For a large number of high school student-athletes, the ultimate goal is to make it to the next level.

Only a small percentage of that group ever gets the opportunity, so the Richmond athletic department makes sure to celebrate — year in and year out — the ones who do have a chance to turn their childhood dreams into a reality.

The Raiders had 21 student-athletes across six sports sign letters of intent over the last seven months. There are 17 who will be staying in-state while four are taking their talents to the likes of Maryland, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

WHAT HAPPENED

The senior softball trio of Savannah Lampley, Taylor Parrish and Greyson Way became the first graduate class in head coach Wendy Wallace’s tenure to have each member secure a college future when they signed their respective letters on November 14, 2018 — the first day of the fall’s early signing period.

Lampley put the pen to paper 17 months after she verbally committed to UNC-Wilmington, Parrish looks forward to playing her college ball at Pfeiffer University and Way is taking her pitching talents to UNC-Greensboro.

That was the first of Richmond’s six signing ceremonies this past school year.

Standout wide receiver Malik Stanback, who missed his senior season with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, was the next to make things official, as he sent in his papers to Wofford College on December 19, 2018. Because it was the early period for football, his signing wasn’t publicly celebrated until National Signing Day on February 6, 2019.

Stanback was one of 12 Raiders who gathered in the school’s media center on National Signing Day. He was joined by five of his football brothers, four future college baseball players and two exceptional defenders on the soccer field.

Taveon Ellerbe (Louisburg College), Rasheed Patrick (Louisburg College), Jake Ransom (UNC-Charlotte), Bobby Terry (Winston-Salem State University) and Jordyn Wall (Presbyterian College) were the other five representing the group from the gridiron. Ellerbe and Patrick will be teammates for the two more years, Wall expects to have an immediate impact down in South Carolina and both Ransom and Terry bet big on themselves by accepting preferred walk-on offers.

The baseball team had a big day as well with Alex Anderson (Johns Hopkins University), Tyler Bass (Brunswick Community College), Cam Carraway (Wingate University) and Garet Weigman (Guilford College) getting the chance to share such a special moment a few weeks before they began the final season of their high school careers.

Nolan Allen opened the February ceremony by inking his letter of intent to Piedmont International College, where he will continue his soccer career, and Tatum Hubbard closed it out when she signed to play at Methodist College.

The month of March belonged to Carlos Alcocer (St. Andrews University, boys soccer), Jayana Nicholson (Cape Fear Community College, girls soccer) and Caleb Ross (North Carolina Wesleyan College, football).

Kevin Campos signed his LOI to play tennis at Thiel College (Pa.) on April 4 and then basketball players Xavier Pettigrew and Alex Quick took the Raiders over 20 signees when they inked with Pitt Community College on May 9.

WHAT WAS SAID

“It’s one of my goals to have multiple guys sign, so this is big for us. I want to win games, but at the end of the day, I want to get guys to college and give them an opportunity to change their lives.” — Donald Pettigrew, boys basketball coach

“It’s an excellent accomplishment for all of them. … They’ve known from the beginning, when they stepped into this program, that this was their goal … and I expect to see continued success.” — Wendy Wallace, softball coach

“We’re very proud of all of them. … We want to produce good citizens and be able to give kids the opportunity to play at the next level … And all of these (kids) are good representatives of the school.” — Ricky Young, athletic director

WHAT’S NEXT

At the moment, Kayla Hawkins and D’Marcus Harrington are the only two rising seniors who have essentially solidified their spots at the signing table this upcoming school year.

Hawkins, first baseman for softball team, announced her verbal commitment to Coker College on June 19, 2018. Harrington, a cornerback on the football field, has four scholarships offers (Austin Peay State University, Elon University, Liberty University, North Carolina A&T State University) and counting. His latest came from Elon on June 6, 2019.

They won’t be the only two signing LOIs, however, as there are many Raider rising seniors who will be — if they haven’t done so already — catching the eye of college coaches as they develop over the next year.

Leon Hargrove Jr. | Daily Journal file photo Richmond softball seniors Savannah Lampley, front left, Greyson Way, middle, and Taylor Parrish, front right, all smile after signing their respective LOIs on November 14, 2018. Standing in the back are Lady Raider assistant coach Shellie Wimpey, left, and head coach Wendy Wallace. This was the first of Richmond’s six signing ceremonies this past school year.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_sign.jpgLeon Hargrove Jr. | Daily Journal file photo Richmond softball seniors Savannah Lampley, front left, Greyson Way, middle, and Taylor Parrish, front right, all smile after signing their respective LOIs on November 14, 2018. Standing in the back are Lady Raider assistant coach Shellie Wimpey, left, and head coach Wendy Wallace. This was the first of Richmond’s six signing ceremonies this past school year.
A total of 21 Richmond student-athletes inked LOIs

By Leon Hargrove Jr.

Sports Editor

STORIES OF THE YEAR, No. 5:

The Daily Journal is reviewing the top sports stories from the 2018-19 school year at Richmond Senor High School. Stories will bepublished in reverse order.

Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. by phone at 910-817-2671 or by email at [email protected]. For stories, scores and updates, follow the Daily Journal’s sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.