hoke County in the first round of the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament, which it entered as the No. 5 seed after finishing 7-6-1 in conference play. The Raiders picked up back-to-back victories over Seventy-First and Scotland last week and hope to bring that winning mentality into the postseason.
Head coach Bennie Howard understands that his team’s up-and-down regular season has put it in a tough position, where it now has to win the conference tournament championship in order to compete in the state playoffs.
“I told the guys that we started (the season) off pretty good, so let’s end it pretty good. And we’ve stepped in the right direction the last two ball games,” Howard said last week. “We’ve just got to take it one game at a time now.”
Richmond’s boys soccer team will start its match at Hoke County at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
The girls tennis team will get an extra day of rest before traveling to Sanderson (Raleigh) in the second round, in the East Bracket, of the 4A North Carolina High School Athletic Association State Playoffs.
It was able to slip into the postseason after a runner-up finish in the conference standings and then bested Pine Forest 5-4 in the opening round last week, winning four the six singles played and then grabbing a win in the doubles competition — courtesty of junior duo Jayana Nicholson and Greyson Way.
“It’s an accomplishment for these girls,” head coach Michael Way said after the first-round win. “I’m happy for them and it’s something we can try to build on for the future, but it’s definitely going to be an uphill battle from here.”
The Lady Raiders’ match at Sanderson begins at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.
