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Eastern Randolph makes shift to 1-A classification

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Eastern Randolph’s Davonte Brooks runs the ball against Southwestern Randolph during a Piedmont Athletic Conference football game Oct. 1 in Ramseur. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

RAMSEUR – For a school with so much athletic success through the years, it might be strange to view Eastern Randolph as the little guy.

But that’s how the Wildcats are listed when it comes to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Eastern Randolph is a Class 1-A school, reflecting the group with the smallest enrollment.

“For 1-A, we’re not bad,” football coach Burton Cates said.

In football, the Wildcats are undefeated this season with two regular-season games remaining.

The school’s placement in Class 1-A was based on enrollment of about 600 students in high school.

Athletics director Foster Cates, an assistant football coach and Burton Cates’ son, said there are challenges with the reduced size of the student body.

“The biggest thing for us overall is numbers,” Foster Cates said. “The only thing that kind of changes a little bit: Do you have a JV team or not?”

The answer to that question will vary by sport.

Foster Cates said the school will have the same number of sports as in the past. In certain cases, there could be a quick path to varsity teams for athletes.

“If he’s good enough, he’s playing on varsity as a freshman,” he said.

Eastern Randolph’s first dive in enrollment came with the formation of the Providence Grove district, which had included parts of Eastern Randolph’s district. Providence Grove opened in 2008. Then with growing Uwharrie Charter Academy, more students shifted.

“You lose a couple here, a couple there,” Foster Cates said.

Eastern Randolph and UCA, which doesn’t field a football team, are the only Class 1-A schools in the Piedmont Athletic Conference, which consists of five other Class 2-A schools in Randolph County.

For the postseason, the Wildcats will be in Class 1-A.

“We won’t play a 1-A team until the playoffs,” said Burton Cates, whose team has held a No. 1 state ranking for Class 1-A teams.

The Wildcats had four non-conference football games – and another cancelled based on COVID protocols. Three of those matchups were against Class 3-A teams and the other against a Class 2-A school.

Eastern Randolph has won a pair of state championships in football. The Wildcats were in Class 3-A for the 1983 title.

Then for the championship in 2006, when there were eight classifications, the school was tagged for Class 3-AA, which was the group of larger schools with Class 3-A broken into smaller and larger brackets.

“Most of the teams we used to play are still 3-A,” Foster Cates said.

Despite the smaller size, the Wildcats can make a big impact. They’ve drawn huge support from their fans during the football season.

“I like it when the community really gets behind the team,” Burton Cates said. “They have great pride.”

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Wildcats excel in showdown with Cougars

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RAMSEUR — Eastern Randolph didn’t seem fazed by a big-game environment. So the Wildcats settled in quickly and dispatched visiting Southwestern Randolph, winning 32-14 in Friday night’s showdown.
“It’s a rival. It’s an in-county game,” Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates said afterward. “It’s the first conference game. It’s homecoming.”

And it’s another notable performance for the Wildcats (5-0).

Na’hiem Lilly scored four touchdowns and Eastern Randolph was in command for most of the game.

Eastern Randolph’s Adone Herbert reaches for a fumbled ball during a game against Southwestern Randolph on Oct. 1 in Ramseur. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

“We didn’t control the line of scrimmage all night long,” Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter said. “We got knocked on our heels a little bit.”

Indeed, the best start to a season in school history had the Cougars (5-1) hopeful that they could pull off a rare victory in this series.

But Eastern Randolph scored the first two touchdowns. After Southwestern Randolph got on the board, the Wildcats cranked out a strong finish to the first half and led 26-7 at the break.

“We made a couple of bad turnovers,” Baxter said. “Nothing went our way in the first half on bounces. And you’ve got to create your bounces and opportunities.”

Eastern Randolph kept making key plays. Quarterback Stratton Barwick threw touchdown passes to Lilly and Elias Alston.

Lilly finished with 134 rushing yards on 22 carries. Alston made five catches for 84 yards.

Cates said the Wildcats had some mishaps, particularly noting passes that fell incomplete when receivers often would have caught those balls. But his team had plenty to compensate for those situations.

“It was just a lot of hard effort,” Cates said. “We know we’re going to play hard. We believe in them.”

Southwestern Randolph showcased a high-powered offense for the first month of the season. That has slowed the past couple of weeks.

Southwestern Randolph’s Keaton Reed rushes the ball against Eastern Randolph during their football game Oct. 1 in Ramseur. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The Cougars had trouble protecting quarterback Keaton Reed.

“Keaton was running for his life a lot back there,” Baxter said.

Reed had a touchdown pass to Eli Gravely. Teammate Easton Clapp had more than half of his 81 yards on the ground on a 48-yard scoring run.

Randleman 48, Wheatmore 6: At Trinity, Thomas Dobias scored three touchdowns as the visiting Tigers roared in the Piedmont Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

Randleman (3-3) scored 14 points in the first quarter and did the rest of its scoring after halftime.

The Tigers received 202 passing yards from Christian Long, who connected on a 90-yard play with Lucus Gneiting. Dobias gained 116 yards on 13 carries, scoring on runs of 5, 1 and 43 yards. Ervodd Cassady had a rushing touchdown and Chris Gentry returned a punt for a score. The Tigers also scored on Chesney Welch’s 34-yard pass to Bryce Derry.

For Wheatmore (3-2), Riley Strickland threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Weil.

Oak Grove 49, Asheboro 14: At Winston-Salem, the visiting Blue Comets suffered their fifth consecutive loss, stumbling in their Mid-Piedmont Conference opener.

Connor Creech threw for three touchdowns for Oak Grove (4-1, 1-0).
Hakemme Butler scored both touchdowns for Asheboro (1-5) on passes from Khyland Hadley-Lindsay.

Postponed: Trinity’s game at Providence Grove was scratched because of COVID-related protocols involving the Trinity team. The game was rescheduled for Oct. 18 (a Monday).
Because of that switch, the Southwestern Randolph/Providence Grove game for later that week was moved back one day to Oct. 23.

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Wildcats, Cougars to clash to set tone in league play

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ASHEBORO — It’s easy to recognize all that Southwestern Randolph’s football team has done entering the Piedmont Athletic Conference portion of the schedule.

And the opponent Friday night is the team with a No. 1 state ranking.

So Eastern Randolph has some clout, too.

Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates will have his team in another big game this week. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

“It’s a big game for the schools,” Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates said. “It’s a great way to open conference.”

Eastern Randolph (4-0) is the top-ranked team in Class 1-A. Southwestern Randolph (5-0) has cracked the Top 25 in Class 2-A.

Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter spent eight years coaching at Eastern Randolph before taking the job at his alma mater. Perhaps more attention than ever will be focused on the matchup between the teams.

“It will be (significant),” Baxter said.

Baxter’s time at Eastern Randolph came in between Cates’ coaching stints with the Wildcats. The stadium in Ramseur is named in Cates’ honor.

Southwestern Randolph won against Eastern Randolph in 2017 when neither Baxter nor Cates were on the Wildcats sideline. That was a rare victory for the Cougars in the series.

Southwestern Randolph’s Easton Clapp scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter of last week’s victory at Asheboro. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

“I think we’re ready for it,” Southwestern Randolph receiver/defensive back Adam Cole said. “We definitely have the mentality that we can beat them.”

Running back Easton Clapp said the Cougars shouldn’t be intimidated by the matchup.

“We’ll punch them in the mouth,” Clapp said.

Cates said it’s clear that Southwestern Randolph will arrive with well-deserved confidence.

“The first thing you’ve got to like (for us) is you’re playing at home,” Cates said. “They’ve got probably the best team they’ve had in 20 years. They’re an explosive team.”

Part of Baxter’s message will be similar to the one he delivered to the Cougars on Friday night. They trailed Asheboro entering the fourth quarter in an eventual 17-7 victory.

“You’ve got to believe in yourself,” Baxter said.

Eastern Randolph played only two games in September because of COVID-related interruptions. Reconstructed schedules have been the norm recently for the Wildcats, who in the spring season had a stretch of three games in a 10-day period and then went more than a month with just two games.

“You could tell Friday night (in a 33-3 victory vs. West Stanly) that we hadn’t played in two weeks,” Cates said.

The Wildcats, who used two first-time starters in last week’s game, should be closer to full strength for the Southwestern Randolph game, Cates said. Meanwhile, there have been bonuses from the early roster challenges.

“We’re creating some depth that we definitely need,” Cates said. “The kids that played, they played physical.”

 

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Friday’s games

Southwestern Randolph at Eastern Randolph, 7:30

Trinity at Providence Grove, 7:30

Randleman at Wheatmore, 7:30

Asheboro at Oak Grove, 7:30

 

 

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Wildcats showcase variety of weapons

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Quarterback’s precision adds to firepower for Eastern Randolph’s offense

ASHEBORO – Eastern Randolph has so many ways to be productive on the football field.

With highly recruited playmakers dotting recent rosters for the Wildcats, now it’s clear that it’d be wise not to overlook Stratton Barwick.

Eastern Randolph’s Elias Alston makes a 29-yard touchdown reception from Stratton Barwick against Asheboro in the second quarter at Asheboro. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The junior quarterback is slinging the ball in the right directions these days.

“It’s a joy to see the ball going through the air and the crowd cheers,” Barwick said.

That happened numerous times last week when visiting Eastern Randolph thumped Asheboro 49-7 on Friday night.

“We just came out and played football,” Barwick said.

Veteran coach Burton Cates of Eastern Randolph said Barwick has been impressive with efficiency.

“Last year as a sophomore he had some tough games,” Cates said. “But we saw what he could do in that comeback against Clinton (in a road upset in the state playoffs). We know we have a good one. He works hard.”

Barwick was 7-for-7 for 259 yards in the Asheboro game. That was a nice complement to go with standout running back Nahiem Lilly, who rushed for 95 yards on 15 carries.

With receivers making moves after receptions, there’s no shortage of options on the offense. It’s worth paying attention to.

“They should be,” Barwick said. “It’s something to watch.”

The Blue Comets saw too much of it in the non-conference matchup. Barwick was leading the charge.

“They did a fantastic job protecting him,” Asheboro coach Blake Brewer said. “When he hit them in stride, they (showed) really good team speed.”

Eastern Randolph scored on a pair of 1-yard runs by Davonte Brooks in the first quarter, but those possessions were drastically different. The first one came on a short field after Delonte Glover blocked an Asheboro punt. The next touchdown capped a 95-yard drive after the Blue Comets were halted on a scoring chance.

Then Barwick took command on scoring plays. He connected with D.J. Thomas for a 65-yard play in the opening minute of the second quarter.

In the last 4 ½ minutes of the first half, the Wildcats tacked on three touchdowns to build a 41-7 bulge.

Barwick hit Elias Alston for a 29-yard touchdown play and hooked up with Alston again for a 30-yard touchdown – with Lilly’s 2-yard run coming in between those plays.

The game’s last points came in the third quarter, with Barwick’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Glover followed by Lilly’s two-point conversion run.

“They got it all going,” Brewer said.

Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates walks the field against at Asheboro on Aug. 27. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Cates has lost only twice to Asheboro across more than a quarter-century worth of games covering two stints as Eastern Randolph’s coach.

It’s still a big deal when the Wildcats conquer Asheboro. After the latest result, the postgame congratulations came pouring in. Even Kaemen Marley, a highly recruited athlete who’s on the Tennessee roster, came back on a brief break and was on the field for a postgame hug for Cates.

The potential for the Wildcats could be soaring this season.

“We just got to stay healthy,” Cates said.

The Blue Comets (1-1), whose lone touchdown came on Qamelo Butler’s 1-yard run in the second quarter, wasted several scoring chances in the first half. By then, the tone had been set.

“You score early when we were down there and maybe it’s a different game,” Brewer said.

The Wildcats didn’t hesitate to take advantage.

“We didn’t get stops,” Brewer said, referring to no Eastern Randolph punts until late in the game.

Asheboro’s Tyler Smith punt is blocked by Eastern Randolph’s Delonte Glover. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Asheboro has a week off on the schedule, so that’s time for the Blue Comets to adjust. They’ll have to look at special teams as well after having two punts blocked by Eastern Randolph.

 

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County teams send strong opening messages

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ASHEBORO — What an opening week for Randolph County football teams.

The seven football-playing schools went a combined 6-1, with the lone loss coming in the only intra-county matchup (Asheboro defeating Randleman).

In the other five games, the county teams outscored their opponents by a combined score of 177-31.

The most notable might have been Eastern Randolph’s whipping of Eastern Alamance, which has been a Class 3-A power for most of the past decade.

And don’t discount what Trinity did, with its decision against Chatham Central marking its first triumph against an opponent other than Jordan-Matthews in its last 24 games.

Let’s take a look:

Eastern Randolph 34, Eastern Alamance 6: At Ramseur, Nahiem Lilly ran for 202 yards and three touchdowns to go with a touchdown reception as the host Wildcats rolled. Eastern Randolph has won its opener for the fourth season in a row.

Providence Grove 42, East Davidson 0: At Thomasville, Luke Thomas threw three touchdown passes. Two of the scoring strikes went to Caleb Rogers, who also scored on a carry.

Wheatmore 34, West Davidson 13: At Lexington, Ben Walker threw for three touchdowns as part of a 298-yard passing performance. Almost half of the passing yards went to Dylan Weil (four catches, 137 yards), who scored on two of those plays. Perry Welch raked up 104 rushing yards to go with a touchdown.

Trinity 22, Chatham Central 12: At Bear Creek, the Bulldogs snapped an 11-game road losing streak. Trinity hadn’t won away from home since Sept. 7, 2018, at North Moore.

Southwestern Randolph 45, Jordan-Matthews 0: At Siler City, Keaton Reed threw three touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown and Adam Cole scored three touchdowns as the Cougars won in a game that was completed Saturday afternoon after Friday night’s suspension early in the second quarter. Cole scored on a rush, a reception and a punt return.

 

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This week’s games

Thursday

East Davidson at Wheatmore

Friday

Eastern Randolph at Asheboro

Providence Grove at Southern Guilford

Central Davidson at Randleman

South Stanly at Southwestern Randolph

Trinity at Forbush