Brecken Snotherly, shown during the track and field season, had a strong outing in the state cross country meet. (Randolph Record file photo)
KERNERSVILLE – Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph placed eighth in the Class 1-A state cross country meet Saturday at Ivy Redmon Complex.
Snotherly, a senior, posted a time of 21 minutes, 21.66 seconds.
In Class 2-A girls, Providence Grove had a team entry, placing 11th.
The Patriots were paced by a trio of juniors. Jensen Auman was (22:38.40) was 40th, Mia Browder (22:56.70) was 44th and Carolina DuVall (23:05.64) was 51st.
On the boys’ side, Zach Hazelwood of Wheatmore was the top area finisher in Class 2-A in 29th place in 17:52.77.
Providence Grove’s Robert Burton was 33rd in 18:05.44.
In last month’s North Carolina Christian School Association’s state meet at Hagan-Stone Park in Pleasant Garden, Faith Christian’s top boys’ runner was Isaac Harris in 18th place in 20:45.09. Faith Christian was eighth in the team standings.
Randleman’s Chase Farlow chases Lincolnton’s Andre Bost during Friday night’s game. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record)
MAYODAN – Providence Grove won a football game in the state playoffs for the first time in school history Friday night.
The visiting Patriots topped McMichael 48-14 in the Class 2-A first round.
Members of the Providence Grove football program pose for a photo after the first state-playoff victory in the sport in school history. (Courtesy photo)
Next, Providence Grove (8-3) aims for an even more monumental task by going to state power Reidsville, which is the No. 1 seed in the West Region, for a second-round game.
Zander Cheek and Zane Cheek both scored three touchdowns. Zane Cheek ran for three touchdowns and Zander Cheek had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in conquering No. 16 seed McMichael (7-4).
Quarterback Andrew Canter was 9-for-11 for 157 yards and a touchdown throw. Zane Cheek gained 173 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Brady Collins made 15 tackles and Chase Whitaker was credited with 12 stops.
The 17th-seeded Patriots led 31-6 at halftime.
Lincolnton 37, Randleman 36. OT: At Randleman, the host Tigers rallied to force overtime but then fell in the Class 2-A first-round game.
Lincolnton gambled after pulling within one point in overtime by going for a two-point conversion. The rushing play worked when Andre Bost took a pitch and ran into the end zone, ending Randleman’s season.
Amarion Moton ran for five touchdowns for the Tigers. That included a 2-yard run in overtime, followed by Christian McLeod’s extra-point kick.
Randleman (7-4), which was the Piedmont Athletic Conference runner-up and landed the No. 10 seed in the West Region, never led after the first quarter.
No. 23 seed Lincolnton broke a tie at the 6:40 mark.
But Moton’s 7-yard run in the fourth quarter followed by his two-point conversion run knotted the score at 29-29 with 1:17 remaining on a drive that consumed 14 plays and nearly 5½ minutes.
Moton earlier had touchdown runs of 2, 8, 2 and 7 yards. Those were part of his 169-yard rushing outing on 27 carries.
Quarterback Christian Long ran for 78 yards on 13 attempts and threw for 120 yards. He was 15-for-24 with an interception.
Lincolnton (6-5) was credited with 394 yards of total offense, including 314 on the ground. Randleman had 373 yards of total offense.
The Wolves snapped a two-game skid. They ended up in their second consecutive overtime game.
Thomas Dobias led the Tigers on defense with eight tackles and teammate Tyshaun Goldston intercepted a pass.
Randleman also bowed out with a first-round loss last year.
Class 1-A
Eastern Randolph, the top-seeded team in the West Region, will face Mountain Heritage in the second round Friday night in Ramseur.
The Wildcats (9-1), who hold a nine-game winning streak, had a first-round bye. No. 17 Mountain Heritage (5-6) won 42-8 at No. 16 seed South Stokes.
Asheboro’s Cristisn Ortiz Benitez goes airborne in a game against Ledford that helped clinch the Mid-Piedmont Conference title in the final week of the regular season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
ASHEBORO – Asheboro was the only boys’ soccer team in Randolph County to make it through the first two rounds of the state playoffs.
The Blue Comets, who are the top seed in the Class 3-A West Region, turned back No. 17 seed West Henderson 2-1 in Thursday night’s home game.
Brandon Santos and Cristisn Ortiz Benitez scored in the first half for Asheboro (21-1-2), which was slated for a third-round home game Monday night vs. West Iredell.
West Henderson (11-9-4) scored in the second half on a goal by Logan Jones.
Asheboro opened with a 9-0 victory against No. 32 seed West Mecklenburg with three goals by Benitez. Santos had a goal and an assist in that game.
Wheatmore’s Luke Beasley makes a move against Monroe in the Class 2-A state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Class 2-A
Wheatmore’s first loss of the season came in a second-round home loss to No. 15 seed Patton.
The second-seeded Warriors fell 2-0
The shutout defeat came after Wheatmore (19-1-4) averaged 4.7 goals per game for its first 23 outings of the season. The only other time the Warriors didn’t score this season came in a deadlock with visiting Kernersville Glenn on Aug. 24.
Wheatmore defeated No. 31 seed Monroe 5-2 in the first round with Riley Queen and Anakin Leister both posting two goals and Collin Burgess scoring the other. Leister and Burgess also each had an assist.
Brendan Jenkins of Trinity looks to make a move during the Class 2-A state playoffs against Brevard. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
In the first round, No. 12 seed Trinity was a 3-0 upset loser at home to No. 21 seed Brevard. Trinity ended with a 15-5-2 record. The Bulldogs and Wheatmore tied for the Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season title with 10-0-2 marks.
No. 26 seed Randleman (7-12-1) fell 4-0 at No. 7 seed Robinson, while No. 29 seed Southwestern Randolph (7-12-2) stumbled by a 7-0 count at No. 4 seed Hendersonville.
Class 1-A
Eastern Randolph’s Axel Canela controls the ball with teammate Jose Rosale looking for position in front of him during a game against Hayesville in the Class 1-A state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Eastern Randolph was ousted with a 6-3 second-round home loss to No. 11 seed Bradford Prep.
The sixth-seeded Wildcats (11-6) trailed 3-1 at halftime.
Eastern Randolph made it out of the first round by stopping No. 27 seed Hayesville 5-0.
Uwharrie Charter Academy’s first-round game was delayed a day and then the No. 19 seed Eagles dropped a 1-0 decision at No. 14 seed South Stokes. UCA finished with a 7-10 record.
Parroquin, a senior, has been among the top scorers for the Eagles, who entered the Class 1-A state playoffs this week.
He capped the regular season by scoring three goals in Uwharrie Charter Academy’s 5-4 victory at Southwestern Randolph. That result avenged a four-goal loss from earlier in the season.
UCA was one of seven teams in Randolph County to qualify for the state playoffs in boys’ soccer.
Salem Lee of Asheboro placed again in the state tournament for girls’ golf. (Randolph Record file photo)
Salem Lee placed fifth for the second year in a row in the Class 3-A state tournament for girls’ golf.
Lee shot rounds of 75 and 78 for a 9-over-par 153 in last week’s tournament at Longleaf Golf and Family Club in Southern Pines.
Asheboro’s Morgan Coward (123-99—222) and Addison Allen (116-113—229) were 74th and 75th, respectively.
Eastern Alamnance’s Emily Mathews won her third consecutive Class 3-A state title.
In Class 1-A/2-A, Providence Grove’s Caroline Wright was fourth at Foxfire Resort and Golf’s Red Course in Foxfire Village.
Wright shot rounds of 82 and 83 for 21-over 165.
Providence Grove’s Morgan Heilig (97-97—194) tied for 32nd and teammate Anna Holloway (117-122—239) was 75th.
Eastern Randolph entrants MacKenzie Gee (111-117—228) and Madison Canoy (117-114—231) were tied for 67th and 69th, respectively.
Cross country
At Kernersville, Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph in a time of 20 minutes, 42.06 seconds, won the Class 1-A Midwest Regional at Ivy Redmon Complex. The senior had a winning margin of about 27 seconds.
In Class 2-A girls, Providence Grove was fourth in the Midwest Regional to qualify for states. Mai Browder’s 11th-place finish in 21:57.14 led the Patriots.
In Class 2-A boys, Zach Hazelwood of Wheatmore claimed third place in 17:02.86. Robert Burton of Providence Grove was 10th in 17:35.03. Both runners will be in Saturday’s state meet.
Girls’ tennis
Trinity senior Autumn Gentry lost in the first round of the Class 2-A individual state tournament at Ting Park in Holly Springs.
Ellie Spear of Holmes beat Gentry 6-4, 6-1.
Boys’ soccer
Asheboro is the No. 1 seed for the Class 3-A West Region in the state playoffs.
The Blue Comets (19-1-2), the Mid-Piedmont Conference champions, are set to begin their quest for a title with a home game Monday night against a one-win West Mecklenburg team.
On Oct. 21, Asheboro played a 0-0 non-conference tie at Burlington Williams, which is the No. 1 seed in the Class 3-A East Region.
In Class 2-A, Wheatmore (17-0-4) entered the state playoffs undefeated and the No. 2 seed with a scheduled matchup against Monroe.
Also in the field were No. 12 seed Trinity, No. 26 seed Randleman and No. 29 seed Southwestern Randolph.
In Class 1-A, Eastern Randolph held the No. 6 seed and Uwharrie Charter Academy was the No. 19 seed.
Southwestern Randolph’s Madelyn Smith makes a play near the net against Brevard. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
ASHEBORO – There’s no repeat for Southwestern Randolph’s volleyball team in the Class 2-A state playoffs.
The defending state champion Cougars were eliminated in the fourth round with Saturday’s 21-25, 25-923-25, 25-17, 21-19 home loss to Brevard.
The Cougars, who were seeded second in the West Region, finished the season with a 26-4 record. Brevard advanced with a 23-5 record.
Madelyn Smith had 13 kills and Riley Key added 10 kills in the last match for Southwestern Randolph. Raegan Leroy added 26 assists and Carleigh Whiston posted 10 service points.
In the third round, the Cougars bounced No. 23 seed North Stanly 25-12, 25-9, 25-17 behind Key’s 11 kills, Smith’s 10 kills, Gracie Hodgin’s eight kills and Leroy’s 16 service points.
In a second-round victory against No. 15 seed East Davidson, Southwestern Randolph received 14 kills from Hodgin, 12 kills and 18 digs from Smith and 32 digs from Coley Shiflet. Leroy provided 23 assists, Whitson had 14 digs and Micah Wilson added 13 assists in the 25-20, 25-22, 25-16 triumph.
Also in Class 2-A, No. 13 seed Randleman was ousted in the second round with a 25-21, 25-20, 25-12 loss at No. 4 seed East Surry. The Tigers finished with a 17-6 record.
In Class 1-A, Uwharrie Charter Academy made it to the third round.
The fifth-seeded Eagles topped No. 21 seed Hayesville 25-12, 25-18, 25-22 in the second round.
But two nights later, UCA (16-8) was eliminated by fourth-seeded Highland Tech in a 25-22, 25-27, 24-26, 25-18, 15-12 decision in the third round.
Andrew Canter throws a pass for Providence Grove, which is in the state playoffs again.
Eastern Randolph’s football team is the top seed in Class 1-A’s West Region for the second year in a row.
Randleman and Providence Grove are in the states in Class 2-A West Region.
Eastern Randolph (9-1), the Piedmont Athletic Conference champion, receives a first-round bye and will play Nov. 11 at home against the winner of this Friday night’s game between South Stokes (4-6) and Mountain Heritage (4-6).
In Class 2-A, Randleman (7-3) is the No. 10 seed with a home date Friday night against No. 23 seed Lincolnton (5-5). The winner faces either No. 7 seed Monroe or No. 26 seed North Stanly, which edged Randleman 40-34 in the regular season.
Providence Grove (7-3) is the No. 17 seed, so it has a game at No. 16 seed McMichael (7-3). If the Patriots win, they could be heading to Rockingham County for the second week in a row to face top-seeded Reidsville, which takes on No. 32 seed Madison in the first round.
RAMSEUR – Devonte Brooks scored two touchdowns and Eastern Randolph repeated as Piedmont Athletic Conference football champion with a 28-13 victory against visiting Randleman on Friday night.
Ervodd Cassady returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown against his former team as part of Eastern Randolph’s scoring plays.
The Wildcats (9-1 overall, 5-0 PAC) have won nine games in a row since a season-opening loss at Eastern Alamance. They benefited from three Randleman turnovers.
Stratton Barwick threw for a on a 12-yard play with Adonye Herbert. Nicah Taylor had 83 receiving yards among Barwick’s 128 passing yards.
Randleman (7-3, 4-1), which trailed 21-0 at halftime, scored on Christian Long’s 38-yard pass to Aiden Robinson and on a Tyshaun Goldston’s 43-yard punt return. Amarion Moton was held to 48 yards on 12 carries.
Providence Grove 59, Wheatmore 6: At Climax, Zander Cheek and Karson Bowman each scored two touchdowns and the Patriots won their home finale in the PAC.
Chase Whitaker ran and threw for a touchdown for Providence Grove (7-3, 3-2), which led 42-0 at halftime and claimed third place.
Zane Cheek, Brandon Davis and Josh Ward also scored touchdowns for the Patriots. Jacob Hart kicked a field goal and eight extra points.
Wheatmore finished with a 2-8, 1-4 record.
Southwestern Randolph 50, Trinity 12: At Trinity, Easton Clapp ran for four touchdowns and threw for two more in the finale for both teams.
Sean Adkins and Eli Gravely had touchdown catches. Colton Law scored on a run for the Cougars (6-4, 2-3), who snapped a two-game losing streak in PAC play.
Trinity (4-6, 0-5) finished last in the PAC despite one rushing and one passing touchdown by Tait Conti.
Montgomery Central 45, Asheboro 22: At Asheboro, the Blue Comets went winless in the Mid-Piedmont Conference for the second season in a row.
Asheboro (1-9, 0-5) has had back-to-back one-win seasons after going without a victory the season before that.
Hakemme Butler returned an interception for a touchdown for Asheboro’s first points. Kai Matthews scored on a fumble return. The only points generated from the Blue Comets’ offense came on a Hamza Khan’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Jaylon Moore.
As the Cougars try to repeat as Class 2-A state champions, underclassmen are playing key roles. But Johnston is among the seniors on the roster.
Last week, the Cougars won three matches. They took down Providence Grove in a sweep and then won a five-set match against Randleman to capture the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament.
Then on Saturday, the Cougars won against East Surry in the first round of the state playoffs.
