Not every high school can say that its athletic program produces coaches and players of the year — season in and season out — at the rate that Richmond Senior does.

This past school year, Richmond saw five coaches and two players take home the Southeastern Conference’s top honors following their efforts either on the sideline or in the field.

Bennie Howard (boys soccer), Reggie Miller (cross country), Wendy Wallace (softball), Michael Way (girls tennis) and Shellie Wimpey (volleyball) all received the repsective SEC Coach of the Year awards at the conclusion of each season.

Both Carlos Alcocer (boys soccer) and Altman Griffin (volleyball) won SEC Player of the Year.

WHAT HAPPENED

Alcocer earned the honor as a sophomore, scoring 22 goals and averaging 2.4 points per match. He went 2-2 on penalty kicks and scored a game-winning goal. Alcocer also led the team with 44 points on the season.

Griffin helped the Lady Raiders to an undefeated record in the conference with a team-high 292 digs, 280 kills and 54 aces. The rising senior also finished the year 45 total blocks (28 solo, 17 assisted).

Howard led the boys soccer team to an unbeaten mark in conference play (9-0-1) and a regular-season championship. Richmond won 11 of its last 13 games, with the loss to A.L. Brown in the first round of the state playoffs ending their season. The Raiders would tie with Lumberton in a late-season, double-overtime game that clinched their SEC title.

Miller coached both the boys and girls cross country teams but was recognized as the girls’ Coach of the Year following the conference’s championship race back in October. He helped five Lady Raider runners (Emily Buie, Ariel Brown, Cameron Hudson, Harmony Jones, Summer Moore) make the All-SEC squad.

This was Wallace’s third year winning the award. The 10th-year coach led the program to one of its best records (25-6, 10-0 SEC) and its first-ever appearance in the Western Regional Finals. Wallace also eclipsed the 200-career-win mark.

Way turned the girls tennis program around in his first year, leading Richmond to a second-place finish in the SEC standings — tying Scotland with a 7-3 conference record. Richmond had three matches in which it held its opponent to just one win in the eight games that were played.

Wimpey has a good chance at another Coach of the Year honor this fall, seeing that her entire team is returning from last season. She would lead the volleyball program to a 10-0 conference record and its third-ever regular-season title in 2016.

WHAT WAS SAID

“I’m just lucky that I have girls that practice hard and play hard. They make my job easy,” softball coach Wendy Wallace said. “My coaching staff and I are blessed to have girls that come out and already know how to play the game at a high level.”

WHAT’S NEXT

All award winners are expected to return next season, but will more than likely focus on advancing further in the postseason rather than picking up another individual accolade.

Alcocer and Griffin begin their junior and senior seasons, respectively, in August.

Howard, who coaches both boys and girls soccer, will be retiring at the end of next season, while Way enters his second season as coach of the girls tennis team. Miller will continue coaching cross country and track and field. Both Wallace and Wimpey hope to repeat as undefeated conference champions.

Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.

Daily Journal file photo Richmond Senior girls tennis coach Michael Way, volleyball coach Shellie Wimpey, boys soccer coach Bennie Howard and girls cross country coach Reggie Miller were all recognized at a Richmond County Board of Education meeting back in November.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Coaches.jpgDaily Journal file photo Richmond Senior girls tennis coach Michael Way, volleyball coach Shellie Wimpey, boys soccer coach Bennie Howard and girls cross country coach Reggie Miller were all recognized at a Richmond County Board of Education meeting back in November.

By Leon Hargrove Jr.

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STORIES OF THE YEAR, NO. 7:

The Daily Journal is reviewing Richmond Senior’s top 10 sports stories of the 2016-2017 school year. Stories will be published in reverse order.