NC East-West All-Star Games: Asheboro players make unique marks in soccer showcase
Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph heads up the court with the ball during Monday night’s North Carolina East-West All-Star Game for girls’ basketball at the Greensboro Coliseum. Snotherly played for the West team. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
BROWNS SUMMIT – Asheboro’s Calvin Smith and Cristian Ortiz each did something no other players in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game could claim.
They were issued the only yellow cards during the boys’ soccer game Tuesday night at MacPherson Stadium.
“They were both kind of tactical,” Smith said of the infractions. “They weren’t cynical.”
Those moments aside, the duo from Asheboro embraced the opportunity to compete in the showcase for Class of 2023 standouts. They played for the West team.
The East scored two early goals and those held up for a 2-1 victory.
Smith was assessed his yellow card shortly after the midway mark of the first half. Ortiz was hit with a yellow card in the game’s final 15 seconds when he stopped an East breakaway.
“The situations that we were in,” Ortiz said. “Had to do it.”
Ortiz said he was never issued a yellow card while playing for the Blue Comets. He said Smith was an unlikely recipient of a yellow card as well.
The West looked overmatched early in the game, with the East scoring twice in the first 13½ minutes. The tone eventually changed.
“It took us a few minutes to wake up,” Smith said. “I feel we controlled the last 60 (minutes).”
The West scored with about 11 minutes left. Smith was credited with an assist on a goal from Brock Gramann of Charlotte Providence.
“We started coming back,” Ortiz said. “It made it more interesting.”
Smith said he was “a little bit exhausted” based on several days of training and other North Carolina East-West All-Star Game activities in Greensboro and the game.
The girls’ soccer game ended with the East winning 6-2. That marked the most goals for a team in the history of the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game for girls.
Basketball
Gracyn Hall of Randleman and Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph played for the West in the Monday night’s girls’ game at the Greensboro Coliseum. The East won 74-68.
Hall had six points in 18 minutes off the bench, making two of her four attempts from the field to go with two free throws. Snotherly was 1-for-4 with two points.
Football
In Wednesday’s game at Jamieson Stadium on the Greensboro Grimsley campus, the East posted a 14-0 victory.
Keno Jones of Northern Nash threw a touchdown pass and was named the game’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. Shamar Sutton of Northeastern and Avery Gaby of East Duplin scored the touchdowns. Lee County’s Dayreon Jennings was named the Defensive MVP.
