Vickers was productive in his senior season for the Bulldogs, who he helped to the Piedmont Athletic Conference title.
In the PAC championships, he was part of three point-producing events for Trinity.
He placed second in the 400 meters in 58.63 seconds and took third in the triple jump at 35 feet, 1½ inches. While he didn’t place in the long jump, he posted a mark of 16-5 for 10th place.
Vickers was part of the winning 1,600 relay, which had a time of 4:00.97. He was joined by teammates Ayden Harlow, Mason Lewis, and Jonathan Hill.
Randolph County Post 45 pitcher Robert Garner is bound to be called upon for a critical role during the Southeast Regional for American Legion baseball. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Southeast Regional provides array of challenges for Randolph County
ASHEBORO – In order for Randolph County Post 45 to be playing this weekend when the remaining teams have dwindled in the Southeast Regional of American Legion baseball, there are bound to be several key factors.
Post 45 manager Ronnie Pugh has tried to develop pitching depth, something that became a challenge at times when the team’s schedule was either spread out or — during a stretch late in the regular season and early in the Area 3 playoffs — when games were forfeited or reduced to five innings by the mercy rule.
“A lot of times we do matchups,” Pugh said. “We have a lot of position players who pitch.”
Post 45 has counted on several pitchers for clutch duty on the mound. One of them is Robert Garner, who has been strictly a pitcher.
Post 45 is bound to need more stellar pitching from Garner, who delivered with 6 1/3 shutout innings in a game in last week’s state tournament.
“I’ve been throwing good up here (with Post 45),” Garner said. “It’s the exact same stuff I did in high school.”
He graduated from North Moore in the spring and is heading to play baseball for Wake Tech. For North Moore, he gained Class 1-A Pitcher of the Year accolades from the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association, so he has credentials that could boost Post 45 if the team is able to extend its stay in the regional.
Garner is a second-year player with Post 45, though Pugh said with Garner coming through the group’s junior program he had been on the radar.
“He loves to play,” Pugh said.
So does left fielder Adam Cole, who’s a second-year player for Post 45.
Left fielder Adam Cole of Randolph County Post 45 will be busy this week during the Southeast Regional. He also plays football for Southwestern Randolph, with practice beginning this week. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Cole has an interesting workload in terms of athletics. He’s a record-setting football player for Southwestern Randolph, with official practices having started Monday across the state.
Cole said he won’t be a regular participant in football practices if Post 45 is playing on the same day. That’s the case for Wednesday and Thursday, and it’s possible at times during the week that Randolph County could be playing at the same time as the Cougars are holding football practices.
“I won’t do both on the same day, but I can go out to the practice,” Cole said.
He said he has put in time regarding football in recent weeks.
“I’ve been going out to the field on my own and working out,” Cole said. “After the last couple of years, I’ve pretty much memorized the playbook.”
State champion Wilmington Post 10 is also in the Southeast Regional field. Randolph County and Wilmington didn’t meet in the state tournament.
When games begin Wednesday, the other teams include South Carolina champion Rock Hill Post 34, South Carolina runner-up Camden Post 17, Georgia champion Evans Post 192, Kentucky champion Owensboro Post 9, Florida champion Belleview Post 284 and Tennessee champion Columbia Post 19.
The double-elimination regional is set to wrap up Sunday. There’s a potential title game at 1:30 p.m., with an “if necessary” game at 4:30 p.m. After four games slated for Wednesday and Thursday, there are three game slots on Friday’s schedule and two more Saturday.
The regional winner advances to the American Legion World Series, which takes place next week in Shelby.
Above, members of the Randleman boys’ soccer team move the goal at the first practice of the season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Here’s a glimpse of some of the opening practices in Randolph County on Monday, when teams could officially begin practices for the upcoming fall season.
Eddie Soto of the Asheboro football team goes through a tackling drill on the first day of practice Monday. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)Coach Seth Baxter addresses his Southwestern Randolph football team on the first day of practice Monday. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)Asheboro’s volleyball team goes through practice under the direction of Kim Black, who has returned to the program as the coach. The session was held at North Asheboro Middle School because of ongoing renovations at the high school. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Southwestern Randolph alum Bryce Marsh had a strong season in power numbers for the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Marsh’s CPL-best homer count among team’s highlights
ASHEBORO – Things became better for the Asheboro ZooKeepers during the latter part of the Coastal Plain League season.
But not good enough to qualify for the postseason.
A somewhat awkward season came to a close with Saturday night’s 12-8 loss to the visiting Martinsville Mustangs at McCrary Park.
Asheboro’s 14-34 record in CPL games was a league-worst mark in the 14-team circuit. The ZooKeepers were also 2-2 on non-league games.
“It has been hard to get everything working,” said second-year head coach Jeremy Knight, who’s also the team’s co-general manager. “We’ve had so many roster changes. The schedule got so packed for a while. We stay in games and then we don’t have enough to finish.”
At least there were improvements as this season went on. After the ZooKeepers posted a 3-20 record in the CPL’s first half, they improved to 11-14 in the second half. Still, Asheboro shared last place with Martinsville in the second half in the West Division by ending the season on a three-game losing streak.
It was the first collegiate summer league experience in this type of setting for many of the players.
“It’s a nice experience,” said ZooKeepers infielder Michael Zarrillo, a Lafayette College player who’s from Atlanta. “You get to see a lot of different players from different places. Most of them you’re never going to see again.”
There were a few notable accomplishments among ZooKeepers players.
Southwestern Randolph alum Bryce Marsh turned out to be one of the CPL’s top power hitters. The first baseman blasted 13 home runs across 45 CPL games, ranking first in the league in that category. Marsh, who also homered once in three non-league games, smashed a long ball in each of the ZooKeepers’ final three games.
“We look for him to hit the ball hard,” Knight said.
Marsh was the team RBI leader with 35 in CPL play, moving past shortstop Trent Youngblood, who had 33 but only one in the final week. Marsh rated third in the CPL in runs batted in and Youngblood tied for fifth.
Marsh is a May graduate from Division III Pfeiffer with a degree in health and exercise science, though he has another season of eligibility remaining based on the NCAA’s approach because of the pandemic. Marsh homered seven times in 30 games for Pfeiffer this year, stretching his career college total to 21 in 101 games.
Youngblood, who also was used as a relief pitcher, batted a team-best .344, capped by a 3-for-5 effort in the finale. He ranked third in the league in batting. On the Asheboro team, he was the leader in doubles (10), triples (3) and runs (36) to go with his second-best four home runs.
Youngblood was also second on the team in stolen bases with 15 behind Ron Evans’ 18 (tied for fourth in the league).
No Asheboro pitcher had more than two victories. Connor Smith, a college pitcher for High Point, went 2-1 and logged four of the team’s five saves.
The 2021 season produced a 23-21 overall record in CPL play for Asheboro, which was then nicknamed the Copperheads. This year turned out more difficult.
The season had a strange component right from the beginning for the ZooKeepers because of renovations at McCrary Park that weren’t complete in time for the first few scheduled home games. That caused schedule juggling and a busy slate once the city-owned ballpark was available.
The upgrades largely revolved around the field, dugouts and bullpens, leaving limited seating for spectators. Next year, another phase in the renovation project is supposed to be complete in time for the CPL season, and those will be focused on new seating areas and fan amenities.
There was drama last month at Asheboro Municipal Golf Course for the North Carolina Junior Boys’ 14-and-under championship.
That’s because it took John John Santospago of Charlotte seven playoff holes in order to secure the championship. Hank Johnson of Newland settled for second place. They played Nos. 1 and 9 repeatedly during the playoff for five holes until moving to No. 2, with both golfers making par. Then at par-4 No. 3, Santospago used a par to claim the title.
Santospago and Johnson shot two-round totals of 4-over 144, while Jackson Bryce of Cary was third at 145 in the 46-golfer field. Caedmon Albertyn of Monroe was fourth with 147.
Santospago, 13, was the 2021 runner-up. This year’s result gave him his first Carolinas Golf Association victory.
Archdale holds big tourney
At Archdale, Connor Warren of Spruce Pin won the 18th annual Dogwood State Junior Boys Championship, which was a three-round event contested last month at Holly Ridge Golf Links. Warren shot 12-under 204 and ended up with a two-shot victory on Waxhaw’s Matthew McDougall in the 163-golfer field.
Among the entrants was Eastern Randolph standout Connor Carter. He shot 80 in the first round followed by 72, so he missed the cut by six shots.
Area entrants contend
At Holly Springs, the team of Peyton Wyatt of Kernersville and Brock Elder of Randleman placed in a fifth-place tie last week in the Carolinas Pro-Junior Championship at Club at 12 Oaks.
The Wyatt/Elder team had a 3-under-par score of 69.
The winning tandem was Cameron Harvey of Kernersville and Chris Haarlow of Greensboro with 64.
U.S. Am qualifier held
At Thomasville, three out-of-state entrants gained spots among the four slots available in the U.S. Amateur based on the two-round qualifying at Colonial Country Club. Those spots went to Cade Russell (136) of Knoxville, Tenn.; Jet Tickle (136) of Bristol, Tenn.; Walker Isley (137) of Oak Island; and Jacob Tarkany (138) of Scottsdale, Ariz.
Trinity’s Jake Clodfelter, a Wheatmore graduate, shot 146. Sam Davidson of Asheboro shot 148.
Randolph County Post 45 players gather around manager Ronnie Pugh during the state tournament in Buies Creek. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
ASHEBORO – More than two weeks will have passed between official home games for Randolph County Post 45.
But those coming this week will be the biggest of the season in the American Legion baseball’s Southeast Regional at McCrary Park.
The eight-team regional will be held Wednesday through Aug. 7.
Post 45 will meet the South Carolina champion Rock Hill Post 34 in the Day 1 nightcap at 6:30 p.m. After that, Randolph County’s schedule will be dictated by its results based on how the bracket unfolds.
Two teams from North Carolina will be in the field. Post 45 (29-11) was guaranteed a spot as the host team, while North Carolina state champion Wilmington Post 10 will join Randolph County.
Other teams in the regional field will be South Carolina runner-up Camden Post 17, along with state champions from Georgia (Evans Post 192), Kentucky (Owensboro Post 9), Florida (Belleview Post 284) and Tennessee (Columbia Post 19).
Camden faces Owensboro in the regional opener, followed by Evans vs. Columbia and then Wilmington vs. Belleview.
Games are generally scheduled for 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., though there are just three games on the Friday docket and then 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. games Saturday.
Randolph County Post 45 infielder Tatum Marsh of Asheboro has been a key player for the team this season. He also pitched during the state tournament. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
The double-elimination tournament is slated to conclude Aug. 7. A championship game is set for 1:30 p.m., with the “if necessary” game scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
The regional winner goes to the American Legion World Series, which takes place from Aug. 11-16 in Shelby.
Asheboro has been a fixture as a regional host since 2013, though sometimes it welcomes the Mid-Atlantic Regional. Post 45 won regionals in its home ballpark in 2017 and 2018 in the Southeast Regional and in 2019 in the Mid-Atlantic Regional. The 2023 Southeast Regional is also slated for McCrary Park.
Last year, Post 45 went 1-2 in the Mid-Atlantic Regional, so there’s a different pool of teams coming for this week’s Southeast Regional.
Other regional sites this year are in Pelham, Ala.; Shrewsbury, Mass.; Fairfield, Calif.; Midland, Mich.; Morgantown, W.Va.; Rapid City, S.D.; and Gillette, Wyo.
Third baseman Tyler Parks of Randolph County Post 45 makes a catch on a popup during the first day of the American Legion state tournament. Shortstop Tanner Marsh, right, and left fielder Adam Cole, back, also pursue the play. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Randolph County’s season will continue in Southeast Regional on home field
BUIES CREEK – It started swell and ended with a thud for Randolph County Post 45 in the American Legion baseball state tournament this week.
Post 45 was the lone undefeated team in the eight-team tournament through the first two days. By the time the first semifinal ended Friday, Randolph County had been eliminated.
Queen City topped Post 45 by 6-1 at Campbell University.
But unlike other teams that fail to win the tournament, Post 45 has more games to play.
Randolph County (29-11), as the host team, will play in the eight-team Southeast Regional that begins Wednesday at McCrary Park in Asheboro. Post 45 has a 6:30 p.m. game against the South Carolina state champion on the opening night of that five-day event.
Wilmington Post 10, which drubbed Fuquay-Varina 14-4 in the second semifinal in the North Carolina tournament, is slated to take on Queen City (24-8) in Saturday afternoon’s title game with a berth in the multi-state Southeast Regional at stake.
Following a 12-game winning streak, Randolph County lost three of five games during an eight-day stretch.
In the state tournament, Post 45 was tied with Fuquay-Varina and Cherryville after the pool play, all with 2-1 records. Only two could advance to the semifinal round, with Randolph County dubbed the No. 1 seed from the pool based on the fewest runs allowed in the first three games. Fuquay-Varina also advanced.
It turned out to be back-to-back losses for Post 45, which fell 7-3 to Cherryville on Thursday. Starting pitcher Trey Way took the loss. He also provided a run-scoring double, while Alex Martinez had an RBI single for Post 45.
Randolph County began the tournament with Tuesday’s late-night triumph against host Fuquay-Varina. The 6-0 result came behind Robert Garner’s 6 1/3 innings of pitching combined with Tanner Marsh’s two RBI, Josh Meadows’ triple and Adam Cole’s two hits.
Post 45 kept the momentum going Wednesday afternoon by defeating Hope Mills 6-1 behind solid pitching from Blake Marsh, Parks and Connor Adams. Parks and Cole both drove in two runs during a five-run third inning.
David Makupson of Trinity reacts to winning the Class 2-A state title at 138 pounds during the past season in a match vs. Will Nix of Bandys. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Trinity’s state champion built powerful prep career
TRINITY — In order for Trinity’s David Makupson to become a high school state champion in wrestling, he took a path of nonstop pursuit of that goal.
He thought he worked hard to attain that. Now, he’s aiming even higher.
“I just know I have to work that much harder if I want to be on the D-I level,” Makupson said. “I got a good feel on how that next level is going to be.”
Makupson is heading to Queens University of Charlotte after a stellar high school career that was capped with a 138-pound title in Class 2-A.
“He kind of set the standard for what we’re looking for,” Trinity coach Brandon Coggins said. “He’s leaving his mark.”
A 178-21 career record left him short of the school-record 200 wins set by 2017 graduate Tyler Johnson. Makupson likely would have eclipsed the mark had the 2020-21 season not been shortened because of the reconfigured North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s sports calendar during the pandemic.
Makupson, who turned 18 years old in June, did this while lettering in five sports at Trinity. He said he knew wrestling was the sport that allowed him to flourish the most.
But he received all-conference recognition as a football player, playing as a running back, slot receiver, and outside linebacker. At 5-foot-6, he took a fearless approach to the football field.
“Really not being scared to hit somebody,” he said, noting that his quickness also was an asset.
When the pandemic caused an adjusted sports schedule during his junior year, he added cross country and swimming (though the track and field season conflicted with wrestling). His spot on the swimming team in the 50-yard freestyle might have caught some people off guard.
“My dad (David Makupson Jr.) kind of forced me to do it,” he said.
The workload and variety of sports might have made an impression on others, but it didn’t faze Makupson.
“I don’t really see it,” he said. “I just went out there and did it.”
This spring, he became the Piedmont Athletic Conference champion in the 800 meters and took part in Trinity’s league-winning 3,200 relay.
Grappling greatness
The running success came a couple of months after securing that coveted wrestling title. He had the confidence to go with it.
“Go out there and dominate because nobody can keep up with me,” he said. “I had one mission, to go out there and win it all, and that’s what I did. I’ve been preparing since I first got started since I was 5. It was my dream to win one. Just so happened I got it my senior year. It had been a long time coming.”
Trinity’s David Makupson has a grip on Will Nix of Bandys. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Makupson dominated Will Nix of Bandys with a 10-0 decision in the final after two other major decisions sandwiched around a second-period pin to reach the title bout in February at the Greensboro Coliseum.
All along, the key for Makupson was “being physical in neutral positions and being heavy on the hips” when on top,” he said.
“It really comes down to mental toughness and conditioning,” Makupson said. “I think what won me most of the matches was just wearing guys down.”
His only loss as a senior came in a season-opening tournament by a 7-4 decision to Rolesville’s Frank Bianco in the finals of the Wolverine Challenge.
“It was really a down-to-earth moment,” Makupson said of the defeat. “To this day, I still think about that one loss.”
By February, Makupson held a 54-1 record.
“Just getting my mind right and going through all the preparation,” he said. “There was going to be pressure being ranked No. 1 (in the weight division) before the season started.”
He placed fourth in the two previous state tournaments. That included defeating Nix in the opening round of the 2021 version.
“I needed to work harder,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to get fourth again.”
Coggins said he’s glad that Makupson is going to have the chance to compete at the Division I level. Queens made the move to Division I this summer.
Makupson chose Queens ahead of Division II Belmont Abbey.
The wrestler said he’ll likely redshirt during the 2022-23 season. Then Makupson said he’ll attempt to take a spot in the Queens lineup at 133 pounds.
“He fills out pretty good,” Coggins said.
There figures to be no challenge too large for him.
“The main thing I’m really focused on is getting adjusted to the college level,” Makupson said.
Lowe scored 27 goals across 22 games to pace the Cougars in that category.
Lowe also finished her senior season with seven assists for the third-most total on the team.
The Cougars posted a 14-7-1 record. That was the team’s most victories since 2017.
Lowe landed a spot on the All-Piedmont Conference team following the previous season’s selection for the 2021 All-Mid-Piedmont Conference team when Southwestern Randolph competed in a Class 3-A league.
Lowe had a team-best six goals in the shortened 2021 season, with the Cougars playing ten games.
Trent Youngblood makes a play in the field for the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Youngblood comes from Division III, but excels in CPL
ASHEBORO – Coming from a Division III program, it was natural to wonder how Trent Youngblood would fit in with the Asheboro ZooKeepers.
That hasn’t really happened – and that has been a good thing.
It turns out that the versatile infielder has stood out with the ZooKeepers and across the Coastal Plain League as a whole.
“I really just like competing,” Youngblood said. “It was a big adjustment coming from my school to here.”
He’s a rising junior at Transylvania, which is located in Lexington, Ky. He’s from Louisville.
Playing alongside and against players from a variety of Division I teams, Youngblood entered the final week of the season ranked fourth in the CPL with a .340 batting average and shares the league lead with 32 runs batted in.
“He’s obviously killing it,” said ZooKeepers infielder Michael Zarrillo, who plays collegiately for Lafayette. “He just consistently gets barrels.”
Youngblood, 20, said he knew he couldn’t be in awe of the competition if he wanted to have a strong summer on the field. He said he doesn’t dwell on what colleges others attend, the credentials opponents might hold or the idea that some CPL players might be playing in the pros in a couple of years.
“When you’re on the same field, it doesn’t matter what division you go to,” he said. “I’m not going to be intimidated. I tell myself when I get in the box, ‘I’m better than the pitcher.’ I’ve had success and I can hang in there.”
At Transylvania, he holds a .413 career batting average and through two seasons (and 78 total games) is atop the school’s all-time list for slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He bashed a team-high 10 homers in leading the Pioneers in about every offensive category, while – like with the ZooKeepers – he also filled in at times on the mound.
He played a key role on Transylvania’s NCAA regional team in 2021.
ZooKeepers head coach Jeremy Knight said Youngblood needed to see Division I-level pitching for a few games.
“Once he settled in and got adjusted to the speed of the game at this level, he took off,” Knight said. “He let his natural ability take over.”
Despite a dismal record for the Asheboro team, Youngblood said it has been a rewarding season taking on players from higher divisions.
“It’s seeing it on an every-day basis,” he said. “You start to adjust. Being out on the field every day has been awesome.”
In 43 CPL games with the ZooKeepers, he has team highs in doubles (10), triples (3) and runs (33) in addition to his batting average and RBI. His 13 stolen bases trail only Ronald Evans’ 15.
Youngblood hasn’t looked physically out of place in the CPL. He said he arrived as a 140-pound freshman at Transylvania before bulking up.
Naturally, with his last name and his school’s name he’s bound to draw attention, or at least curiosity.
