Sawyer, a senior infielder, wrapped up his final baseball season with Uwharrie Charter Academy in the spring. He landed a spot on the All-Piedmont Athletic Conference team.
The Eagles finished the season with a 10-15 record after winning three games in the Class 1-A state playoffs. Their postseason run came to an end with a loss to eventual state runner-up Cherryville.
During his senior year, Sawyer committed to play baseball at Division III Brevard College. He played this summer for the High Point Hushpuppies in the Old North State League, which is a summer circuit for college players.
Brooks Brannon had a record-setting high school season with some incredible power-hitting numbers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Randleman catcher awaits draft after season filled with thrills
RANDLEMAN — For all the noise Brooks Brannon can bring to a ballpark, it might be a level of calmness that helped him – and his teammates – most.
Yet there could be more commotion connected to his baseball career this weekend
when baseball’s amateur draft begins, and the Randleman catcher is bound to be among those selected.
Whether he goes from high school to the pros – or chooses a route playing college baseball for North Carolina – his high school career might be unmatched.
Reaching this next opportunity unfolded, in part, because of an approach that extended beyond allowing raw talent and energy to define him.
“The biggest thing I’ve done (last) offseason is trying to quiet my mind and just calm everything down a little bit, and it has been working this year, and I hope to keep doing it,” Brannon said. “It was hard because I’m 100 percent go all the time. It’s pretty hard to rein the horse back, if you know what I mean.
“So doing that was difficult, but I feel I’m getting a better grasp of it, and so that’s important. It’s not something anybody else can do for me; you have to do it yourself and learn it yourself.”
Those lessons translated into team and personal success. As Randleman was on its way to a second consecutive Class 2-A state championship, Brannon set single-season state records for hits (70) and runs batted in (91) and tied the mark for home runs (20) in 34 games.
Batting in the No. 3 spot in a lineup jammed with college prospects, Brannon became the focal point. In the field, he was behind the plate for a pitching staff that routinely dealt shutouts.
That was an ideal composition for coach Jake Smith.
“He’s a great leader. He’s an even-keeled guy,” Smith said. “He’s a mentally tough kid. He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He understands the game well as far as knowing that failure is going to come. He understands that you can’t do anything about it. Just move on to the next at-bat.”
Brannon said he found the right mix.
“I guess I know when to ramp it up and when to draw it back a little bit,” he said. “Learning that was important. I try to be a leader for the guys and a leader for the team and hope I’m doing a good job. I think I’m doing a good job.”
In what became his final prep game, he went to the plate in Randleman’s 12-5 victory against Whiteville in the top of the seventh inning last month. He drove a ball to deep right-center field for a flyout at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
Then he trotted back to the dugout following his last high school at-bat, though he said he didn’t comprehend what was happening with the ensuing ovation, which seemed to be an acknowledgment of his record-setting season and stellar career.
A night earlier in Game 1 of the state finals, Brannon ripped a second-inning single to set the single-season state record for hits. Smith retrieved the ball.
“He deserves it,” the coach said. “It’s something special.”
With each accomplishment, his teammates seemed to take increasing joy.
“He’s the most humble guy I know,” second baseman Kaden Ethier said.
For pitcher Drake Purvis, who just finished his sophomore season and is committed to North Carolina State, Brannon provided a reassuring presence and ideal example.
“Brooks has always been like that,” Purvis said. “He wants to be the best. He’ll calm everything down.”
Brannon enrolled for summer classes last month at North Carolina as he awaits the draft. His prospects range somewhere within the first five rounds. So Smith’s message was to cherish those final months of the high school season.
“He needs to relax and enjoy it because probably after this, it’s a little different,” Smith said. “It turns into his job. I think he’ll get drafted high enough where he’s going to have to make a decision.”
They’re watching
By last October, in a showcase event in Jupiter, Fla., it was clear that Brannon had caught the attention of just about every major-league organization.
That resulted in a steady stream of scouts showing up at Randleman games this season.
“It’s a lot of pressure every time you go out there; there’s all of that,” said Paul Brannon, his father.
The younger Brannon knew the scouts had eyes fixed on him. He deflected that on game nights.
“It hasn’t affected me playing,” he said. “It hasn’t affected me mentally – and it shouldn’t. I’m just here to have fun. Here to have fun and play with my brothers one last time.”
Pro prospect Brooks Brannon was a mainstay behind the plate as Randleman’s catcher. (PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD)
His teammates appreciated how he’s unfazed.
“He doesn’t feel the pressure,” senior pitcher Ryan White said. “He’s calm, cool, collected. He does his job. He’s just out there to do what he can do to help the team win.”
Scouts usually gathered behind the backstop, often ending up down the first-base line for a vantage point on the right-handed batter. They’ve gone through this drill before, perhaps a few decades ago at Kings Mountain.
“A lot of scouts who scouted me in high school are scouting him,” Paul Brannon said.
Brooks Brannon kept doing his thing, no matter who was watching.
“To me, that’s the most impressive thing — you’ve got numerous scouts out here every night just watching him. He’s a 17-year-old kid out there,” Smith said earlier this spring. “That’s a lot of pressure. He doesn’t let it get to him. He enjoys it. I think he understands; he’s not playing for them. They’re here to watch him.”
At a certain point, amid the lineup of big-bashing Tigers, this all seemed normal to Brannon.
“Just trying to see it and hit it right now. Nothing too crazy,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay unconscious and keep hitting. I’m not really thinking about anything. I’m just seeing the ball and hitting the ball.”
There already was a Brannon in the state record books — Paul Brannon. He held the North Carolina single-season record for home runs with 20 in 1989 for Kings Mountain.
The specifics of the record pursuit weren’t discussed much.
“I call it chasing the ghost,” Paul Brannon said, “and I was the ghost.”
When the record-tying homer sailed over the fence in the opening game of the Class 2-A regional finals against visiting Community School of Davidson, it came with quite a response.
“(People) were talking about when it happened, he jumped out of his seat with both hands, and he ran down the steps,” the catcher said of his father. “I haven’t ever seen him run. Seeing him happy, it just made my night.”
While the home run standard is certainly a topic that’s connected to family, the RBI mark has a special place.
“The RBI record is a team record,” Brannon said. “So I think my guys who scored should have their name up there just as (much) as mine. Driving in runs is the name of the game. More runs equals more wins, so I think that record means more than the home run record.”
Power production
Brannon has a 220-pound frame, seemingly made for a catcher.
Regardless of hitting home runs at a rapid rate, Brannon refuses to make it complicated.
“I’m hitting it where they’re pitching it, I guess. I don’t know how else to describe it,” he said. “I’ve always had power. I was always really, really strong for my age. Just the refined approach, I don’t have to muscle up to hit the ball. If I just stay smooth and I stick to my approach, I’ll hit it. I figured that when I stay loose, I’ll hit it a lot farther than when I try to hit it far.”
So, where does this power stem from?
“My butt, my legs,” he said. “I feel like I’m a pretty big kid, and most of my weight is down there, and that’s where I generate most of my power. Hip rotation.”
Third baseman Hunter Atkins batted a spot in front of Brannon in Randleman’s order. He often was on base with the slugger at the plate.
“You’ve just got to be ready for it,” Atkins said. “You’ve got to keep your feet going because he hits the ball so hard. You’ve got to read the ball as hard as he hits it. Line shots, that’s what he does best. The way the ball jumps off the bat.”
Atkins also benefited from taking a slower pace around the bases after Brannon deposited balls over fences. He marvels at the source of the power.
“His legs, for sure. His legs and his hips,” Atkins said. “A big factor in baseball is your legs. If I’d have them legs, I’d love it. Definitely his legs, and his hands.”
When reference was made to an outdated roster listing him at 190 pounds, Brannon smiled.
“Maybe like freshman year,” he said. “Not now; I’m a little bit heavier now.”
Probably wiser, too.
It was no secret that Brannon had developed talents to put him on major-college scouting radars and eventually on pro scouts’ must-see lists. Then other parts fell into place.
“He has always had the skill set as far as physical ability, but he has learned a lot,” said Trey Cooper, a former Randleman teammate and now a Division I pitcher. “You can tell; now he has the IQ behind the plate.”
It was clear through the 2022 season that Brannon’s preferred topic was the Tigers and not individual accolades coming from all directions.
“It’s just a great way to cap off senior year,” he said. “I’m just happy that we won a state championship. I’m OK with the fact that I did what I needed to do to help my team win. Records or not, I did what I needed to do to help us win.”
That might be an understatement.
“He’s just special. He’s a special kid,” Smith said. “He deserves everything he gets because he works so hard, and he does the right things. I’m happy for him, excited for his future.”
Dalke, a senior, wrapped up his high school career by leading the Cougars with 20 runs batted in. He homered twice to lead the team in that category while playing in all 25 games.
In the field, Dalke was a third baseman and catcher. He played primarily behind the plate when an injury on the team necessitated that versatility.
Dalke was a linebacker for the school’s eight-win football team. He received All-Piedmont Athletic Conference honors for his role as one of the key contributors to the defense.
Asheboro’s Arianna Lovingood-Smith’s makes an attempt in the high jump during the Class 3-A state championships last month at North Carolina A&T. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
There was plenty to digest for spring prep sports involving Randolph County teams in addition to Wheatmore’s girls’ soccer team and Randleman’s baseball team winning Class 2-A state championships.
Those accomplishments were certainly among the highlights, but other developments deserve certain attention as well.
Blue Comets jump ahead
Asheboro’s girls’ track and field team won the program’s first conference championship by capturing the Mid-Piedmont Conference title.
“We’ve had some good talent come through, but not spread out enough,” said coach Blake Brewer. “We never had a team this well-rounded.”
The Blue Comets churned out this championship in the Class 3-A league with only 17 participants.
Brewer said the elite runners and jumpers on the team were able to gobble up enough points to make up for shortcomings in some other areas.
That was led by senior Arianna Lovingood-Smith, who was named the Most Valuable Performer in field events in the league. She’ll take her talents to college at Charlotte, where she’s expected to be a member of the cheerleading squad.
Back for more
Multi-sport athletes are aplenty within the county, but a few of those turned in accomplishments that might have been a bit under the radar this spring because of their achievements in other sports in previous seasons.
Let’s take a look:
• Dominic Payne of Trinity is on the all-PAC teams for boys’ tennis and track and field this spring. That adds to his place on the all-conference teams in football and basketball earlier in the school year.
• Randleman’s Kylie Vaughan also doubled up with all-conference honors this spring, landing on the All-PAC lists for girls’ soccer and track and field.
• Providence Grove senior Zane Caudle placed fifth in the PAC Tournament for boys’ golf. He was the Player of the Year for boys’ basketball in the conference.
• Trinity’s David Makupson was the PAC champion in the 400 meters barely two months after becoming the Class 2-A state champion at 138 pounds in wrestling.
• Southwestern Randolph football and baseball standout Adam Cole made a venture to the track for late-season competitions and ended up the PAC and Midwest Region champion in the boys’ 100 meters.
• Asheboro golfer Salem Lee, who was fifth in the state last fall in Class 3-A, was the lone Blue Comet on the Mid-Piedmont Conference all-conference team for softball.
• Trinity’s Autumn Gentry, a junior who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in her career for girls’ basketball, was an All-PAC selection in girls’ soccer.
• Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jazmin Palma, who was a state runner-up in girls’ wrestling at 113 pounds, was picked to the All-PAC team for girls’ soccer. This came after last fall’s selection as Runner of the Year for PAC girls’ cross country.
• Providence Grove’s Luke Thomas (baseball) and Chase Whitaker (boys’ tennis) were on All-PAC teams this spring after they were the major award winners in football as the PAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. They were both on the PAC regular-season champion boys’ basketball team, with Whitaker an all-league pick.
• Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly placed third in the 1,600 meters and seventh in the 3,000 in the Class 1-A state meet. She was the school’s lone representative on the All-PAC girls’ basketball team.
• Southwestern Randolph’s Josie Allred placed second in the high jump in Class 2-A track and field after being an all-league pick for the Cougars’ Class 2-A state champion volleyball team in the fall.
• Randleman’s Chris Gentry was a state qualifier in boys’ track and field after landing on the All-PAC team for football.
Coach Jake Smith has directed Randleman back to another spot in the state finals. A familiar foe awaits. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
RANDLEMAN — All those lopsided results for Randleman’s baseball team on the way to the Class 2-A state finals don’t mean it has been easy this year for the Tigers.
“We can’t take any team lightly,” first baseman Gus Shelton said. “We are expected to win and that is pressure on us, if you want to call it pressure. I don’t think anybody has changed anything. We’re just taking it game-by-game.”
It will take two more victories to repeat as state champions. Whiteville is the opponent, beginning with Game 1 of the best-of-3 series at 8 p.m. Friday at Burlington Athletic Stadium. Game 2 is at 2 p.m. Saturday, with a third game, if necessary, later in the day.
Randleman (31-1) has won 15 games in a row since a loss to Catawba Ridge, a team from South Carolina in a spring break tournament in Charleston, S.C.
Whiteville (23-3) holds a 21-game winning streak. The Wolfpack has gone more than two months since losing to Class 4-A teams New Hanover and Wilmington Laney and splitting a non-conference set with St. Pauls – three opponents that combined for a 50-22 record. The Wolfpack beat St. Pauls in a third meeting by 10-5 in the third round of the state playoffs.
Randleman lost only two core players from last year’s team. So it has been clear that the Tigers would be viewed as a favorite this time around.
“It’s hard,” junior third baseman Hunter Atkins said. “We have a target on our back. They’re coming for us. Just got to stay rolling. They’re shooting for us.”
The Tigers are aware of that.
“To me, that makes it harder,” shortstop Trey Way said. “Everybody is out to get you at that point, if everybody expects you there (in the finals). We’re just playing Tiger baseball.”
Randleman has rarely been challenged, winning its last seven games by shutouts – six of those cut short by the mercy rule. That’s OK with the Tigers.
“Coach (Jake Smith) always says you want to be chased,” Shelton said. “You never want to chase down. You want to stay at the top of the mountain. It’s definitely nice. It’s always fun to win.”
Smith said the Tigers enjoyed the 2021 title for several weeks, but got back to work.
“They made a commitment to get back here,” he said. “We expect to win every year. Anything less than to have an opportunity to play for a state championship isn’t up to our standards.”
Atkins and then-freshman pitcher Drake Purvis had key roles last year, joining what’s now a strong senior class. Ryan White, who was the Most Valuable Player of the state finals last season, and Purvis have been the main pitchers this year.
“We really only lost two dudes last year,” Atkins said. “More chemistry, for sure, playing together more.”
This year’s team includes senior catcher Brooks Brannon, who has tied the state record with 20 home runs and set the RBI state mark with 87.
Randleman’s starting lineup has seven seniors, with four of them Division I signees (and two other underclassmen committed to Division I programs) and another senior Division II recruit. Way is one of them and he wants to soak in the rest of his high school career before playing for Virginia Tech.
“It’s a blast,” Way said. “I try to hang on to every last second I can. It’s senior year.”
The senior pitcher was stellar in the Class 2-A regional finals, setting the tone by going into the fifth inning of the team’s shutout victory in Game 1 of the series against Community School of Davidson.
White struck out six while allowing one hit before he was taken out to preserve his pitch count.
White, a left-hander who’s signed to play collegiately for Western Carolina, has had an increased role for the Tigers’ offense as well. He holds the No. 8 spot in the batting order, serving as the designated hitter for games when he’s not pitching.
Wheatmore’s Ellie Garrison takes a shot and scores a goal against East Davidson during a second-round victory in the Class 2-A state playoffs last Thursday. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
CLIMAX — Providence Grove’s magical softball season came to a close with Friday night’s 1-0 home loss to West Stokes in the fourth round of the Class 2-A state playoffs.
The Patriots, who were the top seed in the West Region, were doomed by a lead-off home run in the fourth inning. Fifth-seeded West Stokes advanced to the regional finals.
Providence Grove finished with a 24-1 record.
Emma Mazzarone struck out 11 batters and walked three in the two-hitter. Providence Groves hits came from Edi Austin, Maddie Flinchum and Makayla McClain.
Earlier last week, Providence Grove upended eighth-seeded Mount Pleasant 8-0 with Mazzarone striking out 15 and issuing two walks during a one-hitter. Mailey Way had three hits, while Mazzone slugged a two-run homer, Makalyla McCalin tripled and scored twice and Reann Saunders had two hits.
Girls’ soccer
Three Randolph County teams entered the week still alive in the state playoffs. All three had third-round games postponed Monday night, meaning they were then slated to try again Tuesday night.
In Class 2-A, unbeaten Wheatmore, the second-seeded team in the West Region, was matched up against seventh-seeded Hendersonville.
Wheatmore won in the second round with a 5-1 victory against No. 18 seed East Davidson.
In Class 3-A, No. 12 seed Asheboro had a road encounter with No. 4 seed East Lincoln.
Asheboro won a second-round game with a 1-0 outcome at fifth-seeded Hibriten, with Tess Moody scoring with two minutes left off an assist from Natalie Flores. Goalkeeper Sarah Allred made eight saves.
In Class 1-A, seventh-seeded Uwharrie Charter Academy was slated for third-round game at second-seeded Bishop McGuinness in Kernersville. UCA won in last week’s second round with a 3-1 home decision against 10th-seeded Mount Airy.
Baseball
Trinity’s strong showing in the state playoffs ended with a dramatic defeat in the Class 2-A fourth round Friday. Still, the Bulldogs finished the season with a 20-10 record.
No. 19 seed Trinity won three road games in the state playoffs, knocking off the Nos. 14, 3 and 6 seeds. Last Tuesday’s 7-6 victory against sixth-seeded West Stokes put them a victory away from the regional final.
That was shaping up well for the Bulldogs, who led 5-2 before Community School of Davidson rallied in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-5 decision at Hough High School in Cornelius.
Trinity won eight of its last 10 games.
In Class 1-A, Uwharrie Charter Academy made it to the fourth round before losing 7-5 at third-seeded Cherryville.
No. 18 seed UCA (10-15) advanced last week with a third-round 4-2 home victory against No. 23 seed Eastern Randolph.
Grant Little’s complete-game pitching lifted UCA past the Wildcats (9-17). The teams had split regular-season meetings in the Piedmont Athletic Conference.
Asheboro and Uwharrie Charter Academy won opening-round games in the state playoffs for girls’ soccer Monday night.
Asheboro defeated visiting Foard 2-1 behind two goals from Tess Moody in Class 3-A. Natalie Flores had an assist and goalkeeper Sarah Allred made nine saves.
UCA topped Piedmont Community 7-0 in Class 1-A, with Ava Cugino posting two goals and one assist, Kendall Jarrell scoring twice and Chloe Douglas, Kaylen Trucks and Ivy Redding all providing one goal.
Second-round games are set for Thursday.
A pair of Class 2-A teams from Randolph County failed to advance, while undefeated Wheatmore was slated to begin the playoffs Tuesday night.
No. 15 seed Southwestern Randolph absorbed a 2-1 home loss to No. 18 seed East Davidson.
Providence Grove, the No. 27 seed, tied with sixth-seeded West Stokes. That 2-2 draw came before West Stokes moved on in the bracket via penalty kicks.
Softball
Providence Grove was the only team from Randolph County to make it through the first week of the state playoffs.
The unbeaten Patriots won twice at home in Class 2-A, beating Patton 9-2 and West Wilkes 4-1.
Emma Mazzarone struck out 10 in the first round and fanned 17 batters in the West Wilkes game.
Providence Grove, the top seed in the West Region, was slated for a home game against No. 8 seed Mount Pleasant on Tuesday night. The regional semifinals are slated for Friday night – and the Patriots would be home again if they’ve reached that round.
Southwestern Randolph began with a 7-4 home victory against No. 21 seed Maiden. The 12th-seeded Cougars then fell 2-1 at No. 5 seed West Stokes.
Also in Class 2-1, fourth-seeded Forbush ousted No. 29 seed Randleman 8-0 and second-seeded West Stanley topped No. 31 seed Wheatmore 13-0.
In Class 1-A, fifth-seeded Eastern Randolph belted No. 28 seed Hayesville 12-1 before losing 9-7 at home to No. 12 seed Union County.
No. 16 seed Uwharrie Charter Academy bowed out with a 10-5 home loss to No. 17 seed Draughn.
Baseball
Aside from two shutout victories for reigning Class 2-A state champion Randleman, other area teams had success in the first week of the state playoffs.
No. 19 seed Trinity recorded a 10-1 victory at No. 14 seed McMichael on Cade Hill’s complete-game pitching in Class 2-A. The Bulldogs pulled off another road win by upending No. 3 seed Shelby Burns by 11-7.
The Class 1-A bracket was set to bring together No. 23 seed Eastern Randolph and No. 18 seed Uwharrie Charter Academy for Tuesday night’s third round. The winner will be tagged for Friday night’s regional semifinals.
Both teams won two road outings. Eastern Randolph began by winning 12-1 at Murphy before posting a 10-0 rout of Bradford Prep. UCA smacked North Stokes 13-3 and Draughn 7-3.
In Class 3-A, Asheboro bowed out with a 4-1 first-round loss at North Henderson.
Boys’ golf
Eastern Randolph junior Connor Carter finished as the Class 1-A runner-up in the state tournament last week in Southern Pines.
Carter’s two-day total of 156 put him as the runner-up. He had two rounds of 78 at Longleaf Golf & Family Club.
Mitchell sophomore Connor Warren was the winner with a 2-under-par 70 in the final round. That was good for an eight-stroke edge on Carter.
Carter played the front nine in the second round at 1-under 34 before five bogeys, a double bogey and one birdie on the backside.
South Stanly was the team champion, winning the program’s first title.
In Class 2-A at Foxfire Resort & Golf Club’s Red Course in Jackson Springs, Wheatmore junior Ryan Baynard tied for 66th at 187 with rounds of 92 and 94.
Randleman’s Braylen Hayes rips one of his two grand slams in the PAC Tournament title game against Trinity. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record)
RANDLEMAN – There were a few more highlights for Randleman’s baseball team before the Tigers get around to main event.
For the 25-win team, the state playoffs are about to arrive.
“There will definitely be pressure because it’s playoffs, one-and-done type deal,” center fielder Braylen Hayes said. “I feel we can overcome the pressure once we get out there.”
There were no nerves present for the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament, with the Tigers rolling to the championship. Hayes hammered two grand slams in Thursday night’s 16-0 trouncing of visiting Trinity in the tournament final.
The reigning Class 2-A state champions embark on the states with a home game Tuesday night.
“Obviously, we want to go back-to-back,” third baseman Hunter Atkins said. “But we have to take it a step at a time. … We wanted to win the regular-season conference (title) and we did. We wanted to win this (tournament). Now we’re going to states.”
The special moments kept coming for Randleman (25-1) as it continued domination of the PAC.
Hayes provided a pair with two grand slams. The blasts came in consecutive innings, both to center field.
“The first one I capped. I thought it was a flyout,” Hayes said. “That second one, off the bat, it felt so good.”
Hayes has 13 home runs, trailing only catcher Brooks Brannon, who has 16, among the Tigers.
It began with Atkins lofting a two-run home run down the left-field line in the first inning before Trinity recorded an out. Atkins added a ground-rule double and a bases-loaded walk in the next two innings. Atkins and Trey Way both scored for runs.
Ryan White has hit one homer, but that’s notable as well. His line drive in the fourth inning barely cleared the right-field fence, giving one of Randleman’s top pitchers his first home run in high school competition.
White was the designated hitter Thursday night. He left the pitching to Drake Purvis, who was spot-on.
The left-hander took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Ethan Willard’s one-out single broke up the no-hit bid. Purvis ended up with a two-hitter with one walk and 11 strikeouts.
The Tigers batted in only four innings, posting multiple runs in each of those.
“I’d rather it be like that than too close,” coach Jake Smith said.
The Tigers outscored second-place Trinity by a combined 41-3 in three meetings this season.
Trinity (17-9), which had a five-game winning streak snapped, also will be in the Class 2-A state playoffs.
Randleman might be primed for another postseason run.
“That’s what we’ve been working for,” Atkins said. “In the offseason and now, that’s what we’ve been waiting on.”
