ASHEBORO — After almost five years of construction, Asheboro High School’s renovations are finally complete.
On Wednesday, May 3, Asheboro City Schools held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil the new and improved home of the Blue Comets for a crowd of elected officials, school system leadership and members of the media.
“This is a culmination of years of work with partners, with the Randolph County Board of Commissioners, with the City of Asheboro and their City Council members, with the Central Office and their staff, and the staff at Randolph County,” said Michael Smith, Chair of City of Asheboro Board of Education. “This renovation is part of the largest capital improvement even undertaken by our school system. This state-of-the-art facility will allow us to continue to serve Asheboro High School students for years to come.”
Students from Asheboro High School give a tour city and county elected officials. [Scott Pelkey | North State Journal]
Construction of Asheboro High School first began in 1949 and was later opened for students to attend during the 1950-1951 school year. The building has since become something of a historical icon in Asheboro.
In November 2018, Asheboro City Schools held a groundbreaking ceremony to launch the construction and renovation project. During renovations, the school had to find ways to work around having a construction site inside the high school. Sports teams were able to continue their season by playing at the City of Asheboro’s Recreational Center, and local churches and organizations opened their buildings to the school for various school-related activities.
The new common area at Asheboro High School is a part of 37,670 additional square feet added during renovations. [Scott Pelkey | North State Journal]
Now, after almost five years and $55 million in construction costs, the work is finally complete. Construction and renovations include adding 37,670 additional square feet, which gives the school fourteen new classrooms and state-of-the-art band and chorus spaces. In addition to these new spaces built onto the school, renovation of 200,000 square feet of the historical main building brought with it upgrades to the auditorium and two gymnasiums, a new-multipurpose commons area, modern technology, safety improvements, and additional ADA compliance.
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the school hosted an open house event this past Sunday to allow members of the public to come see the renovations for themselves.
Renovations at AHS included several new ADA compliance features like this lower sink in one of the classrooms which is wheelchair accessible.[Scott Pelkey | North State Journal]
“The design of this school has truly captured the historical integrity of Asheboro High School while also exalting and emphasizing the future,” said Dr. Aaron Woody, District Superintendent.
An ADA compliant wheelchair elevator was added durring the renovations. [Scott Pelkey | North State Journal]
Lee has been a golfer competing at the state level, but she’s also one of the top basketball players for the Blue Comets girls’ team.
The senior forward scored a team-high 16 points last week when Asheboro topped visiting Thomasville 60-9. That outcome snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Blue Comets.
Lee has been the team’s top producer in terms of assists and blocked shots. She also has been the Asheboro leader in field goal percentage.
Asheboro is trying to return to prominence after playing in the Class 3-A state championship game in 2021. The Blue Comets are under the direction of first-year coach Mike Headen.
Agudelo, a senior goalkeeper, has been up to the task for Asheboro, even without a lot of action in some cases.
Agudelo has been at the back end for the Blue Comets, who’ve recorded eight shutouts this season. He has been credited with 28 saves.
Last week, Asheboro posted a 3-0 victory at Oak Grove, with Cristian Ortiz scoring three goals. Edwin Perez had two assists, and Reece Gutierrez had one assist.
The Blue Comets, who entered this week with a 16-1 overall record and 6-0 mark in the Mid-Piedmont Conference, have a non-conference showdown scheduled for Friday night at Burlington Williams, which was undefeated until last week.
Wes Berrier, the new athletics director for Asheboro High School, checks out the first day of football practice last week. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
ASHEBORO – Wes Berrier’s view of athletics at Asheboro High School is one of great potential. He’d like to see the Blue Comets’ programs return to prominence.
“A sleeping giant,” the new athletics director said. “I feel I’m coming in at a great time. I’m expecting big things as far as our athletics.”
Berrier officially became the athletics director this summer, though he filled that role for the final couple of months of the 2021-22 school year upon the retirement of Steve Luck.
Berrier had been Asheboro’s wrestling coach until taking this new assignment. He remains a business teacher at the high school.
It has been a turbulent time for Asheboro athletics because of an ongoing campus construction project that has displaced most of the teams. They’ve been without the simply comforts of team locker rooms. Some of the challenges that existed in 2021-22 will remain at least for a few more months.
“Just being out of the school has made it tough for everybody. Kids like a routine,” Berrier said. “We’ve made it work. It hasn’t been fun. Things are going to be better.”
For 2021-22, Asheboro finished fifth out of six schools in the Mid-Piedmont Conference in the Wells Fargo Cup standings that gives an indication of overall ranking of each school’s teams for a school year.
“I think the morale will be improved where we can turn this ship around,” Berrier said. “Get everything built back up.”
Berrier, who turned 54 this summer, said it’s important to have a bridge between the high school and community. Among his goals is to help build a stronger booster club.
He said he has been encouraged by interest in the incoming freshman class with up 150 potential athletes coming into the high school. He oversaw a physical night for the newcomers and a session where middle schoolers were able to meet coaches across the athletics department.
Berrier had to step down as wrestling coach because of the city school district’s policy that prevents the athletics director from being a head coach.
The new AD’s son, Jake Berrier, will move from assistant coach to head coach for the wrestling team.
“He’s definitely ready for it,” his father said.
In Wes Berrier’s eight seasons as wrestling coach, the Blue Comets had eight state championships (7 male, 1 female) earned to go with 13 total state place finishes. During the past season, nine Blue Comets received All-Mid-Piedmont Conference honors and Berrier was the league’s Coach of the Year.
Because of the uncertainty of the on-campus facilities, Asheboro withdrew its bid to be the host school for a Class 3-A wrestling regional in 2023.
ASHEBORO — Steve Luck has retired as athletics director and a teacher from Asheboro High School, where he served in various roles for nearly 25 years.
He became the AD in 2013.
“The thing that I’m proud of the most is the work in the classroom,” Luck said. “That’s what paid the bills.”
He stepped aside at the end of April. The following week, he began a job as a maintenance manager for Source Properties.
“It was a good run,” he said.
Wrestling coach Wes Berrier will formally become the AD this summer.
Luck, a 1985 AHS graduate, attended North Carolina State, spent four years in active duty with the Air Force and two years in the reserves. Aside from a degree from N.C. State, he later earned a master’s degree related to administrative work from High Point University.
Luck spent from 1993-98 at Lee County, serving on football and wrestling staffs. Then he took a teaching job at AHS in 1998.
“When I graduated from AHS, I never thought I would return,” he said.
Mike Warren, who was principal at AHS, offered him a position and he ended up sticking around. He became Asheboro’s cross country and wrestling coach and also served stints in the baseball program as junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach.
He’ll continue to be on the scene in many ways. The youngest of his three sons, Ben Luck, is finishing his freshman year at the school, where he plays basketball and baseball.
Steve Luck said his teaching position in American history was vital because “it helped me manage my time a little better” in relationship to the AD responsibilities. He said with growing sports offerings at the school it pulled his commitments in various directions.
He said his wife, Mary, supported his coaching and AD roles, putting up with late-night arrivals home and him being away on many weekends.
Luck was particularly fond of the relationship with the City of Asheboro, which he said is critical to assisting the school system. He thanked the city council during a meeting last week.
That connection to the city has been especially important this school year as renovation projects on campus has meant that many of the teams have held competitions and practices at various venues in the city.
“I don’t know of another city that helps out their high school the way that Asheboro does,” Luck said. “It has been very tough this year and the way the city helped has been fantastic for the school.”
ASHEBORO – It’s a learning season for the Asheboro girls’ basketball team.
Last year at about this time, the team was embarking on a shortened season that resulted on a spot in the Class 3-A state championship game.
Now the Blue Comets are in a different situation.
“We’re working on things and we’re improving and getting better,” coach Don Corry said.
It’s not a huge surprise to Corry that there are growing pains this season. The Blue Comets lost personnel that accounted for about 85 percent of the offensive production off last season’s team.
This Asheboro team has four freshmen and four sophomores. It’s a different type of group for Corry.
“Not this young,” he said in comparing to past teams. “They’re inexperienced. Just getting them playing time so they realize what they’re doing in practice (and how it relates to games). It’s slow, but we expect that.”
The Blue Comets, who had four senior starters, played on the final day of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association season last year. That came in the title game contested at Providence Grove, where they fell 51-40 to Carson in the team’s only defeat of the season.
For all the rewards that came that season for the Blue Comets, there were challenges for the program. There was no junior varsity team because of limited participation.
Now, there’s a JV team this season, something Corry said could prove beneficial, though the lack of available opponents is likely to mean that squad plays fewer than a dozen games.
The varsity team has had difficulty scoring at times, something that Corry connects to the experience level and a roster without a lot of height.
“It’s overwhelming for our girls,” he said.
The team’s record is 2-12, though there have been breakthroughs after losses in the first nine games of the season.
Sion Murrain was a starter last season as a freshman, so she has been a key player. But in the second game of the Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic, she went out with an ankle injury and hasn’t returned to game action. Through 11 games, Murrain averaged a team-best 13.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
But Corry said contributions are coming from across the roster. For instance, he said, sophomore center Ellen Long has turned in strong rebounding outings. She has 8.5 rebounds per game to go with 5.4 points per game.
“We just don’t have that one person who can come in and score 18, 20 points for us,” he said.
Asheboro is scoring 36.4 points per game.
Because of a positive COVID-19 test for a member of the JV team and resulting close contacts, the Blue Comets had their season paused earlier this month. They’re expected back in action Friday night for the first time in about two weeks. That begins a stretch that could involve four games in eight nights.
This all goes into building the Blue Comets back to a contender, Corry said.
“We’re eager and they’re trying and we look forward to what’s coming,” he said. “We’re going to get back to that (level of a state contender). Maybe not this year.”
High school’s use of gym works well for all parties
ASHEBORO — Use of the Asheboro Recreation Center is almost nonstop and that’s expected to continue through the winter.
The boost in activity comes for various reasons, largely with Asheboro High School using the venue for basketball and wrestling as the gym on campus is part of a renovation project.
“The relationship we have with Parks and Rec and what they’ve really done for us has been great,” Asheboro High School athletics director Steve Luck said. “They’ve just reached out tremendously. The behind-the-scenes things they’ve done have been great.”
The busy times for the City of Asheboro’s recreation department staff have come with an uptick of visibility for the center. That exposure is bound to be good for a facility that was upgraded two years ago.
“It has brought a lot of awareness to our facility,” said Jody Maness, assistant director of the city’s recreation services. “That has helped make people aware of what we have and it has brought in more people.”
There are challenges in fitting in all the activities as gym use has become coveted.
The recreation department’s youth basketball program kicks into gear with games in January and February, though practices have already started. The high school teams use the gym for basketball practices, with the girls’ varsity and junior varsity usually combined for team workouts in the late afternoons and the boys’ varsity practicing into the early evenings. The boys’ JV team uses South Asheboro Middle School for evening practices.
Recreation teams have started their practices.
“The biggest issue has been juggling our practices with (the high school teams),” Maness said.
To accommodate that, optional practice times for recreation teams have been created at the gym during the Christmas break. Some practice periods right a tad later into the evening than previously, but Maness said those are limited because these are youth teams.
Also, there have been some practice slots available Sunday afternoons.
There are about 20 youth teams, ranging in ages from 4-15. There are co-ed teams in the younger divisions.
Like the high school seasons, the recreation leagues generally wrap up by late February.
“It’s just a matter of everybody communicating,” Maness said of fitting in all the games and practices.
It has gone well from the Blue Comets’ perspective, Luck said.
“We’ve almost been nomadic,” he said of not having a home base at the school. “They’re working with us, making sure we’re getting our practices in. It’s a neat facility. We’re there most of the time.”
Luck said the recreation department’s staffing level has aided the high school. He said former Asheboro students Matt Auman and Justin Gerringer being on the center’s staff has been a bonus.
Through the first several weeks of the winter sports seasons, Luck said the experiences have been good for the Blue Comets. He said he expects there to be long-term memories for athletes and coaches.
“They’re going to see the recreation center and say, ‘Remember ’21-’22, we played basketball and wrestled there,’ ” he said.
The recreation center’s gym holds about 600 people, so that’s less than half of the capacity of the high school’s gym. There have been a few times that spectators for the high school games have nearly filled the recreation center’s gym, Maness said.
With all those people coming to the gym, it has provided exposure to a wider audience. Maness said some of those people might return to use parts of the center.
For the next couple of months, the recreation center should be hopping with activities.
“It’s going to be a lot of stuff in there for several weeks,” Maness said. “Probably something every night. But we’re happy to be part of this. This meets the needs of the community.”
Maness said recreation participation numbers have trended higher in many parts of the country as people wanted to be active after they were idled at the beginning of the pandemic
Maness said time slots have been found for all established programs that have been based at the recreation center. He said discussions regarding new endeavors have been delayed, some potential programs that already had been pushed back during the pandemic.
Unbeaten Southwestern Randolph makes history with first win at Asheboro
ASHEBORO — Keaton Reed was walking off the Lee J. Stone Stadium field Friday night and he shared a thought with a teammate.
“Every time we drive by here, we can say we won here,” the Southwestern Randolph quarterback said. “Somebody is eventually going to do it. Why not us?”
Indeed, this edition of the Cougars did it — winning a football game for the first time at Asheboro High School.
It was a struggle at times, but Easton Clapp scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to help Southwestern Randolph pull out a 17-7 victory in the non-conference finale for both teams.
On top of that, the Cougars (5-0) have won consecutive football games against Asheboro for the first time.
Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter reacts after his team dumped water on him following a 17-7 victory against host Asheboro. Players Lane Dalke, left, and Grayson Teague, right, are among those rejoicing. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Coach Seth Baxter called the outcome huge for the school and the program after the team’s raucous on-field celebration – something the Cougars had never done at this venue.
It took time for the Cougars to make much noise in the game. They relied on defense until finally able to convert.
“We had the best game we had all year,” linebacker Lane Dalke said of the defense. “Everybody was on the same page about it.”
But when Asheboro (1-4) converted a fourth-and-12 for a 17-yard touchdown pass from Khyland Hadley-Lindsay to Hakemme Butler with 5:08 to play in the third quarter, Southwestern Randolph faced a 7-3 deficit.
Then the Blue Comets recovered a fumble, but Adam Cole’s interception gave Southwestern Randolph a boost. Reed connected with Clapp for a 5-yard touchdown play with 9:06 remaining.
“We got some momentum and we kept going,” Clapp said. “We had some adversity but we needed this because we go into conference now.”
Dalke recovered an Asheboro fumble, setting up Clapp’s 8-yard touchdown run at the 5:34 mark.
The Cougars marched up and down the field at times, but were bogged down by penalties. Three times in the first half, touchdown plays were called back because of flags.
“They were aggressive plays,” Baxter said. “You have to realize where you’re at. Just except it and go get it. … I think our offensive line controlled the game late in the third quarter, all the fourth quarter.”
Clapp finished with 84 rushing yards and Reed was 10-for-13 in the air.
Southwestern Randolph had a 3-0 lead courtesy of Francisco Calderon’s 27-yard field goal. The Cougars produced their second drive of more than 90 yards, but they ran out of time in the first half after reaching the Asheboro 5-yard line.
Asheboro coach Blake Brewer said the Blue Comets were fortunate that the first-half clock expired. Then it was going well for Asheboro for a stretch in the third quarter.
“Momentum was on our side there,” Brewer said. “It was like the wind went out of sails. They went down and scored, took the lead. We just never could get the ball rolling again.”
Asheboro’s Khyland Hadley-Lindsay tries to avoid Southwestern Randolph’s Adam Cole during a game Sept. 24, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
The Blue Comets, who were led on the ground by Hadley-Lindsay’s 56 yards and Michael Brady’s 55 yards, haven’t won since the opener at Randleman.
“I’m preaching that we’ve got a fresh start next week,” Brewer said. “We have not played well enough to win.”
Southwestern Randolph has been playing football since 1972. The Cougars haven’t met Asheboro every season, so the winless road stretch came sporadically during the series. Overall, it marked just the football program’s third triumph against the Blue Comets.
Now, those drives along busy Dixie Drive in the county seat will come with special memories for many of the Cougars.
“There’s just a great feeling having your part of something like this,” Reed said. “You only get so many of them.”
Eastern Randolph 33, West Stanly 3: At Ramseur, Nahiem Lilly scored on a pair of second-half touchdown runs as the Wildcats pulled away for the home victory. Lilly, who earlier had a two-point conversion run, scored from 3 yards and 25 yards out.
Eastern Randolph’s first two touchdowns came on runs of 1 yard and 6 yards from Davonte Brooks.
The Wildcats (4-0) sealed the outcome with a 19-point fourth quarter after neither team scored in the third quarter. Stratton Barwick threw a 6-yard scoring pass to D.J. Thomas to cap the scoring.
West Stanly (2-2) scored on Caden Edwards’ 25-yard field goal in the second quarter. It was the Colts’ second game in a row without a touchdown.
Randleman 20, Montgomery Central 14, OT: At Troy, Thomas Dobias’ 3-yard touchdown run in overtime gave the visiting Tigers the non-league victory.
Randleman (2-3), which won its second game in a row, scored the game’s last 20 points, holding Montgomery Central (0-4) without a point after halftime.
Trailing 14-0, Dobias put Randleman on the board with a 4-yard run in the third quarter. The Tigers pulled even in the fourth quarter on Christian Long’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Derry followed by a two-point conversion run by Dobias.
Dobias finished with 102 rushing yards on 24 carries.
ASHEBORO — Many of Asheboro High School’s teams will be on the move this school year, playing at alternate venues while a construction project is ongoing at the school.
The changes largely will impact volleyball, basketball and wrestling teams, though some teams that play at outdoor venues also will be affected.
“There’s a lot of moving parts right now,” athletics director Steve Luck said. “Everything is going to be OK, but we haven’t started doing anything yet other than practice. … There’s changes just about every moment. I feel like I have my head on a swivel like a linebacker.”
The volleyball team, with a schedule that begins this month, will compete in home matches at North Asheboro Middle School. Basketball and wrestling teams will have home events at Asheboro Recreation Center – often referred to as old McCrary Gym.
Capacity at the downtown facility is about 600-650, meaning less than half of the capacity of the high school gym’s 1,700. That’s the largest such facility in Randolph County.
“If we draw 600, that would be good,” Luck said. “Hopefully we’ll fill gyms up and have to turn people away. We could with girls’ basketball because of the interest after last year when they went to the state finals.”
The wrestling team will practice at Teachey Elementary School.
“Everyone is trying to chip in and help the high school,” Luck said.
Outdoor sports teams also will have to make some adjustments. The football team is practicing at South Asheboro Middle School, while several teams won’t have indoor options if there’s inclement weather.
Former Asheboro athletics director Charlie Chapman is the commissioner for the Mid-Piedmont Conference, so he’s aware of the various venues that the school’s teams will use during the coming year.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Chapman said. “But I know the coaches at Asheboro and I know Steve Luck. They’ll get through it.”
Chapman said it will be important to communicate the sites being used to opposing schools so their fans know where to go for certain sports when Asheboro is the host.
The Blue Comets begin this coming school year with a new conference affiliation. That includes teams from Davidson County plus Oak Grove and Montgomery Central. Many of the non-conference competitions will be against schools in Randolph County. “This new conference we’re in, these teams travel,” Luck said of the potential for sizable crowds.
Asheboro teams played at old McCrary Gym in the 1950s. The renovation project will involve only minor work in the high school gym, though Luck said that space is mostly off limits because of the scale of the renovations and the type of work being done in other parts of the building. He said the gym will mostly be getting some “freshening up.”
This part of the project could make the gym unavailable for up to 18 months, meaning the 2022 volleyball team is likely to play off campus as well. Luck said he hopes the gym is available by the 2022-13 basketball season.
ASHEBORO — Randleman third baseman Hunter Atkins was selected as the PAC-7 Player of the Year in baseball.
Atkins’s teammate Andrew Cox was picked as Pitcher of the Year in the league for the eventual Class 2-A state champions. The league’s Coach of the Year is Glen Hunt of Providence Grove.
Asheboro head coach Brett Hoogkamp pats Tatum Marsh on the head after a triple against Southwestern Randolph on june 4, 2021. Hoogkamp won the Mid-Piedmont Coach of the year award for the 2021 season. He lead the Blue Comets to a 13-3 record and to the third round of the 3a state playoffs. (PJ WARD-BROWN/North State Journal)
In the Mid-Piedmont Conference, Southwestern Randolph’s Bryson Hogan was picked as Player of the Year. Asheboro’s Brett Hoogkamp of the regular-season co-championship team was named Coach of the Year for the league.
