Student-athletes at small high schools can make a greater impact by competing in multiple sports when numbers are low.
Raleigh “Ralo” Wesley, who graduates in May after four years at Bethesda Academy, has made a huge impact at the all-boys school, which has about 85 students in grades 9-12.
“Ralo has been a rock for our program,” said Antwain Turner, the Blazers’ athletic director since 2007 and the football program’s only head coach for its 21 seasons.
“(Wesley) has been extremely competitive, but he’s also a great kid,” Turner continued. “He cares about his teammates. He cares about Bethesda. He has a heart for our program and institution. He’s a talent and a person that you just never forget. He really has set the tone here at Bethesda. I believe we’ll be talking about him for years to come.”
There’s plenty to talk about now.
Wesley, a standout on two undefeated SCISA Class 2A championship football teams (2023 and 2025), hopes to add a second state team title in track and field when Bethesda competes at the Division II meet on Friday at Orangeburg (S.C) Prep.
The Blazers captured the state crown last spring when Wesley was the individual high-point champion with first-place finishes in the 100 meters (10.65 seconds) and 200 (21.57) as well as on the 4x100 and 4x100 relay teams.
He will be a meet-day decision, however, as a hamstring issue could keep him from competing.
“This is the first time ever – any injury, any sport,” Wesley said on Tuesday evening of what he called a “small strain.”
“I’m getting better every day,” he said optimistically of being 100% by Friday, but he also didn’t want to risk a setback.
He’s having a great senior season, recording personal bests in the 100 (10.55) and 200 (21.18) at the Statesboro meet on March 28. His 200 time is among the best in Georgia in any classification.
“I get faster every day. I do explosive workouts every day so I can keep my speed,” Wesley said of his usual routine.
Improvement has come as the sprinter has honed his running style and starts out of the blocks.
“At first, I wasn’t as smooth running, but I got comfortable. Now my time’s going down every track meet,” Wesley said. “My start is getting tremendously better. I’m working at that because that’s what I lacked.”
Wesley began competing in track in ninth grade and was a state champion as a sophomore in the 100 (11.00) and 200 (22.52). Then came lower times and more gold as a junior.
“To see his progression and how he’s worked,” Turner said, “to see his commitment in how he’s dedicated himself to the work, and to see his heart for the Blazers, and how he stayed the course. He didn’t look elsewhere. He hunkered down and told the guys, ‘I’m a Blazer.’ He’s really shown these guys how to do it, and really laid out a roadmap for success.”
Turner said Wesley is an inspiration for the underclassmen who follow his lead and put in extra work.
“Raleigh was able to take his game to the next level,” Turner said. “A lot of these guys are watching and witnessing what greatness looks like.”
Both Turner and Wesley pointed to upperclassmen who came before the current seniors and modeled how to prepare and work, such as Triston Randall and Thomas Peters from the Class of 2024.
Wesley said that dedication paid off when the Blazers went 13-0 in 2023 for the football program’s first state title. Bethesda also advanced to the championship game in 2024 and came home with another crown after a 12-0 mark in 2025.
“That’s our expectation because of the amount of work we put in,” he said of playing for titles. “We expect to do great.”
The Blazers’ football team went 42-8 in Wesley’s four seasons.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I love the way the team comes together and works. Everybody works together. The brotherhood is good at the school. Good communication and good chemistry all over.”
Putting up big numbers
Wesley was the Region I Player of the Year last season, when the wide receiver caught 35 passes for 1,084 yards and 23 touchdowns and added 83 rushing yards and two more TDs.
Also an electric kickoff and punt returner, Wesley was SCISA all-state and totaled 28 TDs.
Wesley had 41 receptions for 743 yards and seven TDs in 12 games in 2024, and added 250 yards and three TDs on 15 carries. He had two receiving and two rushing TDs as a sophomore.
He also started at cornerback his first three seasons and picked up more all-state accolades. He had two interceptions and 51 tackles as a freshman in 2022, seven picks and 55 tackles in 2023, and three picks and 44 tackles in 2024 before focusing on wide receiver and special teams in 2025.
All the more impressive because Wesley started out as a 5-foot-10, 150-pound freshman adjusting to high school football. He’s up to about 5-11, 170 pounds now.
“He’s very physical,” Turner said. “We already know his speed. He’s also determined to be great. He works hard. He’s committed. He does the extra things to be great. He doesn’t settle for less.
“He’s definitely a generational talent.”
Next stop: West Virginia
Wesley is taking that talent to Fairmont (W.Va.) State University, an NCAA Division II program where he will play wide receiver (track, to be determined) and plans to major in business.
“I just loved the coaching staff,” he said of visiting the West Virginia campus earlier this year. “I feel like I fit in good there. I could see myself balling out there.”
Wesley had interest from college programs in Georgia and the South in general, but chose the scholarship opportunity a lot farther north.
The born-and-raised Savannahian acknowledged he had never seen so much snow, in such heavy coverage, as on his visit. It didn’t deter him.
“I really like the cold, for real,” Wesley said. “I’ll pick the cold over the heat any day.”
Photo credit: Courtesy of Kyunnie Shuman/RDP Productions.
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