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Ashton Troutman

Trinity girls bball Autumn Gentry Jan2023

College choices abound for area senior athletes

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Record-setting Autumn Gentry of Trinity plans to play basketball collegiately. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Here’s a list of additional college commitments and/or signings involving athletes at area high schools made during the past several months from members of the Class of 2023 (Others have been previously listed):

Baseball

** Two Randleman players are going to UNC Greensboro. Pitcher Austin Lemons joined infielder Hunter Atkins in the signing class for the Spartans.

** Catcher Caleb Dunn of Randleman signed with Division II Catawba.

Boys’ basketball

** Ashton Troutman of Uwharrie Charter Academy is going to Division II Carson-Newman.

Girls’ basketball

** Ashara Spruill of UCA picked Division I Texas Southern.

** Trinity’s Autumn Gentry, the program’s all-time leading scorer, is bound for Division III Bridgewater.

Girls’ golf

** Salem Lee of Asheboro is going to Appalachian State.

Football

** Quarterback Stratton Barwick of Eastern Randolph picked Division III Guilford College, where he also hopes to play baseball as a pitcher.

** Eastern Randolph lineman Mason Sechrest is going to Division II Winston-Salem State.

** Randleman tight end Chesney Welch signed with Division II Catawba.

** Adam Cole, a receiver and defensive back at Southwestern Randolph, will take a spot as a preferred walk-on at East Carolina.

** Tight end / long snapper Eli Gravely of Southwestern Randolph is heading to North Carolina Central.

** Trinity’s Ezra Hollifield, a lineman, chose Division III Greensboro College.

** Trinity’s Colby Peel, a lineman, is heading to Division III Averett.

Softball

** Morgan Coward of Asheboro selected Division II Belmont Abbey.

** Maddie Flinchum of Providence Grove will join the Division III Pfeiffer team.

** Southwestern Randolph teammates Madison Varner and Ky Perdue have picked Division III Pfeiffer as their college destination.

SWR girls J George v. Trinity A Nance Feb2023

Prep Basketball: Southwestern Randolph teams reach PAC semifinal rounds

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Southwestern Randolph’s Jordin George shoots against Trinity’s Ava Nance on Monday night. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – Southwestern Randolph’s girls’ basketball team survived the only tight finish on the opening night of the Piedmont Athletic Conference postseason.

The Cougars prevailed 47-46 against visiting Trinity in the PAC Tournament quarterfinals Monday night. They needed a defensive stop on the game’s final possession.

Senior forward Maddie Small made the second of two free-throw chances to break a tie with 9.5 seconds left following an offensive rebound.

Jordin George posted 14 points for the third-seeded Cougars (18-7), who play in the semifinals Wednesday night at second-seeded Eastern Randolph.

For sixth-seeded Trinity (12-13), Kennedy Jackson racked up 16 points and Autumn Gentry and Kaelyn Whiteheart both had 13 points.

Eastern Randolph defeated seventh-seeded Providence Grove for the second time in five nights, winning 51-33 at home. Brecken Snotherly supplied 38 points and 15 rebounds for the Wildcats (16-6). Providence Grove is 6-18.

Fifth-seeded Uwharrie Charter Academy won 57-39 on the road against fourth-seeded Wheatmore (9-14).

UCA (11-14) has a date with regular-season champion Randleman (22-1), which received a bye, in the semifinals.

The girls’ tournament final is at 6 p.m. Friday at Eastern Randolph, where the boys’ final will follow.

PAC boys

Second-seeded Southwestern Randolph used Sean Adkins’ 14 points on the way to defeating seventh-seeded Wheatmore 58-38.

The Cougars (15-9), who also received 12 points from Landon Williamson and 11 points from Thomas Leal, are home against third-seeded Trinity on Wednesday night.

Wheatmore (5-18), which hasn’t won against a PAC opponent, had 12 points from Cooper Black.

Trinity’s Dominic Payne tallied 30 points in a 70-61 victory against visiting Providence Grove (7-18), the sixth seed. Dylan Hodges added 13 points and Brandon Campbell had 12 points for the Bulldogs (19-6).

There were big offensive outputs as fourth-seeded Randleman stopped fifth-seeded UCA 66-52. Tyshaun Goldston led the Tigers (15-10) with 28 points, Greg Price had 17 points and Christian Long added 14.

Those outings helped offset Ashton Troutman’s 35 points for UCA (7-18).

Randleman heads for Wednesday night’s semifinal at first-place Eastern Randolph, which had a quarterfinal bye.

SWR basketball Nathan Ellis vs ER 013123

Prep Basketball: PAC boys’ race extends to final games

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Southwestern Randolph’s Nathan Ellis goes up for a shot as Eastern Randolph players, left to right, Timothy Brower, Nicah Taylor, Davonte Brooks and Pierce Leonard look on. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

ASHEBORO – The big upset from last week came with Southwestern Randolph ending the Eastern Randolph boys’ basketball team’s winning streak at 19 games.

The Cougars won 75-66 at home, so that likely will keep the suspense in the Piedmont Athletic Conference going until the final night of the regular season.

Nathan Ellis led the way with 21 points, while teammates Thomas Leal (14 points), Sean Adkins (12), Kearns Trotter (11) and Landon Williamson (10) all scored in double figures.

Second-place Southwestern Randolph remained just a half-game out of first place by topping visiting Wheatmore 54-34 as Adkins posted 16 points Friday night.

Eastern Randolph hadn’t lost since its opener Dec. 2 at Southwest Guilford.

The Wildcats got back on track by winning 89-76 at Uwharrie Charter Academy on Friday night with a boost from Davonte Brooks’ 24 points (after he had 20 in the Southwestern Randolph game). Pierce Leonard, playing against his former school, tacked on 18 points and Timothy Brower had 17 points. These outputs helped overcome 41 points from UCA’s Ashton Troutman.

Eastern Randolph could secure the outright regular-season title by beating visiting Trinity, which remains in contention, on Tuesday night and host Providence Grove on Thursday night. Southwestern Randolph’s lone game this week was set for Tuesday night at UCA, while Trinity is also home vs. Randleman on Thursday night.

** Trinity played just once last week with Dominic Payne and Dylan Hodges each scoring 23 points in a 68-51 victory at Providence Grove.

** Despite 24 points from Tyshaun Goldston, Randleman fell 64-60 at UCA. The Tigers received 22 points from Christian Long in an 82-41 pounding of visiting Providence Grove.

** In the Mid-Piedmont Conference, Asheboro moved closer to clinching a title by defeating visiting Central Davidson 50-47 and topping host North Davidson 55-48. Hakeeme Butler’s 18 points and 20 points, respectively, those games paced the Blue Comets.

Eastern Randolph’s Logan Beaver launches a shot over Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Blakeley Justus last week. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Girls’ basketball

Randleman secured the outright PAC championship by defeating host UCA 56-33 as Gracyn Hall tallied 20 points.

The Tigers then won their regular-season home finale by 63-27 against Providence Grove.

** Eastern Randolph won twice, including a 43-34 road victory against host Southwestern Randolph as Brecken Snotherly rolled up 25 points and 11 rebounds. That result avenged a loss from early January.

Next, Snotherly poured in 30 points in Eastern Randolph’s 61-34 victory against UCA. That gave the Wildcats a four-game winning streak entering this week.

Eastern Randolph clinched at least a share of second place in the PAC.

Asheboro boys v North Davidson Jan2023

Prep Roundup: Eastern Randolph boys keep rolling; Baxter hits milestone win with SWR

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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.

Asheboro’s Sion Murrain checks out the situation as North Davidson’s Lettie Michael, left, and Kyndall Moore set the defense during last week’s game at Asheboro Recreation center. North Davidson won 64-36. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record)

** 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.

SWR girls Caressa King v Tville in tourney Dec2022

Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic recap: Cougars surprise Randleman girls for tourney title

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Caressa King, the eventual tournament Most Valuable Player from Southwestern Randolph, goes up for a shot against Thomasville in the Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic at Providence Grove. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

CLIMAX – Southwestern Randolph’s three-game sweep of girls’ basketball games in the Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic was far from ordinary.

The Cougars knocked off previously undefeated Randleman 48-47 in Thursday night’s championship game.

Caressa King scored 19 points on the way to being named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Randleman (12-1) lost a regular-season game for the first time since the abbreviated season in the 2020-21 school year. It was also the Tigers’ first loss to a Randolph County team since that season.

Southwestern Randolph avenged a 55-41 home loss from Dec. 16 in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. The teams are slated to meet again Jan. 27 at Randleman.

Maddie Strider and Jordin George were all-tournament picks for the Cougars (10-3).

Southwestern Randolph defeated Thomasville 66-9 in the first round. Next, the Cougars topped South Davidson 52-41 in the semifinals, when Maddie Small had 14 points and George posted 11 points.

Gracyn Hall of Randleman also made the all-tournament team.

Randleman received a first-round bye and then defeated North Davidson 56-49 in the semifinals with Elizabeth York scoring 16 points and Hall adding 15.

Asheboro’s girls went 1-2 with losses to West Davidson (by 51-48) and Providence Grove (66-46) sandwiched around a rout of Thomasville (by 56-5). Providence Grove lost to North Davidson by 59-49 before a bye and then the Asheboro game.

** At Ledford, host Ledford won the title by defeating Davie County 46-37 in the final.

Kennedy Jackson of Trinity was picked for the all-tournament team.

Lexington defeated Trinity 60-54 in the third-place game. Trinity began the tournament with a 43-31 victory against West Davidson as Autumn Gentry had 18 points. Then the Bulldogs lost 69-31 to Davie County.

Wheatmore won its last two games for fifth place after an opening 50-39 loss to Davie County. The Warriors stopped West Davidson 56-41 with Rian Perry registering 21 points and blasted East Davidson 54-31 with Bri Hill providing 16 points.

Uwharrie Charter Academy managed seventh place by decking West Davidson 57-35 behind Chloe Painter’s 15 points. Earlier, the Eagles lost to Lexington by 58-28 and to East Davison by 49-45 despite Ashara Spuill’s 21 points.

Boys’ basketball

At Climax, Thomasville won the tournament’s Providence Grove site championship by defeating Asheboro 72-56 in the final behind the play of tournament MVP Bryce McCoy.

It was Thomasville’s second victory against the Blue Comets in a 10-night span.

Jerquarius Stanback of Asheboro and James Ellis of Providence Grove were all-tournament selections.

Asheboro had a first-round bye and then defeated Providence Grove 80-62 behind 19 points from Stanback and 16 points apiece from Tanner Marsh and Camden Walker.

Providence Grove opened with a 55-43 victory against North Davidson as Ellis poured in 19 points. Ellis had 13 points in the Asheboro game. The Patriots recovered to capture third place with a 79-54 whipping of South Davidson.

Randleman fell 55-50 to South Davidson in its tournament opener and then knocked off Southwestern Randolph 58-52 in the consolation round. Greg Price had 19 points as Randleman won the fifth-place game by 62-49 against North Davidson.

Southwestern Randolph began with a 58-38 loss to Thomasville. The Cougars played just twice because of the seven-team bracket.

** At Ledford, Davie County defeated Ledford 50-46 in the title game.

Dominic Payne and Dylan Hodges of third-place Trinity were all-tournament choices.

Hodges had 20 points when Trinity won its first tournament game with a 75-37 whipping of West Davidson. The Bulldogs fell 64-38 to Davie County despite Hodges’ 19 points.

Trinity finished the tournament by handling Uwharrie Charter Academy 74-28 with Dominic Payne pumping in 31 points and Hodges notching 14 points.

UCA won 69-67 in the first round against Lexington, with Ashton Troutman pouring in 34 points. Troutman had 27 points in a 55-49 semifinal loss to Ledford.

Wheatmore lost 69-48 to Davie County and then defeated West Davidson 50-48 as Tristan Hammonds hit a winning 3-point shot. In the fifth-place game, the Warriors suffered a 60-57 defeat to Lexington despite Riley Strickland’s 22 points.

ER Davonte Brooks in hoops Dec2022

Prep Notes: 41-point mark hit twice by area boys; UCA, Trinity wrestlers excel

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Eastern Randolph’s Davonte Brooks goes up for a shot last week against Wheatmore. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

It was a big week for top scorers around Randolph County basketball last week.

Dominic Payne of Trinity and Davonte Brooks of Eastern Randolph were in the same category at times.

Payne poured in 41 points Friday in a 65-64 victory at Uwharrie Charter Academy. On the same night, Brooks posted 41 points in a 99-47 romp at Wheatmore. Teammate Timothy Brower had 28 points.

Wheatmore’s Parker Kines had more than half of his team’s points in that game with 26.

Payne scored 29 points in a 60-48 victory at Wheatmore.

Against Trinity, UCA’s Ashton Troutman racked up 33 points for more than half of his team’s scoring.

Brooks had big effort in a non-conference victory at Burlington Williams with 26 points in the 73-52 result.

Consider those individual totals when also on Friday night the final score of Randleman’s victory at Southwestern Randolph was 34-33.

On the girls’ side, Elizabeth York of Randleman scored 22 points in a 53-40 victory at Eastern Randolph. The Wildcats received 24 points from Kenly Whitaker.

Wrestling

At Asheville, Uwharrie Charter Academy had three individual champions and won the team championship in the Great Smoky Mountain Grapple at the downtown civic center.

Champions for UCA were Ethan Hines (106 pounds), Aldo Hernandez (138) and Lorenzo Alston (145).

Hernandez was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, defeating Enka’s Noah Tocaben 12-6 in the final after a technical fall of Hoke County’s Landen Nelson in the semifinals.

Third place went to Jack McArthur (132), Carson Robinson (160) and Grayson Roberts (170). Roberts, a 2022 Class 1-A state champion, dropped a 14-7 decision to Maryville, Tenn.’s Michael Colligan, the eventual runner-up, in the semifinals.

The tournament included teams from multiple states. UCA scored 189 points to runner-up Newton-Conover’s 186.

  • At Indian Trail, Trinity rode the strength of six titlists to a third-place team finish in the Porter Ridge Invitational.

Trinity’s Brayden Hall (113), Spencer May (120), Levi Dennis (126), Charles Schaefer (138), Gavin Hardister (182) and Joey Smith (220).

Edgr Vasquez Mora (106) placed third for the Bulldogs.

Porter Ridge won the team title with 183 points, followed by South Point with 165½ and Trinity with 162½.

Ashton Troutman v Trinity in Jan2022

Troutman returns to UCA, passes 1,000 points

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Ashton Troutman of Uwharrie Charter Academy goes up for a shot against Trinity last season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record).

ASHEBORO – Ashton Troutman returned to the Uwharrie Charter Academy boys’ basketball team and pretty much picked up where he left off.

After spending a few months as a transfer at The Burlington School, Troutman decided to finish his high school career where it began.

“It was just a lot (of reasons), nothing basketball related,” Troutman said of coming back to UCA. “I just had a good three years at Uwharrie and I missed what was going on. I was missing my home and my family.”

In his fourth game this season, Troutman reached a milestone. He scored his 1,000th career point Friday night in an 83-64 loss at Richmond County. The milestone basket – a contested layup in traffic – was part of his 34-point outburst.

Troutman, a 6-foot-8 post player, was the centerpiece of UCA’s Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament championship last season. His return could shake up the PAC’s projected pecking order, though he’s the only returning starter for the Eagles.

He transferred to TBS, which is the two-time defending Class 2-A state champion in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association, in an effort to expand his exposure and see a different level of competition. TBS school plays a schedule with national flavor.

Here’s Ashton Troutman dunking during last February’s PAC Tournament championship game against Providence Grove. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Troutman was involved in fall competitions with TBS, but his return to UCA came before official games and thus his eligibility wasn’t affected.

Troutman, already the school-record holder for points, had 15 points in the Eagles’ season-opening 77-33 loss to visiting Chatham Charter. Three days later, he poured in 32 points – all in the first half — in an 85-37 romp past Bethany Community. He racked up 24 points in a 45-33 loss last week at Southern Guilford.

Troutman had planned to commute from his Asheboro home to Burlington, but that became too taxing and he began living with a family of another TBS player.

“I just got tired of living up there,” he said.

On the court at TBS, which sometimes has college coaches and scouts representing recruiting services attend practices, Troutman was part of a low post pairing with highly regarded Ty Outlaw.

“I was in the starting lineup,” Troutman said. “I had gotten a lot better with all the workouts. We just made each other better.”

He has been recruited by a variety of colleges. Some of the exposure might wane, but college coaching staffs will know where to find him.

“I was getting the looks I wanted,” he said of his time in the TBS program. “It’s a risk (coming back to UCA) that I’m willing to take.”

Troutman, who averaged 20.9 points and 10 rebounds per game last season, said his relationship with UCA coach Brad Monroe, who has been with the Eagles throughout the player’s career, remained strong even with the brief transfer. He said the coach has been supportive of each move.

“He has always got the best out of me,” Troutman said.
The Eagles will need plenty from their senior standout, who faces double- and triple-team defensive tactics.

“It’s a lot like last year,” he said. “We’ve got a couple shooters. I know how to get others involved.”

The 1,000-point plateau was a nice marker, something he had considered for several years. He has been UCA’s leading scorer in each of the last three seasons.

“Since my freshman year, when I realized I could put up points like I could, I knew I really would like to do that,” he said of the 1,000 points.

Troutman’s scoring numbers would be higher if not for the COVID-reduced schedule in his sophomore year and missing three games with an injury last season

Ashton Troutman dunks v Wheatmore Feb2022

Troutman transfers out of UCA

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Basketball standout heads to private school for senior season

BURLINGTON — One of the most highly recruited boys’ basketball players in Randolph County in the upcoming senior class will no longer will be playing for a school in the county.

Ashton Troutman is transferring from Uwharrie Charter Academy to The Burlington School.

He said he’s looking for more exposure and a higher level of competition.

“Just being in a basketball environment and for a good team,” Troutman said. “I would have never flirted with the idea of leaving if it wasn’t for basketball.”

Troutman, a 6-foot-7½, 205-pound post player, was the centerpiece of the Eagles’ Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament championship last winter.

For weeks, Troutman has been the recipient of constant praise based on his performances on the summer travel circuit with Raleigh-based Garner Road Basketball Club. He has been lauded for his toughness around the basket and the ability to play through contact.

Despite coming back from a broken fibula that caused him to miss a couple of months since the high school season, Troutman’s stock grew this summer.

“July was huge for him,” said George Marshall, the new coach and athletics director at The Burlington School (previously named The Elon School), which is a private school with a growing basketball reputation. “It’s really a credit to his grit and toughness. He’s in a place where his confidence is sky high.”

Troutman, 18, will commute from his Asheboro home to Burlington. He said he felt some pressure last summer to transfer, considering Greensboro Day School as several private schools reached out to him. But he said he wanted another go-around with UCA, which is a Class 1-A school, as it entered a new conference. 

Now, he’s taking a different approach for his last high school season. He said he expects more challenging academic requirements, but that will be worth it.

“Coach Marshall and a couple of other guys hit me up,” he said. “They’re going to put me in situations to be seen by (more colleges).”

The Burlington School, a member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association, is a four-time state champion in boys’ basketball. The Spartans are the reigning Class 2-A state champions in that organization after securing back-to-back titles. In the regular season, recent teams have played in several high-profile events, though the Spartans are now an independent and no longer in a conference.

Marshall said Troutman should fit in well. NCAA Division I and Division II teams have been in contact with Troutman in recruiting. The player said he has yet to receive scholarship offers.

“He has played really competitive basketball throughout the course of his career,” said Marshall, who spent the previous five seasons at Henderson Collegiate. “We are really excited to have him as a student and a player.”

Troutman’s 20.9 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior came after as a sophomore – in the pandemic-abbreviated season – he led the Eagles with 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 68 percent from the field. He held a team-best 8.9 points per game on 56 percent shooting from the field and 4.8 rebounds per outing as a freshman.

With Troutman, the Eagles’ record went from 10-13 as a freshman to 10-4 as a sophomore and 19-7 last season.

Prior to last season, UCA lost guard Zane Caudle as a transfer to Providence Grove, which won the PAC regular-season title. Caudle was named the PAC Player of the Year.