Providence Grove, wrestling
Wood has had a solid wrestling season, with the postseason approaching.
The senior, who competes in the 285-pound weight class, placed second in the RJR Invitational late last month in Winston-Salem. Wood reached the championship bout of that tournament with three pins.
Wood finished sixth in last season’s Class 2-A state tournament.
He’s a multi-time all-conference selection in football as a lineman for the Patriots.
Kenzie Martin of Southwestern Randolph goes up for a shot during last week’s victory against Trinity. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Southwestern Randolph and Randleman are on course for a showdown in girls’ basketball Friday night in Randleman.
The teams have split two meetings this season.
Depending on results leading up to the game, Randleman could be in position to clinch at least a share of the PAC regular-season championship.
Randleman won 55-41 on Dec. 16 at Southwestern Randolph. The teams met again in the championship game of the Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic at Providence Grove, with the Cougars pulling out a 49-48 victory.
That began a stretch for Southwestern Randolph with four consecutive games decided by single-digit margins. The Wildcats were 3-1 in those.
There was a more comfortable result for the Cougars last week, when Caressa King’s 15 points led four players in double figures in a 65-42 home victory vs. Trinity.
Since its only regular-season loss in two seasons, Randleman put together a five-game winning streak through last Friday. Three of those outcomes were by at least 20 points.
The Tigers held a 17-1 overall record entering this week.
Friday’s game will be the last scheduled road game for Southwestern Randolph.
Also in girls’ basketball, Brecken Snotherly’s 28 points were tops for Eastern Randolph in a 61-37 non-conference trouncing of host Eastern Alamance on Friday night. That gave the Wildcats a five-game winning streak.
Boys’ basketball
Asheboro entered this week with a 4-0 mark in Mid-Piedmont Conference action. D.J Headn scored 20 points in a 76-30 romp past visiting Montgomery Central.
There are numerous challenges ahead for the Blue Comets, who’ll play four of their last six league games on the road.
In the PAC, Southwestern Randolph had four players with double-figure point totals, led by Thomas Leal’s 16 (all in the first half), to overcome Trinity in a 59-50 home triumph. That gave the Cougars a four-game winning streak after a five-game skid to pull the team to a 9-9 overall record.
Dominic Payne’s 34 points and Dylan Hodges’ 10 points accounted for most of Trinity’s offense.
Davonte Brooks of Eastern Randolph racked up 43 points and 15 rebounds in a 97-77 non-league victory at Eastern Alamance.
Providence Grove avenged a loss to Uwharrie Charter Academy by winning 70-65 on the road. That result came despite 31 points for UCA’s Ashton Troutman.
Wrestling
Asheboro has won another Mid-Piedmont Conference championship. This one was clinched by defeating visiting Montgomery Central 36-31 on Friday night at North Asheboro Middle School.
The Blue Comets have won four league titles in a row. The past two have come in the realigned conference.
Members of the Eastern Randolph boys’ basketball team have come together for a special season.
MEBANE – No longer in a rut, the Eastern Randolph boys’ basketball program is doing it on its own terms.
That’s fast – and to the point.
“We practice fast,” senior Davonte Brooks said. “We come to the games just like practice. All fast, all fast. We all knew from the get-go what we were getting into, from Day 1.”
Turns out this means getting all sorts of victories under first-year coach Johnny Thomas.
The Wildcats are a rapid-paced, action-filled group all the way to a 16-1 record. That’s double of last season’s win total.
Prior to this week, the latest accomplishment came with a 97-77 romp past host Eastern Alamance in Friday night’s non-conference game.
Eastern Randolph has eight games of scoring more than 90 points, including four in a row. The Wildcats have eclipsed 80 points in three others.
Part of this stems from conditioning and an attitude.
“We start practice out with a 1½-mile run,” Thomas said. “With great sacrifice comes great things. We’ve understood so far what it’s going to take to get to that next level. Moving forward, we cannot be a team that just puts points on the board. We have to be a team that keeps points off the board as well.”
The scoring part, though, is probably the most noticeable. It’s certainly one of the enjoyable aspects for the Wildcats, who embrace the pace.
“I love it,” point guard Pierce Leonard said. “It gets us steals. Gets us 90 points. That’s all we go for.”
Leonard is a senior in his first season with the Wildcats after transferring from Uwharrie Charter Academy. He has fit right in with Thomas’ style.
Thomas said Leonard probably doesn’t understand the impact he has made by being able to generate a brisk pace.
“We’re not planning on slowing down for anybody,” said Thomas, a former North Carolina State player. “If you get in front of us, with all due respect, our job is to roll over you and get to that next win. All these guys, they’ve never had this sort of environment when it comes to the basketball side of things.”
Brooks is averaging 25.3 points per game, bolstered by his 43 points and 15 rebounds at Eastern Alamance.
“His ability to get the ball off the rim and just push the ball,” Thomas said of one of Brooks’ strengths. “Davonte has always had that in him, it was just giving him the opportunity and freedom to do it.”
Thomas said Brooks was an accomplished scorer last season. Now, he’s in a system that allows him to flourish even more.
The approach works for Brooks.
“I just go out there and try to add to it,” he said.
The style has been endearing for the Wildcats.
“It was different getting out there the first couple of months and first couple of weeks,” senior guard Connor Carter said. “It’s just special. (Thomas) believes in us and takes us everywhere. It’s definitely sad that I’m a senior and have to leave.”
Carter made a stirring 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer Friday night. Leonard ended up with 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, Nicah Taylor posted 13 points and Jani Norwood came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds.
Eastern Randolph made it halfway through the Piedmont Athletic Conference portion of its schedule with a 6-0 mark.
The Wildcats don’t intend on slowing down.
“We play really intense,” Thomas said. “I try to tell a lot of people when we get out there, our goal is for you to stop us. We’re a very aggressive team, so time to time we get in foul trouble. That’s going to happen. … The pace is different. The expectation is different. People’s understanding about what we do is also different.”
Thomas said the Wildcats want to set the tone on all levels.
“We set our expectation,” he said. “We intend to take it. You don’t got to give it to us. We’re going to take it. There’s really nothing you can do about it. You can try. That may be a little cocky. But if you’re not cocky, you’re not confident.”
Wheatmore, girls’ basketball
Hill helped the Warriors to a three-game winning streak. Wheatmore won home games against Southwestern Randolph and Uwharrie Charter Academy sandwiched around a road triumph at Providence Grove.
Hill’s 20 points were huge in the 52-43 conquering of Southwestern Randolph. The sophomore guard had 17 points in the Providence Grove game.
Going into this week, the Warriors had won five of their last six games. Wheatmore held a 3-3 record in the Piedmont Athletic Conference after an 0-3 start to league play.
Asheboro’s Elijah Woodley locks in defensively on North Davidson’s Payton Eccles during last week’s game at the Asheboro Recreation Center. In the background, Asheboro’s Jerquarius Stanback keeps tabs on Caiden Bean. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record).
With three players scoring 20 or more points, Eastern Randolph came away with a 95-77 road victory against Trinity in boys’ basketball last week.
Pierce Leonard led the Wildcats with 29 points, Nicah Taylor scored 27 and Davonte Brooks had 20.
Those offset Dominic Payne’s 37 points for Trinity. Teammate Dylan Hodges had 22.
The Wildcats followed that by pounding visiting Providence Grove 93-60 to push their record to 15-1 by the end of last week.
** Southwestern Randolph’s Sean Adkins hit the go-ahead basket in 57-56 victory at Uwharrie Charter Academy.
** The duo of Camden Walker (22 points) and Jerquaris Stanback (20) propelled Asheboro in a 74-63 victory at Central Davidson. Walker had 20 points in a 74-37 home romp past North Davidson.
** Tyshaun Goldson of Randleman tallied 28 points as the Tigers won a non-conference game against visiting Ledford by 70-52.
** Trinity was back on the winning path when Hodges posted 23 points in a 67-55 victory at Randleman. The Tigers received 25 points from Goldston.
** UCA road Ashton Troutman’s 38 points in a 58-48 triumph at Wheatmore.
Girls’ basketball
Seth Baxter’s six-season record as girls’ basketball coach at Southwestern Randolph reached 100-34 with last week’s 47-45 victory at UCA.
** Brecken Snotherly’s 28 points and 12 rebounds along with Ziera Watson’s 20 points were enough to help Eastern Randolph past host Trinity 71-55. Trinity received 24 points from Kennedy Jackson.
Snotherly racked up 39 points and 10 rebounds in a 75-26 crushing of Providence Grove.
** Sion Murrian’s 24 points lifted Asheboro past host Central Davidson by 69-47.
** Providence Grove’s Jada Nixon had 24 points in a 65-64 overtime loss to visiting Burlington Williams.
Wrestling
At Eden, Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jack McArthur (132 pounds), Aldo Hernandez (138), Lorenzo Alston (145) Alek Millikan (160), Grayson Roberts (170) and Corbin Grissom (182) were individual champions Saturday in the Sarah Wilkes Invitational at Eden Morehead.
Teammates Spencer May (120) and Joey Smith (220) of Trinity were also champions.
In finals, Hernandez, Millikan and Alston won by first-period pins, Grissom prevailed with a second-period pin and Roberts registered a technical fall in the second period. McArthur defeated Trinity’s Gavin McCall 8-2 in the title bout.
Roberts had three earlier pins.
Ethan Hines (106) of UCA and Levi Dennis (126) of Trinity were runners-up.
UCA was team champion.
Awards were presented Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.
SOPHIA – The top three drivers in each division were honored as part of Caraway Speedway’s awards banquet Saturday at the track.
In Late Models, Coy Beard guided the No. 27 car to the division championship for the second time in three years. He won four features. Tony Black was second and Donnie Apple placed third.
The Rookie of the Year in Late Models went to Jeffery Wood, who missed the last one-third of the season.
In Challengers, Brian Rose was the champion, aided by four victories. He held a 66-point edge on Matthew Smith, who was the division’s Rookie of the Year.
Smith had one victory and four top-five finishes on his way to one point more than third-place finisher Tommy Raino. Veteran driver Archie Adams Sr. was fourth.
In Modifieds, Carson Loftin secured the championship in the last points race of the season, edging Cody Norman. Loftin also was Rookie of the Year.
Loftin’s four-point margin came despite Norman’s five race victories. Jaxson Casper took third, winning once.
In Mini Stocks, Jimmy Crigger won four times on his way to the class championship. Rudy Hartley was the division’s runner-up, while Rookie of the Year Alex Higginson placed third.
In UCARs, Daniel Hughes claimed the division title, winning twice and placing second seven times. Teammate Corey Rose was second. Caleb Allred, the Rookie of the Year, was third.
The speedway will open its 2023 season of racing Jan. 29 with the Winter Heat 2023 with races in the following categories: Late Models (75 laps), Street Stocks (50), Challengers (40), Mini Stocks (40, UCARs (20) and Bootleggers (10).
This replaces what would have been the 2022 season-ending Thanksgiving Classic, which was called off because of weather concerns.
CLIMAX – New Asheboro football coach Calvin Brown is still finishing his time at Providence Grove.
While no longer the football coach of the Patriots, Brown is remaining at the school in other roles, including as athletics director, through Jan. 20.
Then he makes the full transition to Asheboro.
In more than a month’s time between his introduction as Asheboro’s coach and completely leaving Providence Grove, Brown said he hopes to have in place most of his new staff with the Blue Comets.
“I’d like to have everything lined up,” he said.
Brown, who spent seven seasons as Providence Grove’s coach, said last month that he hasn’t been involved in the process to hire a new coach for the Patriots.
Oak Grove promotes assistant
Oak Grove hired Rob Creason as its next football coach, promoting him from assistant coach.
He replaces Mark Holcomb, who was the only coach in the program’s six seasons and moved on to become the coach at Bishop McGuinness.
Creason is a physical education teacher at Oak Grove.
Oak Grove is in the Mid-Piedmont Conference along with Asheboro, so that league will have at least two new football coaches in 2023.
Randleman’s Tyshaun Goldston puts up a shot against South Davidson in last month’s holiday tournament. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Goldston, a sophomore, had quite a week in a pair of victories for the Tigers.
He rolled up 19 points and six rebounds when Randleman defeated visiting Uwharrie Charter Academy 68-42.
Then came Goldston’s 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots in a 49-43 victory at Providence Grove.
Goldston holds team-leading marks of 16.1 points, 7.7 rebounds per game, and 2.1 blocked shots per game.
With an 11-5 record entering this week, the Tigers already eclipsed last season’s eight-win mark.
Thad Moffitt, left, poses with his grandfather Richard Petty in connection with the announcement regarding the young driver’s next opportunity. (Courtesy photo)
Driver Thad Moffitt will compete full time in the Trans Am Series in 2023.
Moffitt, grandson of Richard Petty, has joined the Scott Lagasse Racing team.
Moffitt and Trans Am president John Clagett unveiled the No. 43 Safety-Kleen Chevrolet Camaro that Moffitt will pilot in his championship effort for TeamSLR.
“I can’t wait to join the Trans Am Series in 2023,” Moffitt said. “The TA2 class is one of the most competitive places to race in all of motorsports and it will be great to have a chance to race against the huge fields that include champions like Rafa Matos, Mike Skeen and Thomas Merrill. The series races at some of the most historic tracks in the country, with high-profile events like the Music City Grand Prix and Detroit Grand Prix. I am so grateful to have this opportunity.”
Moffitt, 22, is a former Wheatmore student. He’s the son of Brian and Rebecca Petty-Moffitt.
Moffitt spent six seasons in the ARCA Menards Series, earning 10 top fives and 29 top-10 finishes in 49 starts between the National, East and West series. In 2022, Moffitt competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He’s also the 2016 Southeast Limited Late Models champion.
“I am so proud that Thad is going to be running in the Trans Am series,” Petty said in a statement. “I think it is a wonderful opportunity for him to drive in such a competitive series and learn road racing. I love that we’re able to bring the No. 43 to Trans Am, and it will be so special to see a member of our family race that Petty blue Camaro.”
Moffitt will make his Trans Am debut when the 2023 season begins Feb. 23-26 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway.
To prepare for that debut, Moffitt will participate in preseason testing Jan. 25-26 at Sebring under the guidance of father-and-son duo Scott Lagasse and Scott Lagasse Jr. The TeamSLR co-owners have combined to win more than 100 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks.
“We’ve been very impressed with Thad’s work ethic and his desire to compete,” Scott Lagasse Jr. said in a statement. “TA2 is a great place to learn race craft, and with more and more NASCAR races on road and street courses, it’s an excellent way for drivers to increase their versatility. You can hustle a TA2 car for an entire race, just like qualifying laps.Trans Am is growing and it gets more competitive each year. There are a lot of great racers and it takes a lot to win each race.”
Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly prepares to launch a shot last week against Uwharrie Charter Academy. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Here are some notable performances from around area high schools last week:
In girls’ basketball, Southwestern Randolph defeated host Eastern Randolph 59-52 as Jordin George had 15 points.
Still, it was a special week for Eastern Randolph senior Breck Snotherly, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark with the Wildcats. Plus, she has more points from her time at Winston-Salem Christian.
Snotherly racked up 32 points in the Southwestern Randolph game. The next night, Snotherly produced 21 points when Eastern Randolph defeated host Jordan-Matthews 58-11.
She capped the week with 34 points when Eastern Randolph defeated visiting Uhwarrie Charter Academy 58-42 on Friday night.
Boys’ basketball
In Trinity’s 88-59 home romp past Providence Grove, Dominic Payne racked up 30 points, Dylan Hodges had 26 points and Brandon Campbell notched 18 points.
Payne, a junior guard, reached the 1,000-point career mark in late December.
Davonte Brooks tallied 29 points when Eastern Randolph beat visiting Southwestern Randolph 70-55. Later in the week, Timothy Brower pumped in 22 points to lead five Eastern Randolph players in double figures in a 96-51 drilling of visiting UCA.
Randleman topped visiting UCA 68-42 with Greg Price scoring 22 points. Ashton Troutman’s 23 points paced UCA.
Jerquarius Stanback’s 26 points carried Asheboro past visiting Oak Grove 74-56 in a Mid-Piedmont Conference opener.
Wrestling
Uwharrie Charter Academy, the host school, went 10-0 across two days in the Pin Down Autism Super Duals.
The Eagles smashed most of the competition. The closest meet came with a 51-21 beating of Southeast Guilford.
Lorenzo Alston of UCA went 10-0. Posting 9-0 records for UCA were Jack McArthur, Aldo Hernandez, Carson Robinson and Grayson Roberts. Corbin Grissom was 8-0 and Jair Ulloa went 7-0, while Brandon Jordan and Caden Bond both won nine matches and Brennan Worrell won eight times.
** At Walnut Cove, Asheboro won all five meets Saturday in the Rick Williams Duals at South Stokes.
The Blue Comets won against Patrick (Va.) County (by 42-31), Elkin (63-12), South Stokes (60-16) Reagan (51-28) and Starmount (42-30).
Xavier Santos (113 pounds), Diego Gutierrez (120, 126) and Michael Brady (182) all went 5-0 for Asheboro.