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Ervodd Cassady

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Wildcats score late to keep alive season

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RAMSEUR – Ervodd Cassady scored on a 26-yard run with 6:27 remaining as Eastern Randolph’s football team overcame visiting Robbinsville for a 29-26 victory in a third-round game of the Class 1-A state playoffs Friday night.

The Wildcats, who are the top seed in the West Region, made two defensive stops inside their own 20-yard line in the final two minutes to hold on.

Linebacker A’donye Herbert made a couple of key tackles.

“Just make a play so we can keep moving in,” Herbert said. “It felt great, just one more step to moving in.”

Eastern Randolph (11-1) will meet fourth-seeded Mount Airy (12-1) on Friday night at home in the regional semifinals.

“It’s good we’re heading back in the right direction,” Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates said.
“I tell them if you’re playing on Thanksgiving (weekend), you’ve had a pretty good year.”

Cassady ran for three touchdowns as part of his 141-yard performance on the ground. He had scoring runs of 2 and 6 yards and also ran for a two-point conversion.

DJ Thomas returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.

Eighth-seeded Robbinsville (9-4) scored the only 14 points of the third quarter to move to a 26-22 lead, but the Black Knights didn’t score again.

“We didn’t tackle well at times and we didn’t play good on third downs,” Cates said.

Robbinsville’s Cutler Adams rushed for 214 yards and a touchdown.

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Prep Football: Wildcats move on; Patriots fade at Reidsville

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RAMSEUR – Eastern Randolph began what it hopes is a long journey in the state playoffs with a 28-12 victory against visiting Mountain Heritage on Thursday night.

The Wildcats (10-1), which received a first-round bye in Class 1-A, received two touchdowns apiece from Ervodd Cassady and Lucas Smith.

Cassady ran for 205 yards.

Next for the Wildcats, who are the top seed in the West Region, is a home game next Friday night against eighth-seeded Robbinsville (9-3), which topped No. 24 seed Cherokee 39-12 in the second round for its second win of the season against that foe.

Mountain Heritage ended up 5-7.

Class 2-A

At Reidsville, Providence Grove led late in the first half before top-seeded Reidsville took over in a 51-25 second-round game in the West Region.

Andrew Canter threw two touchdown passes for Providence Grove (8-4), which a week earlier won a playoff game for the first time by prevailing at McMichael.

Zander Cheek and Chase Whitaker scored on receptions and Karson Bowman had a rushing touchdown. Tucker Batten’s second-quarter field goal gave Providence a 10-7 edge.

Reidsville (11-1) scored the first 15 points of the second half.

It’s the most points allowed by Providence Grove since a 2019 home loss to Randleman.

Reidsville eliminated Randleman last year in the first round.

Eastern Randolph logo

Prep Football: Eastern Randolph takes PAC title by defeating Randleman

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RAMSEUR – Devonte Brooks scored two touchdowns and Eastern Randolph repeated as Piedmont Athletic Conference football champion with a 28-13 victory against visiting Randleman on Friday night.

Ervodd Cassady returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown against his former team as part of Eastern Randolph’s scoring plays.

The Wildcats (9-1 overall, 5-0 PAC) have won nine games in a row since a season-opening loss at Eastern Alamance. They benefited from three Randleman turnovers.

Stratton Barwick threw for a on a 12-yard play with Adonye Herbert. Nicah Taylor had 83 receiving yards among Barwick’s 128 passing yards.

Randleman (7-3, 4-1), which trailed 21-0 at halftime, scored on Christian Long’s 38-yard pass to Aiden Robinson and on a Tyshaun Goldston’s 43-yard punt return. Amarion Moton was held to 48 yards on 12 carries.

Providence Grove 59, Wheatmore 6: At Climax, Zander Cheek and Karson Bowman each scored two touchdowns and the Patriots won their home finale in the PAC.

Chase Whitaker ran and threw for a touchdown for Providence Grove (7-3, 3-2), which led 42-0 at halftime and claimed third place.

Zane Cheek, Brandon Davis and Josh Ward also scored touchdowns for the Patriots. Jacob Hart kicked a field goal and eight extra points.

Wheatmore finished with a 2-8, 1-4 record.

Southwestern Randolph 50, Trinity 12: At Trinity, Easton Clapp ran for four touchdowns and threw for two more in the finale for both teams.

Sean Adkins and Eli Gravely had touchdown catches. Colton Law scored on a run for the Cougars (6-4, 2-3), who snapped a two-game losing streak in PAC play.

Trinity (4-6, 0-5) finished last in the PAC despite one rushing and one passing touchdown by Tait Conti.

Montgomery Central 45, Asheboro 22: At Asheboro, the Blue Comets went winless in the Mid-Piedmont Conference for the second season in a row.

Asheboro (1-9, 0-5) has had back-to-back one-win seasons after going without a victory the season before that.

Hakemme Butler returned an interception for a touchdown for Asheboro’s first points. Kai Matthews scored on a fumble return. The only points generated from the Blue Comets’ offense came on a Hamza Khan’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Jaylon Moore.

Montgomery Central is 1-9, 1-4.

Randleman QB Christian Long 2022 throw at Asheboro

Prep Football: Tigers topple Providence Grove; Wildcats, Cougars cruise to wins

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Randleman quarterback Christian Long makes a pass earlier this season. (Randolph Record file photo)

CLIMAX – Amarion Moton scored on two fourth-quarter touchdown runs to help Randleman seal a 30-14 road victory against Providence Grove in Piedmont Athletic Conference football Friday night.

Randleman’s defense limited the often-potent Providence Grove offense to 180 yards.

Randleman never trailed, going up in the first quarter on Christian McLeod’s 26-yard field goal. Tyshaun Goldston scored on a 13-yard pass from Christian Long in the second quarter.

James Ellis of Providence Grove scored on a 44-yard pass play before halftime.

Gregory Price’s 40-yard interception return gave Randleman a cushion.

Moton, who gained 151 yards on 23 carriers, took care of the rest. Goldston ended up with 106 receiving yards on six catches. He accounted for all except 13 of the team’s receiving yards.

Providence Grove was 0-for-10 on third-down conversions, while picking up one of three on fourth downs.

Eastern Randolph 55, Trinity 13: At Ramseur, Stratton Barwick threw three touchdown passes and Davonte Brooks scored on runs of 35 and 19 as the host Wildcats rolled in the PAC game.

Lucas Smith (3 yards), Ervodd Cassady (6 yards) and Angel Hernandez (18 yards) also scored on runs for Eastern Randolph (6-1, 2-0), which led 35-7 at halftime.

Trinity (4-3, 0-2) received touchdown runs of 60 and 65 yards from Dominic Payne.

Southwestern Randolph 56, Wheatmore 25: At Trinity, Adam Cole scored five touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the PAC road victory.

Cole caught three of the four touchdown passes thrown by Easton Clapp. He ran for a touchdown and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Clapp also ran for a touchdown among his 157 rushing yards.

The Cougars (5-2, 1-1) also scored on Sean Adkins’ catch and Jentzen Cox’s rushing play.

Wheatmore is 1-6, 0-2.

Central Davidson 56, Asheboro 6: At Lexington, the Blue Comets surrendered more than 50 points for the second week in a row in the Mid-Piedmont Conference loss.

The Blue Comets (1-6, 0-2 Mid-Piedmont Conference) failed to reach a double-figure point total for the sixth game this season.

Central Davidson is 6-1, 1-1.

Asheboro M Graham and SWR Danny Jackson Sept2022

Prep Football: Cougars clobber Asheboro; Wildcats roll in non-league finale

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Asheboro’s Markell Graham is pursued by Southwestern Randolph’s Danny Jackson and Caleb Shelton, far right, during Friday night’s game. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO – Southwestern Randolph scored on the first snap of the game and went on to drub visiting Asheboro 40-2 on Friday night.

Adam Cole took a short pass from Easton Clapp and burst 64 yards for a touchdown for the first points.

“It was open,” Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter said. “I think our wide receivers did a tremendous job of blocking on that play.”

Southwestern Randolph (4-1) heads into Piedmont Athletic Conference play on a two-game winning streak. This puts the Cougars in a good mindset.

“We came in and did what we needed to do up front,” Baxter said of controlling the line of scrimmage.

Cole ended up with two rushing touchdowns to go with the scoring pass play. Clapp threw for two touchdowns and ran for another on his way to 196 passing yards and 126 rushing yards. Marcus Robertson caught a touchdown pass.

Asheboro (1-4) avoided a shutout by tackling a Southwestern Randolph ball carrier in the end zone in the fourth quarter. That accounted for the final points of the game, though it came a couple of plays after the Blue Comets had a possession halted inside the Southwestern Randolph 10-yard line.
“We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board,” Asheboro coach Blake Brewer. “We’re going to have to build some toughness.”

Michael Brady rushed for 97 yards for Asheboro.

Until last year, Southwestern Randolph had never defeated Asheboro in consecutive football meetings. Now, the Cougars have won three straight in the series.

Asheboro leads the all-time series 26-4.

The Blue Comets open Mid-Piedmont Conference play next Friday at home against undefeated Oak Grove (5-0), which is coming off an open week.

“We’re going to have to find an identity and do it quick,” Brewer said.

Eastern Randolph 42, West Stanly 0: At Oakboro, the visiting Wildcats tuned up for Piedmont Athletic Conference play by winning their fifth consecutive game.

Among the scoring plays for Eastern Randolph (5-1) were two touchdown runs for Davonte Brooks and one touchdown apiece for D.J. Thomas, Ervodd Cassady and Angel Hernandez. Stratton Barwick threw a touchdown pass to Jake Fesmire.

West Stanly (3-3) has lost three straight games, though the first two defeats came by a combined 15 points.

 

Zane Cheek of PG v Asheboro Sept2022

Prep Football: Providence Grove, Randleman, Trinity, Wheatmore win comfortably; E. Randolph holds on

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Zane Cheek of Providence Grove runs between Asheboro’s Jaylon Moore (to his right) and DJ Headen during Friday night’s game. Asheboro’s Davis Gore, far left, chases Cheek. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randollph Record)

ASHEBORO – Zane Cheek ran for three touchdowns and Providence Grove notched its third consecutive shutout with Friday night’s 49-0 victory at Asheboro.

Cheek rolled up 210 rushing yards on 16 carries.

Zander Cheek, who finished with 75 yards on the ground on 10 carries, Chase Whitaker and Karson Bowman all scored on runs. Zander Cheek also scored on a catch from Andrew Canter on an 80-yard play.

Providence Grove (4-0) scored 14 points in each of the first three quarters.

The Blue Comets dropped to 0-4.

Randleman 38, Greensboro Smith 7: At Randleman, Christian Long threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the host Tigers used a big second half to pull away after the teams were knotted at 7-7 at halftime.

Long threw 15 years to Amari Ferdna for the only Randleman touchdown of the first half. The Tigers went ahead in the third quarter on Amarion Moton’s 5-yard run. Moton finished with 114 yards on 21 carries.

Tyshaun Goldston caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Long early in the fourth quarter. Ashton Dillow returned a fumble for Randleman’s next touchdown before Long’s 19-yard run helped seal the outcome.

Long rushed for 97 yards on 15 attempts and threw for 66 yards.

Greensboro Smith (0-3) scored about three minutes into the game but that was it.

Eastern Randolph 28, Williams 21: At Ramseur, the host Wildcats won their third game in a row as Devonte Brooks scored on a pair of runs.

DJ Thomas had a 31-yard go-ahead reception from Stratton Barwick in the second quarter for Eastern Randolph (3-1). Ervodd Cassady ran for 118 yards on 20 carries and Jake Fesmire scored on a run for the Wildcats.

Eastern Randolph went up 28-14 with 2:52 to play on Brooks’ 12-yard run on a drive that consumed about seven minutes.

Then Dan Mahan scored on a 24-yard quarterback keeper to give the Bulldogs a chance. The Wildcats recovered the ensuing onside kick.

Williams (2-2) lost a tight game to Eastern Randolph for the second straight year. The Bulldogs scored first on Kylei Richmond’s 8-yard run on the fourth snap of the game.

Trinity 60, Jordan-Matthews 7: At Siler City, three of Dominic Payne’s seven completed passes went for touchdowns as the Bulldogs rolled on the road.

Payne also returned a kickoff for a touchdown and scored on a rushing play.

The Bulldogs (3-1) secured their third blowout victory of the season. It was 36-0 at halftime.

The Jets are 0-4.

Wheatmore 21, Chatham Central 0: At Trinity, Wheatmore notched the home victory as Riley Strickland threw two touchdown passes.

Jonathan Kelly racked up 124 rushing yards on 15 carries for the Bulldogs (1-3), who snapped an eight-game losing streak overall dating to last year.

Wheatmore won for the first time since Sept. 17, 2021, at Asheboro, which is the next opponent for the Bulldogs.

The Bears dropped to 0-4.

West Davidson 10, Southwestern Randolph 0: At Lexington, Caleb Broom threw to Noah Baker for the game’s only touchdown.

Joseph Baker rushed for 102 yards on 17 carries for West Davidson (2-2), which was coming off a pair of blowout defeats by a total of 124-7.

The Cougars (2-1) were shutout victims for the first time since the second-to-last game of the 2021 spring season against Southern Guilford. They had scored in 14 straight games since then.

ER football Ervodd Cassady v Walkertown

Prep football: Randleman, E. Randolph, Providence Grove rack up wins

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Eastern Randolph’s Ervodd Cassady runs into the end zone against Walkertown on Friday night. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

RANDLEMAN – Quarterback Christian Long ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Tigers cruised in a 47-7 victory against visiting Montgomery Central on Friday night.

Amarion Moton scored on touchdown runs of 3 and 1 yards for Randleman (2-1).

Long connected with Tyshaun Goldston, who racked up 135 yards on five catches, for a 66-yard touchdown play. Long’s touchdown runs came from 4 and 22 yards out.

Micah Thurston also scored on a 13-yard touchdown run.

Eastern Randolph 35, Walkertown 21: At Walkertown, Ervodd Cassady ran for three touchdowns as the Wildcats (2-1) picked up a road victory. Those were part of the team’s 275 rushing yards.

“I thought the offensive line played extremely hard,” Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates said.

Versatile back Davonte Brooks returned to action after missing the Asheboro game a week earlier with an injury. He made several big-yardage plays.

Eastern Randolph’s Will Stalker returned an interception for a touchdown.

Walkertown (2-1) won its first two games by shutouts.

Providence Grove 51, Jordan-Matthews 0: At Siler City, the visiting Patriots (3-0) recorded a shutout for the second week in a row.

Zane Cheek scored on a punt returning and a rushing play. Zander Cheek and Joel Coltrane also returned punts for touchdowns. Jaden Baker ran for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterbacks Andrew Canter and Chase Whitaker each threw a touchdown pass.

The Jets (0-3) have scored six points all season.

East Davidson 42, Trinity 13: At Trinity, the Bulldogs (2-1) couldn’t hang around after trailing just 14-7 at halftime. Dominic Payne threw a touchdown pass to Chance Grogan and Bob Gibson reached the end zone on a run for host Trinity’s touchdowns. East Davidson is 2-1.

Ledford 70, Wheatmore 0: At Thomasville, the Warriors dropped to 0-3 with the road loss.

SWR Grant Little v South Stanly

Prep football: Wildcats trounce Asheboro; Providence Grove, SWR cruise

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Southwestern Randolph’s Grant Little heads for a big gain against South Stanly on Friday night. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

RAMSEUR – Ervodd Cassady scored on four touchdown runs as Eastern Randolph bashed visiting Asheboro 69-7 in Friday night’s non-conference football game

The Wildcats improved to 1-1 to maintain dominance in the series under veteran coach Burton Cates.

Eastern Randolph scored 28 points in each of the first and second quarters to build a 56-0 lead by halftime. Stratton Barwick threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

Nicah Taylor returned an interception for a touchdown, marking one of the three pick-offs for Eastern Randolph’s defense. He also made a touchdown reception.

Asheboro dropped to 0-2.

Providence Grove 42, Southern Guilford 0: At Climax, Andrew Canter threw two touchdown passes and Zane Cheek ran for two touchdowns for the host Patriots (2-0).

Providence Grove benefitted from six Southern Guilford turnovers. Brady Collins, Chase Whitaker, Zach Lohr and Karson Bowman had interceptions.

Lemuel Coltrane and JC Cruz caught touchdown passes. Zander Cheek and Whitaker also scored on touchdown runs.

Southern Guilford is 0-2.

Southwestern Randolph 49, South Stanly 13: At Norwood, Adam Cole scored four touchdowns and Easton Clapp threw for three scores and ran for two more as the Cougars won their road opener.

Cole scored on two receptions, a rushing play and a punt return. Sean Adkins caught the other touchdown throw from Clapp.

Clapp racked up 177 rushing yards and threw for 87 yards.

“Defensively, we did a great job flying around the ball,” Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter said.

South Stanly fell to 0-2.

Central Davidson 46, Randleman 21: At Lexington, the visiting Tigers surrendered nearly 500 rushing yards in the setback.

Central Davidson (2-0) led 35-7 at halftime. Amarion Moton had a 12-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for Randleman (1-1), while Tyshaun Goldston caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Christian Long to open the second-half scoring. Long finished 13-for-21 for 201 yards with an interception. Goldston gained 60 yards on four carries.

Trinity 45, Forbush 21: At Trinity, the Bulldogs are 2-0 after topping visiting Forbush (1-1) behind a strong performance from Dylan Hodges.

Hodges had 216 return yards, 109 receiving yards and 75 rushing yards. Quarterback Dominic Payne ran for 154 yards and threw for 126.

East Davidson 41, Wheatmore 0: At Thomasville, the Warriors were blanked as their record dropped to 0-2. East Davidson is 1-1.