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Eastern Randolph QB cuts weight, but still wants to feast on victories

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Quarterback Stratton Barwick of Eastern Randolph bulls his way for a touchdown against Walkertown earlier this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

RAMSEUR – The thought of the quarterback for Eastern Randolph’s wildly successful football team being the big man on campus wasn’t a grand idea for veteran coach Burton Cates.

He put Stratton Barwick on a diet.

Now a bit swifter, Barwick hopes to put the Wildcats on the fast track again this year.

Listed at 6-foot-1, Barwick is down to about 235 pounds after playing the 2021 season at 250.

“He has gotten a step quicker,” Cates said.

This weight trimming didn’t happen by accident.

“He had to lose some,” Cates said. “I weighed him in every Monday morning. I’d say, ‘Good weekend or bad weekend?’ If it was a bad weekend, he’d say, ‘Can I work out, and then you weigh me?’”

Sometimes, Barwick arrived to begin another week of school, knowing he needed to cut a little more to reach that next goal.

“I’d let him make me go run a bit,” Barwick said.

He worked on speed drills last winter. By the summer, the senior said the rewards of the weight reduction were clear.

“Once I started losing some weight, I started feeling a lot better,” Barwick said.

He said he drinks more water and started cutting down on soda consumption. Self-described as “a really picky eater,” he said he developed a plan.

“I put it in my mind that I definitely wanted to do something about it,” Barwick said.

Earlier in his career, Barwick made an impact at another position. As a freshman, he was a starter at defensive tackle in a state-playoff game.

He’s also a key member of Eastern Randolph’s baseball program as a left-handed pitcher, first baseman, and left fielder.

But football seems to be where he’s leaving his biggest mark. While he might still blend in with some of his offensive linemen, he knows his role.

Barwick, a three-year starting quarterback, threw for 39 touchdowns last season when the Wildcats went undefeated in the regular season and advanced to the third round of the Class 1-A state playoffs.

He’s a nice piece of the offensive puzzle for the Wildcats to build around.

“He’s definitely got the experience,” Cates said.

Eastern Randolph (3-1) plays its final non-conference game Friday night at West Stanly. Then the Wildcats embark on a five-week quest to repeat as Piedmont Athletic Conference champions.

Amy Kidd of Providence Grove High School

Area teacher benefits from national academy

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Amy Kidd, a teacher at Providence Gove, took part in last month’s National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy in Tulsa, Okla. (Courtesy photo)

Providence Grove’s Kidd participates in agricultural education program

CLIMAX — Amy Kidd says the most important part of her role as an agricultural teacher at Providence Grove is tending to the welfare of students’ education and development.

After taking part in a national program this summer, Kidd’s influence will extend to assisting teachers as well.

“I’m excited about sharing it with other teachers,” Kidd said.

She was one of 23 teachers from across the country selected to participate in last month’s National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy in Tulsa, Okla. She was the only representative from North Carolina.

“This is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Kidd said. 

She applied for a spot in the academy, which is organized by the National Association of Agricultural Educators, in 2020, but that event was nixed before the selection stage because of the pandemic.

The weeklong academy was what Kidd described as inquiry-based and hands-on.

“We learned how to turn every lesson pretty much to be student-centered instead of teacher-led,” she said.

Amy Kidd of Providence Grove took part in a national academy this summer in Tulsa. Okla. (Courtesy photo)

Based on the academy, Kidd will make a presentation at the national Future Farmers of America convention in October in Indianapolis. In late November/early December, she goes to Las Vegas for a presentation at the NAAE convention.

At Providence Grove, Kidd works alongside agriculture teacher Morgan Johnson, who’s an alum of the school. Kidd said her summer experience should be a boost to how students are taught here as well.

A native of New York’s Long Island, Kidd received a degree in animal science at North Carolina State. She began her teaching career with two years at Franklinton before beginning a nine-year stretch in 1999 at Eastern Randolph. When Providence Grove opened in 2008, she became a part of the first faculty at the new school.

“It has been an amazing career,” she said. “I can’t tell you how blessed I am.”

Kidd, who lives in Franklinville, holds a 12-month position at Providence Grove, where she started the FFA chapter.

“It just took off,” she said of the interest.

She said she’s particularly proud that 15 of her former students have gone on to teach agriculture.

“My students come first,” Kidd said. “This is why I teach. I’m always trying to find ways to keep them engaged. The kids make it amazing. I’m very, very grateful.”

This fall, she’ll take a group of Providence Grove students to the FFA convention. Eight students will be involved in two separate competitions.

Lighthouse Award photo

Lighthouse Award adds to Eastern Randolph’s pride

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School leaders gathered last winter when Eastern Randolph High School received the Lighthouse Award. Pictured, left to right, are Cecil Mock, former assistant principal; Cathy Waddell, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction with the Randolph County School System; principal Susan Chappell; RCSS superintendent Stephen Gainey; math teacher Ashley Inman; and retired JROTC advisor Lt. Col. Mike Williams. (Courtesy photo)

School’s deep staff of alums helps define culture

RAMSEUR – As principal Susan Chappell of Eastern Randolph High School reflected on the school receiving a major award on a statewide level during the past school year, one thing stood out.

That’s because many people responsible for the school’s success have roots within the district.

Eastern Randolph was one of two schools statewide to receive the 2021-22 Lighthouse School Award, which was presented by the North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Almost half of the school’s 78 staff members are Eastern Randolph alums.

In the nomination from the Randolph County School System, the memo pointed out that the school motto of “We are … ER” is so appropriate.

Among those with ties to the school is Chappell, a 1991 graduate.

“This is my home,” she said. “I grew up here.”

Chappell said that often data is used to promote accomplishments for a school, but she chose a different tactic.

“What I chose to focus on was our school culture and how we were able to navigate the pandemic,” Chappell said. “We wanted to show what makes our school special.”

The Lighthouse Award is presented to schools that have furthered student achievement in innovative and creative ways and nurtured a positive and supportive school and community climate.

Eastern Randolph has about 600 students in the high school, making it the smallest RCSS high school.

“I was pleased that people recognized there are various ways to demonstrate success,” Chappell said.

Chappell became an assistant principal at the school in 2015. For the past 2 ½ years, she has been the principal. A few months after moving to the new role, the pandemic hit.

That’s when she said Eastern Randolph was able to stand tall.

“We problem-solved and we got through it and we’re better for it,” Chappell said.

That involved taking care of staff and students.

Staff members delivered food and study materials to students. They helped establish internet hot spots in the community, particularly because of the many rural areas within the district.

But the impact extended beyond those types of services.

“Making sure we were meeting their social and emotional needs,” Chappell said. “That need is still out there. It opened our eyes to some of the things our students are dealing with.”

Through receiving the Lighthouse Award, Chappell said she hopes that school pride has flourished and that what was achieved the past couple of years can be expanded.

“ ‘We are … ER’ may be a simple motto, but its meaning has roots that run deep,” the RCSS nomination read. “Those roots will ensure the success and fulfillment of generations of Wildcats to come.”

The other Lighthouse Award recipient for the past school year was Cedar Ridge Elementary School of the Surry County Schools.

Brecken Snotherly ER runner spring2022

Randleman girls, SWR’s Cole lead qualifiers for state track meet

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Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly has qualified for the Class 1-A state meet in two events. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record)

HIGH POINT – Randleman’s girls excelled in several field events and a Southwestern Randolph sprinter highlighted the boys’ results from Randolph County in Friday’s Class 2-A Midwest Regional track and field meet at High Point Athletic Complex.

Randleman junior Iniyah Mitchell and senior Kylie Vaughan held the top two spots in the shot put at 36 feet, 5 inches and 35-8, respectively. Mitchell was fourth in the discus at 94-5.

Randleman freshman Gracie Beane was the runner-up in two events — the triple jump at 34-¾ and the high jump at 5-0.

Southwestern Randolph junior Adam Cole won the 100-meter dash in 11.30 seconds, barely ahead of High Point Andrews’ Correy McManus (11.33).

Randleman senior Chris Gentry was second in the 110 hurdles in 16.23.

The top four finishers in each event qualified for Friday’s state meet at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro. Place finishers among the top eight were point scorers for their teams.

Also among the girls, Southwestern Randolph senior Josie Allred took third in the high jump at 4-10. Trinity freshman Sarabeth Johnson tied for fifth in the high jump at 4-6. Randleman freshman Ava Jones also cleared 4-6, but was down in the standings based on number of attempts.

Junior Peyton Wilson of Wheatmore claimed fourth in the 400 in 1:04.6.

Providence Grove’s Jensen Auman, Willow Maynor, Kaylan Currin and Mia Browder combined for sixth in the 3,200 relay in 11:44.03. Auman placed seventh in the 3,200 in 14:27.91 and eighth in the 1,600 in 6:46.18.

Wheatmore’s 1,600 relay of Gracie Hodgin, Madeline Work, Kaitlyn Miller and Wilson was seventh in 4:37.80.

On the boys’ side, Trinity senior Michael Connelly was fourth (43.19) and classmate Jonathan Hill was fifth in 43.33 in the 300 hurdles. Hill took sixth in the 110 hurdles in 17.55.

Trinity’s 3,200 relay of Hill, Mitchell Marin-Pulido, Jose Castillo and David Makupson was seventh in 9:15.58.2.

In the high jump, Southwestern Randolph sophomore Lance Everhart was fifth at 5-10 and Trinity junior Dylan Hodges was eighth at 5-8.

Class 3-A

At Mocksville, Asheboro had several strong performances in the Midwest Regional at Davie County High School.

Senior Arianna Lovingood-Smith was second with a leap of 5-2 in the high jump. Freshman Rebecca Wilson was fifth in the event at 4-10.

Lovingood-Smith captured third in the triple jump in 35-8.

Sophomore Sophia Roman was fifth in the 3,200 in 13:18.69. Senior Rose Kidd was seventh in the 400 in 1:04.81.

In the 800 relay, the unit of Jaqueline Holden, Audrey Patterson, Veronica Powell and Sion Murrain was sixth in 1:52.63.

The relay of Patterson, Lovingood-Smith, Powell and Murrain took seventh in the 400 relay in 52.97.

For the Asheboro boys, sophomore Mark Valentino ended up sixth in the triple jump at 41-3½. Junior Nicolas Chavez was seventh in 43.40 in the 300 hurdles.

Class 1-A

Also at Davie County High School, Eastern Randolph junior Brecken Snotherly was second in the 3,200 in 5:47.91 and in the 3,2000 in 13:08.03 in girls’ races at the Midwest Regional. Corvian Community School’s Taylor Worley was first in both races.

On the boys’ side, sophomore Josh Brady of Eastern Randolph was second in the 110 hurdles in 16.37 seconds and third in the 300 hurdles in 44.89.

Freshman Ian Moore took eighth in the discus at 95-9.

The Wildcats’ quartet of Daniel Yarborough, Malachi Letterlough, Daniel Thomas and A’Donye Herbert placed eighth in 47.33 in the 400 relay. The same group was ninth in the 1:38.57 in the 800 relay.

The state meets for Class 1-A and Class 4-A will be held Saturday at N.C. A&T.

CARTERAthelete-of-the-Week copy

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Connor Carter

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Eastern Randolph  |   boys’ golf

 

Carter has turned in a strong postseason. First, he won the Piedmont Athletic Conference individual championship in the league tournament.

Then he placed second in last week’s Class 1-A Midwest Regional.

Carter, a junior, posted 4-over-par 78 on Monday in the first round of the Class 1-A state tournament at Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Southern Pines. That put him in a three-way tie for second place one shot off the lead going into Tuesday’s final round.

Also in the state tournament, Wheatmore’s Ryan Baynard was in the Class 2-A, with competition at Foxfire Resort & Golf Club’s Red Course in Jackson Springs. He began with a 20-over 92 on Monday in the two-day competition, putting him tied for 64th place.

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SWR pulls upset; UCA, Trinity also advance in boys’ basketball state playoffs

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ASHEBORO — Southwestern Randolph knocked off Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season champion Providence Grove on the opening night of the state playoffs in boys’ basketball Tuesday night.

Uwharrie Charter Academy and Trinity will continue their boys’ seasons. Asheboro, Randleman and Eastern Randolph bowed out along with Providence Grove.

In Class 2-A, Southwestern Randolph, which holds the No. 25 seed in the West Region, won 61-58 a rare in-county road playoff game against No. 8 seed Providence Grove.

No. 12 seed Trinity beat the No. 21 seed Lexington 55-46.

No. 30 seed Randleman traveled to Shelby, losing 52-47.

In Class 3-A, No. 13 seed Asheboro, fresh off capturing the Mid-Piedmont Conference Tournament title Friday night, couldn’t solve No. 20 North Lincoln in a 68-51 home defeat.

UCA, which is the highest seeded Randolph County boys’ team with a No. 3 seed in Class 1-A, turned back former conference foe Albermarle, No. 30 seed, by 63-51 in Ulah.

Also in Class 1-A, No. 18 Eastern Randolph Wildcats lost by 89-54 at No. 2 seed Winston-Salem Prep.

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UCA, Randleman, SWR, Wheatmore advance in girls’ basketball playoffs

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ASHEBORO — Four Randolph County girls’ basketball teams advanced to the second round of the state playoffs with wins Tuesday night, while two others saw their seasons end.

Uwharrie Charter Academy, Randleman, Southwestern Randolph and Wheatmore cruised in their first-round playoff games.

UCA, a No. 3 seed in Class 1-A in the West Region, topped No. 30 seed Bradford Prep 54-38. Also in Class 1-A, Eastern Randolph fell short in a 65-62 loss to Cherokee.

Randleman, the top seed in the Class 2-A, dominated No. 32 seed Shelby Burns with a 64-17 victory.

No. 11 seed Southwestern Randolph was a 49-38 winner against No. 22 seed Bandys with a home win at Castelloe Gym.

No. 14 seed Wheatmore won 61-42 against No. 19 seed Monroe. Meanwhile, Providence Grove suffered a 71-25 road loss to Shelby.

PREP-03

Tears flow at Senior Night ceremony

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Emotions flowed in a special manner on Senior Night at Providence Grove.

Thursday night’s ceremony between the girls’ and boys’ basketball games against Wheatmore included recognition of senior basketball players and cheerleaders.

Cheerleading and boys’ basketball seniors were honored before the girls’ basketball seniors. The final of those recognitions drew a tearful standing ovation.

That’s when the parents of the late Lily Butler came onto the court. Butler, who had been a member of the girls’ program, died in July at age 17. She also had been on the cross country team.

Her parents, Chip and Carol Butler, received numerous hugs as the ceremony concluded. It was an emotional moment for seniors Maddie King, Reanna Saunders and Edi Austin as well.

Baseball

Saturday at Ramseur, the Grady Lawson Memorial Baseball Classic is scheduled with scrimmages involving several teams at Eastern Randolph.

The matchups at Grady Lawson Field are slated to involve Eastern Davidson vs. Providence Grove at 11:30 a.m., Lee County vs. Southwestern Randolph at 2 p.m. and Jordan-Matthews vs. Eastern Randolph at 4:30 p.m.

Proceeds will go to the Grady Lawson Memorial Scholarship Fund.

THS_24

Patriots try to keep hold of PAC’s top spot

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It safe to say that it’s heating up in Piedmont Athletic Conference boys’ basketball.

Teams are chasing Providence Grove with a couple of weeks to play, but it’s clear the Patriots might not be in cruise control.

“We’re banged up,” Providence Grove coach Wes Luther said. “Who can survive the longest? Hopefully, we’re going to keep grinding it out.”

An example of the challenges that exist came with last week’s 55-52 escape at Southwestern Randolph.

The Cougars made it difficult for much of the night on the first-place Patriots, who cranked up their defense at opportune times.

“They turned up the pressure a little bit and really got after us on the perimeter,” Southwestern Randolph coach Matt Kiser said. “We allowed their pressure to bother us a little bit. Those were good adjustments that they made.”

With a cluster of teams in pursuit, the Patriots can’t afford to let their focus wander.

“I keep telling them don’t even think of one game at a time,” Luther said. “Just think of one quarter at a time.”

Southwestern Randolph could factor into how the pecking order unfolds near the top of the standings, particularly if the Cougars have pull off an upset or two down the stretch.

“Being right there at the end, that proves to our guys (that we can compete),” Kiser said. “I know it’s frustrating for them because we come out on the wrong end of so many of these games.”

 

Randleman’s Chenleigh Robinson lays the ball up during a game against host Eastern Randolph last week in Ramseur. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

 

Staying within range
 

Meanwhile, Trinity and Uwharrie Charter Academy staged a clash to see which team will be the top contender to first-place Providence Grove across the final two weeks of the regular season.

It took overtime for Trinity to pull out a 66-63 road victory against UCA.

“It’s huge,” Trinity coach Tim Kelly said of aiding the positioning in the standings for his team.

Trinity’s Dylan Hodges sent the game to overtime with a basket in the waning seconds of regulation. That capped a rally from a 10-point hole in the fourth quarter.

“Once it got down to five, it’s anybody’s game if you make good plays,” Kelly said. “We just hung together and started doing the things we’ve worked on in practice.”

Kelly said he liked how his team displayed a scrappy approach.

“We really hit the boards hard in overtime. We’re not really big,” he said. “We made some things happen.”

The Bulldogs finished with a 43-33 rebounding advantage.

Also by the end, Dominic Payne’s 27 points provided the biggest boost, while Trace Moffitt added 14 points and Aiden Blakely had 10 points.

“Dominic really stepped up and started competing,” Kelly said.

UCA’s balance scoring included 14 points apiece from Alijah Barker and Pierce Leonard, 13 points from Ashton Troutman and 12 points from Dawson Dunn.

The outcome avenged UCA’s 61-54 victory from December.

 

Note of the week

The undefeated Randleman girls scored the first 17 points in last week’s 63-19 victory at Eastern Randolph.

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UCA, Trinity open strong in state duals

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Trinity’s Casey Hohn, top, works against West Wilkes’ Holt Hanchey during the first round of the Class 2-A dual team state tournament Monday at Trinity.

Wrestling teams from Uwharrie Charter Academy in Class 1-A and Trinity in Class 2-A advanced through the first two rounds of the dual team state tournament.

UCA and Trinity were both home teams for the first and second rounds Monday.

These teams moved on to third- and potentially fourth-round meets Wednesday. The winning teams from that advance to the state finals. The goal is to make it to Saturday’s championship meets at the Fieldhouse at the Greensboro Coliseum complex.

UCA (33-0) notched victories against Neuse Charter and South Davidson, which reached the second round by topping Bradford Prep. For UCA, it was a forfeit against Neuse Charter, which chose not to compete, and then a 45-36 outcome against South Davidson.

UCA will compete Wednesday against Pamlico County at Rosewood in the third round. The winner stays for a fourth-round matchup against the winner of the Rosewood-Thomasville meet.

Trinity (21-1) had its way by stomping West Wilkes 50-18 and then turning away traditional state power Eden Morehead by 54-21.

Trinity next takes on Newton-Conover, while West Region top seed Bandys and West Lincoln collide in the other third-round meet at Bandys.

Three other teams from Randolph County fell in the first round Monday.

In Class 3-A, Asheboro dropped a 34-31 matchup to West Rowan in the North Henderson gym.

Seven wrestlers for Asheboro won matches, with Xavier Santos (113), Yu Chen (138), Christian Diaz (152), Luke Lambeth (160), Logan Lambeth (182), Eduardo Soto-Canas (220) and Arhman Tyson (285) coming out on top.

The Blue Comets (25-5) had won the Mid-Piedmont Conference regular season, but they stalled right away in the postseason team competition.

In Class 2-A, Southwestern Randolph (14-11) tumbled by a 66-21 score against host Rutherford-Spindale Central.

In Class 1-A, Eastern Randolph (1-19) was drubbed 52-6 by host Pamlico County. The lone winner for the Wildcats was 126-pounder Adrian Lopez. Pamlico County then eliminated South Stanly.

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