ASHEBORO — The North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association released its 2021 all-state teams and the list is heavy on players from Class 2-A state champion Randleman.
Randleman’s Hunter Atkins, Brooks Brannon, Andrew Cox, Braylen Hayes, Trey Way and Ryan White made the Class 2-A list. They were joined by Southwestern Randolph’s Bryson Hogan on the Class 3-A list and Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Hunter Hill and Colt Wilkins on the Class 1-A list.
Randleman has had at least one selection in 10 consecutive seasons when an all-state team was named (skipping 2020 because of the pandemic-shortened season). The Tigers have had multiple selections in eight (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021) of those 10 seasons.
ASHEBORO — Two girls from Randolph County schools have won individual conference championships in golf.
Asheboro’s Salem Lee shot 77 on Monday for the Mid-Piedmont Conference title at Winding Creek Golf Club. The Blue Comets finished second in the team standings.
• In last week’s Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament, Providence Grove was the team winner, led by Caroline Wright’s 41 at Colonial Country Club.
Providence Grove posted 143, for a 15-shot edge on Southwestern Randolph. Randleman (173) was third and Trinity (190) was fourth. The event was shortened from 18 to nine holes because of weather concerns.
Morgan Heilig of Providence Grove was the runner-up with 47, followed by Southwestern Randolph’s Lindsey Auman (48) and Randleman’s Paulina Palmer (50).
Randleman racks up baseball honors
Randleman’s Hunter Atkins takes a swing during the 2021 state playoffs (PJ Ward-Brown/NORTH STATE JOURNAL)
The North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association released its 2021 all-state teams and it’s heavy on players from Class 2-A state champion Randleman.
Randleman’s Hunter Atkins, Brooks Brannon, Andrew Cox, Braylen Hayes, Trey Way and Ryan White made the list. They were joined by Southwestern Randolph’s Bryson Hogan on the Class 3-A list and Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Hunter Hill and Colt Wilkins on the Class 1-A list.
Randleman has had at least one selection in 10 consecutive seasons when an all-state team was named (skipping 2020 because of the pandemic-shortened season). The Tigers have had multiple selections in eight (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021) of those 10 seasons.
Wheatmore’s Hales chooses college
Wheatmore senior Robert Hales has signed to play baseball for St. Andrews University in Laurinburg. (Photo submitted)
Senior outfielder / pitcher Robert Hales of the Wheatmore baseball team has decided to play for St. Andrews University in Laurinburg.
Hales has been a three-year starter for Wheatmore. St. Andrews competes in the NAIA and posted a 28-19 record in 2021.
ASHEBORO – Keaton Reed threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Southwestern Randolph got back on track by defeating visiting Wheatmore 55-12 in Monday night’s make-up game in Piedmont Athletic Conference football.
Adam Cole scored three touchdowns – one on a run and two on receptions – for the Cougars (5-1, 1-1 PAC), who were coming off their lone loss in a setback to unbeaten Eastern Randolph.
Easton Clapp ran for a touchdown and returned an interception for a touchdown. Lane Dalke scored on a touchdown run.
Reed rushed for 117 yards and threw for 150 yards. Cole was charted for 85 receiving yards and 53 rushing yards.
For Wheatmore (3-3, 0-2), which trailed 48-6 at halftime, Cade Hamilton and Perry Welch scored touchdowns.
Providence Grove 49, Randleman 21: Friday at Randleman, Luke Thomas threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score and Caleb Rogers scored on three runs as the visiting Patriots rolled in the PAC game.
Zander Cheek returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and also caught a TD pass. Joe Coltrane also caught a touchdown pass.
Rogers’ scoring runs came from 4, 3 and 4 yards out.
Providence Grove (5-1, 1-0) pulled away after leading 28-21 in the third quarter.
Randleman (3-4, 1-1) had a three-game winning streak snapped despite Ervodd Cassady’s 144 rushing yards on 29 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown. Micah Thurston, on a 6-yard run, and Lucas Gneiting, on a 7-yard pass from Christian Long, also scored touchdowns.
Trinity’s Dylan Hodges returns a kickoff against visiting Eastern Randolph during a Piedmont Athletic Conference game Oct. 7 in Trinity. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Eastern Randolph 43, Trinity 7: Thursday night at Trinity, the visiting Wildcats (6-0, 2-0) rolled in another PAC game.
Eastern Randolph was sparked by linebacker John Maness’ interception on the first series of the game, setting up the first score.
Trinity fell to 3-2, 0-1.
Central Davidson 68, Asheboro 13: Thursday night at Asheboro, the host Blue Comets dropped their sixth game in a row as Central Davidson’s Cory Casilac scored six touchdowns as part of his 272 rushing yards on 18 carries.
The Spartans improved to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mid-Piedmont Conference.
Khyland Hadley-Lindsay scored on a 6-yard run and Ameer Khan recovered a fumble for touchdowns for Asheboro (1-6, 0-2).
Left to Right: Freshman Attendant Camryn Everhart, Sophomore Attendant Ellie Lanier, Homecoming Queen Kaitlyn Gainey, Junior Attendant Keziah Reed, and Senior Attendant Jylian Taylor. SWR defeated Wheatmore 55-12 in the Homecoming football game at Ivey B. Luck Stadium on Monday, October 11, 2021.
ASHEBORO — After rain postponed the football game Friday night between Southwestern Randolph and Wheatmore, SWR students celebrated the homecoming dance before the game itself. With a big halftime lead over the visiting Warriors, the Cougars celebrated the 2021 homecoming court and their new homecoming queen. The student body voted on the winners.
2021 SWR Homecoming Queen Kaitlyn Gainey (PJ Ward-Brown | The North State Journal)
Kaitlyn Gainey, a senior, was named the homecoming queen. Gainey is the daughter of Stephen and Kelly Gainey. She serves as the Student Body President and president of the Beta and Unify clubs. She is a member of the varsity tennis and basketball teams and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is a percussionist on the SWR concert band. She was escorted on the field by her father, school superintendent Stephen Gainey.
The senior attendant was Jylian Taylor. Taylor is the daughter of Michael and Beth Taylor. She is a member of the Beta Club and chorus.
The junior attendant was Keziah Reed. Reed is the daughter of Bob and Jeanette Reed. She is a member of Journey Church Youth, FCA and Unify as well as manager for the football team.
The sophomore attendant was Ellie Lanier. She is the daughter of Phillip and Angela Lanier. She is a member of Greater Vision Baptist Church and helps coach youth cheerleading camps in the summer.
The freshman attendant was Camryn Everhart. She is the daughter of Daniel and Joni Everhart. She attends Brower’s Wesleyan Church and plans to play basketball and soccer for the Cougars.
Gainey was crowned by 2020 SWR Homecoming Queen Natalie King, King is a student at UNC Chapel Hill.
Other members of the Homecoming court were:
Freshmen
Malia Cannon, daughter of Charles and Lori Cannon
Isabel Drumwrght, daughter of Gordon and Christie Drumwright
Caiden Garner, daughter of Spencer and Leslie Garner
Sophomores
Darbee Scott, daughter of Chris and Bobbi Scott
Macy Walker, daughter of Jimmy and Kristi Walker
Micah Wilson, daughter of Lloyd and Faith Wilson
Juniors
Delaney Clark, daughter of Derek and Bobbie Clark
Sadie Mabe, daughter of Bradley and Jennifer Mabe
Reese Martin, daughter of Chad and Sherri Martin
Josie Perdue, daughter of Andy and Julie Perdue
Seniors
Kassi Auman, daughter of Kati Auman
Kayley Cole, daughter of Kevin and LeAnn Cole
Brianna Mabe, daughter of Bradley and Jennifer Mabe
Kaitlyn Gainey serves in this undated photo. (SWR Athletics)
KAITLYN GAINEY
Southwestern Randolph High School | Senior | Tennis
Southwestern Randolph’s Kaitlyn Gainey, a senior, completed Piedmont Athletic Conference play with a 10-0 singles record when the Cougars wrapped up the regular season by defeating Uwharrie Charter Academy 7-2. She was also part of a victory in a doubles match.
Gainey plays No. 2 singles for the Cougars, who finished the regular season with an 11-4 overall record and 7-3 PAC mark. Gainey takes an overall singles record of 14-1 into postseason competition.
In doubles, Gainey has combined with junior Andee Bullard at the No. 1 position and they’ve posted a 12-2 record in the regular season. Gainey is one of two seniors in the Southwestern Randolph lineup.
Gainey began this week by being crowned the Southwestern Randolph’s homecoming queen as part of the rescheduled homecoming football game Monday night, when the Cougars football team won 55-12 against Wheatmore.
ASHEBORO — Asheboro High School’s homecoming football game scheduled for Friday night against Central Davidson has been moved up to tonight at 7 pm.
“Due to the potential for inclement weather on Friday night, the Asheboro High School Blue Comets will host the Homecoming football game on Thursday, October 7 at 7 p.m. in Lee J. Stone Stadium,” said the school through a release.
Wheatmore girls hone in on another conference title
TRINITY — Some of the key players have changed from just a few months ago but the rate of success related to the Wheatmore girls’ tennis team remains at a high level.
“The key is having a solid team,” coach Doug Gore said. “The girls have worked really hard in the offseason.”
The Warriors entered the week on the verge of clinching a conference championship for the third year in a row.
Wheatmore is paced by returning starters Kara Comer in the No. 1 position and Kelly Carrick in the No. 3 slot. They’re both seniors.
That means there are others who’ve moved into key spots in the team’s lineup.
“Last season, we had girls in the (Nos.) 5 and 6 (position) all the way up to 10 who were pretty much equal,” Gore said. “The ones who’ve filled in (vacancies) weren’t quite as experienced. They’re all underclassmen so I think that’s a good set-up for next year.”
Wheatmore’s Mikalah Walls returns the ball against Providence Grove’s Allie Fraizer during their tennis match Oct. 5 in Climax. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
This season’s lineup also includes juniors Hannah Wilson, Elayna Brown and Mikalah Walls along with sophomore Carmen Turgeon.
Wheatmore entered the week with an 8-2-1 record, including a 7-0 mark in the Piedmont Athletic Conference.
Comer is a two-time participant in the state tournament, competing as a sophomore in singles and as a junior in doubles.
The 2020 season was shifted to this past spring because of the pandemic. The Warriors went 8-0 in league-only competition. Team members were a combined 70-1 in those matches.
“It hasn’t been as clean as we were last year, but we’ve been able to pull out the matches,” Gore said. “We’ve had a few matches that have been tight. It seems like when somebody has to pull out the big matches, they do.”
Gore said Wheatmore’s strong tradition means the players take out-of-season training seriously. He said players interested in making an impact tend to join the team.
“That’s the key to our program,” Gore said. “We try to get as many freshmen in.”
Monday’s weather-related postponement at Providence Grove nixed a potential league-clinching match. The Warriors are supposed to compete in three matches this week. They’ll be the hosts for next Tuesday’s conference tournament.
Wheatmore won last season’s Mideast Regional title, though the state duals weren’t contested because of the restructured season based on the pandemic.
With new conference alignments beginning this past summer, Wheatmore has shifted to the Midwest Region.
Asheboro’s Jose Cortes controls the ball against Southwestern Randolph during a non-conference game n Asheboro. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
JOSE CORTES
Asheboro High School | Senior | Soccer
Jose Cortes scored a total of 10 goals across two games as the Blue Comets rolled to a pair of victories. In a 9-1 romp past Oak Grove, Cortes, a senior, tallied four goals to go with an assist in the team’s Mid-Piedmont Conference opener. Two nights later, Cortes racked up six goals and another assist in a 9-0 blasting of Central Davidson.
Those results gave Asheboro three consecutive games with nine goals. The Blue Comets carried an 8-0-1 record into this week.
RAMSEUR — Eastern Randolph didn’t seem fazed by a big-game environment. So the Wildcats settled in quickly and dispatched visiting Southwestern Randolph, winning 32-14 in Friday night’s showdown.
“It’s a rival. It’s an in-county game,” Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates said afterward. “It’s the first conference game. It’s homecoming.”
And it’s another notable performance for the Wildcats (5-0).
Na’hiem Lilly scored four touchdowns and Eastern Randolph was in command for most of the game.
Eastern Randolph’s Adone Herbert reaches for a fumbled ball during a game against Southwestern Randolph on Oct. 1 in Ramseur. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
“We didn’t control the line of scrimmage all night long,” Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter said. “We got knocked on our heels a little bit.”
Indeed, the best start to a season in school history had the Cougars (5-1) hopeful that they could pull off a rare victory in this series.
But Eastern Randolph scored the first two touchdowns. After Southwestern Randolph got on the board, the Wildcats cranked out a strong finish to the first half and led 26-7 at the break.
“We made a couple of bad turnovers,” Baxter said. “Nothing went our way in the first half on bounces. And you’ve got to create your bounces and opportunities.”
Eastern Randolph kept making key plays. Quarterback Stratton Barwick threw touchdown passes to Lilly and Elias Alston.
Lilly finished with 134 rushing yards on 22 carries. Alston made five catches for 84 yards.
Cates said the Wildcats had some mishaps, particularly noting passes that fell incomplete when receivers often would have caught those balls. But his team had plenty to compensate for those situations.
“It was just a lot of hard effort,” Cates said. “We know we’re going to play hard. We believe in them.”
Southwestern Randolph showcased a high-powered offense for the first month of the season. That has slowed the past couple of weeks.
Southwestern Randolph’s Keaton Reed rushes the ball against Eastern Randolph during their football game Oct. 1 in Ramseur. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
The Cougars had trouble protecting quarterback Keaton Reed.
“Keaton was running for his life a lot back there,” Baxter said.
Reed had a touchdown pass to Eli Gravely. Teammate Easton Clapp had more than half of his 81 yards on the ground on a 48-yard scoring run.
Randleman 48, Wheatmore 6: At Trinity, Thomas Dobias scored three touchdowns as the visiting Tigers roared in the Piedmont Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Randleman (3-3) scored 14 points in the first quarter and did the rest of its scoring after halftime.
The Tigers received 202 passing yards from Christian Long, who connected on a 90-yard play with Lucus Gneiting. Dobias gained 116 yards on 13 carries, scoring on runs of 5, 1 and 43 yards. Ervodd Cassady had a rushing touchdown and Chris Gentry returned a punt for a score. The Tigers also scored on Chesney Welch’s 34-yard pass to Bryce Derry.
For Wheatmore (3-2), Riley Strickland threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Weil.
Oak Grove 49, Asheboro 14: At Winston-Salem, the visiting Blue Comets suffered their fifth consecutive loss, stumbling in their Mid-Piedmont Conference opener.
Connor Creech threw for three touchdowns for Oak Grove (4-1, 1-0).
Hakemme Butler scored both touchdowns for Asheboro (1-5) on passes from Khyland Hadley-Lindsay.
Postponed: Trinity’s game at Providence Grove was scratched because of COVID-related protocols involving the Trinity team. The game was rescheduled for Oct. 18 (a Monday).
Because of that switch, the Southwestern Randolph/Providence Grove game for later that week was moved back one day to Oct. 23.
Annual “Volley for the Cure” raises funds, awareness for worthy cause
TRINITY — So many good vibes stemmed from last week’s volleyball match between Trinity and Wheatmore.
The occasion was dubbed “Volley for the Cure,” designated as an event to bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer and to raise funds for the cause. It’s a decade-long tradition connected to the Wheatmore team.
Wheatmore coach Sara Beth Campbell watches her team against Trinity during a match Sept. 23, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
“The whole gym is decked out in pink,” Wheatmore coach Sarah Beth Campbell said.
Breast cancer survivor Wendy Harmon gave a speech and delivered the ceremonial first serve. She’s a 1987 Trinity graduate, while her husband, Doug, has been a substitute teacher at Wheatmore.
The event provides a way to recognize the journey that many women have gone through because of cancer. A huge raffle and bake sale are part of the fund-raising effort.
One of the parent organizers is Christy Swaim Barker, who has been involved for several years. Her daughter Abbey Parrish is a former Wheatmore player, while daughter Norah Parrish is a freshman on the Wheatmore team.
Barker said “Volley for the Cure” began in 2010 as a school project by then-student Courtney Raines, who did so in honor of her mother’s fight with breast cancer. From there, the event grew and has taken place every year (except for 2020 because of the pandemic).
“It’s about awareness to help support local people who are fighting cancer,” Barker said. “It’s a big event and a lot of work, but very much worth it. We encourage others to support this cause.”
Barker and Campbell said the Wheatmore players’ involvement through the years has been an integral part of “Volley for the Cure.” They take part in securing funding for the event.
“It’s a good opportunity for players on the team to go out in the community,” Barker said. “It helps instill values of giving back to the community.”
Since the inception, more than $10,000 had been raised prior to this year. The tally from last week is still growing and as of the weekend nearly $3,000 had been raised. The funds will go to Rady Lady Foundation and Pink Cares Piedmont – a pair of local groups helping patients and their families deal with the disease.
Barker has been aided by parents Cindy Grubb (daughter Alliee) and Sandy Eidenberger (daughter Maci) on the organizing side. More than 60 items were part of the raffle. Cancer survivors in attendance are recognized and provided a gift.
Wheatmore’s student section showed up strong to support the volleyball team against Trinity on Sept. 23, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Campbell said three Trinity players and up to nine of the Wheatmore players had special designations or connections to someone with breast cancer.
With the rival schools involved, the plan moving forward is for “Volley for the Cure” to switch back and forth between the schools. So next year’s designated match will be at Trinity.
On the court Thursday night, Wheatmore avenged an earlier loss by winning 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-15. Taghan Mooney posted 15 service points, Taylor Richardson recorded 13 service points (including three aces), Gracie Hodgin had eight service points and seven kills, Haley Hedrick supplied five kills and five service points and Emma Atwell provided five kills.
“It was nice to play well,” Campbell said, noting the atmosphere. “Both schools had good-sized student crowds.”
For Trinity, Gracie Ballard’s 12 kills and two aces were among the highlights. Ella Johnson had 11 service points, Kaitlyn McCoy notched seven kills and Karrington Batten had five kills.
