Asheboro began the season with going 3-0 during the first week, boosted by Cruz’s production.
The senior striker and midfielder had a total of three goals and four assists in those games.
It was a strong opening stretch for the Blue Comets, who outscored their first three opponents by a combined score of 16-2.
Asheboro has a steady diet of non-conference games before beginning Mid-Piedmont Athletic Association play with a Sept. 26 home game against Oak Grove.
This week began well for Asheboro. On Monday night at home, the Blue Comets blanked 2021 Class 3-A state champion Western Alamance 4-0 behind Ortiz’s hat trick and Edwin Perez’s goal.
Asheboro goalkeeper David Agudelo makes a stop against Southwestern Randolph’s Fernando Hernandez during last week’s game. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record).
Here’s how some area teams fared at the beginning of the new school year:
Volleyball
Reigning Class 2-A state champion Southwestern Randolph began the season with a sweep of host Asheboro in a non-conference match last Wednesday. The Cougars won 25-14, 25-15, 25-8.
Southwestern Randolph received 14 kills from Madelyn Smith, while Gracie Hodgin added nine kills and six aces. Raegan LeRoy provided 21 assists and four digs.
Ellen Long of Asheboro spikes the ball against Trinity’s Karrington Batten during last week’s season-opening match won by Asheboro at North Asheboro Middle School. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
The Cougars capped the week by playing in a two-day tournament at East Chapel Hill.
Southwestern Randolph began with a five-set victory against Western Guilford. The Cougars followed that by losing to Carrboro in four sets and then churning out four-set victories against East Chapel Hill and Southern Alamance.
Boys’ soccer
Southwestern Randolph won in its opener under coach Jimmy Walker, who returned to that role after a hiatus of several seasons.
The start of the season for the Cougars was delayed one day because of a postponement before they defeated host Central Davidson 3-2.
Asheboro turned in a 3-0 week by winning games on three consecutive nights. The Blue Comets defeated Trinity 6-0, Southwestern Randolph 8-1 and Jordan-Matthews 2-1.
In those games, Cristian Cruz recorded three goals and four assists, while Cristian Ortiz racked up four goals and one assist. Diego Bustamonte had two goals in the opener and an assist in the third game. Daniel Gutierrez notched two goals.
Girls’ golf
Asheboro had a couple of notable events, including an under-par score for one of its golfers in the season opener.
Salem Lee posted a 1-under-par 35 in a match against Union Pines and Oak Grove at Country Club of Whispering Pines’ River Course.
On the next day, the Blue Comets were the host team for a seven-team invitational at Pinewood Country Club. This 18-hole competition was dubbed by Asheboro coach Heather Norris as one of the top girls’ golf events in the state based on the field.
Lee shot 4-over 76 to finish in eighth place. Asheboro placed sixth in the team competition.
Cross country
At Thomasville, Wheatmore’s boys finished last among five teams in East Davidson’s Bobby Schilly Invitational despite a strong performance from junior Zach Hazelwood.
Hazelwood posted a personal-best time of 17 minutes, 33 seconds across the 3.1-mile course to place third. The winner was Ethan Byerly of South Davidson in 17:31.
On the girls’ side, Wheatmore was last among four scoring teams. Olivia Hildreth placed 14th in 24:20. Asheboro Hybrid Academy entrants McKenna Voncannon (23:08, 7th) and Arabella Shortridge (24:03, 12th) were in the top 12.
Sugg was an all-Piedmont Athletic Conference lineman for the Cougars, who had their best football season in school history last fall. He was a senior.
Sugg was also an all-conference performer in wrestling. He racked up a 32-8 record, concluding by winning his final five matches on the way to a third-place finish in Class 2-A in the state tournament at 195 pounds. Those five victories came with two pins followed by three decisions, including two outcomes that avenged losses from the Midwest Regional a week earlier.
Sugg has entered the military, joining the Army.
This concludes our summer look at select members of the Class of 2022.
Wes Berrier, the new athletics director for Asheboro High School, checks out the first day of football practice last week. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
ASHEBORO – Wes Berrier’s view of athletics at Asheboro High School is one of great potential. He’d like to see the Blue Comets’ programs return to prominence.
“A sleeping giant,” the new athletics director said. “I feel I’m coming in at a great time. I’m expecting big things as far as our athletics.”
Berrier officially became the athletics director this summer, though he filled that role for the final couple of months of the 2021-22 school year upon the retirement of Steve Luck.
Berrier had been Asheboro’s wrestling coach until taking this new assignment. He remains a business teacher at the high school.
It has been a turbulent time for Asheboro athletics because of an ongoing campus construction project that has displaced most of the teams. They’ve been without the simply comforts of team locker rooms. Some of the challenges that existed in 2021-22 will remain at least for a few more months.
“Just being out of the school has made it tough for everybody. Kids like a routine,” Berrier said. “We’ve made it work. It hasn’t been fun. Things are going to be better.”
For 2021-22, Asheboro finished fifth out of six schools in the Mid-Piedmont Conference in the Wells Fargo Cup standings that gives an indication of overall ranking of each school’s teams for a school year.
“I think the morale will be improved where we can turn this ship around,” Berrier said. “Get everything built back up.”
Berrier, who turned 54 this summer, said it’s important to have a bridge between the high school and community. Among his goals is to help build a stronger booster club.
He said he has been encouraged by interest in the incoming freshman class with up 150 potential athletes coming into the high school. He oversaw a physical night for the newcomers and a session where middle schoolers were able to meet coaches across the athletics department.
Berrier had to step down as wrestling coach because of the city school district’s policy that prevents the athletics director from being a head coach.
The new AD’s son, Jake Berrier, will move from assistant coach to head coach for the wrestling team.
“He’s definitely ready for it,” his father said.
In Wes Berrier’s eight seasons as wrestling coach, the Blue Comets had eight state championships (7 male, 1 female) earned to go with 13 total state place finishes. During the past season, nine Blue Comets received All-Mid-Piedmont Conference honors and Berrier was the league’s Coach of the Year.
Because of the uncertainty of the on-campus facilities, Asheboro withdrew its bid to be the host school for a Class 3-A wrestling regional in 2023.
Coley Shiflet is bound to be a key player again for Southwestern Randolph’s volleyball team. (File photo)
Southwestern Randolph gears up for volleyball season after 2021 state title
ASHEBORO — Southwestern Randolph’s volleyball team has a few different components this season.
There will be a new offensive make-up and a key transfer with the Cougars.
But one thing they don’t want to change is the rate of success.
“There’s a lot of excitement in our gym,” coach Darby Kennedy said. “They want to hold onto the title and defend that title.”
Southwestern Randolph is the reigning Class 2-A state champion.
Kennedy said that the core of the defensive unit has been in place since a year ago, but there will be shifting responsibilities from an offensive standpoint.
“It’s interesting because we went from having a strong offensive structure for the past few years,” she said. “Now the ball is going to be shared a lot more.”
The first match of the season comes Aug. 17 in a non-league encounter at Asheboro.
It’s a matter of Southwestern Randolph putting the pieces together, and there’s a good foundation for that.
Junior Coley Shiflet, the Most Valuable Player of the state final, is the libero. She’s joined by defensive specialist Carleigh Whitson, a senior.
Sophomore middle blocker Riley Key might show an upgraded offensive side, while outside hitter Madelyn Smith is a reliable factor. Sophomore outside hitter Gracie Hodgin, an All-Piedmont Athletic Conference selection last year and the daughter of school principal Brian Hodgin, has transferred from Wheatmore and provides good power along with solid service receptions.
Coach Darby Kennedy will hope to direct the Cougars to another special season. (File photo)
“We’re young in the middle,” Kennedy said. “We’ve got some kids who are a little less experienced at some key positions.”
Payton Shiflet and Josie Allred, who were seniors on last season’s 28-5 team, sparked much of the offense.
More responsibilities could fall on the setters in the restructured offense.
“Our strategy has to change so we can be successful all the way around,” Kennedy said. “The more they work on that, I think they’ll gain that confidence and make sure they’re building that chemistry. We’re working on finding that consistency in a new offensive structure.”
The list of potential difference makers also includes senior Julie Johnston and junior Alyssa Harbor.
With such a strong foundation, Southwestern Randolph could be a team capable of another season of excellence.
Molly Smith of Southwestern Randolph’s volleyball team sets the ball during Saturday’s multi-team scrimmage at Wheatmore High School. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
“We’ve had a lot of conversations about that you win a state championship, and that’s exciting,” Kennedy said. “You get back in the gym and have to start over. We’re always had girls who are willing to work. They’ve been putting their time in. Now it’s a matter of connecting it all together.”
The Cougars ought to learn more this weekend in a multi-team scrimmage in Raleigh that will also include the 2021 Class 3-A and Class 4-A state champions and several other established teams.
Closer to home, the Cougars will be aiming to regenerate the level of enthusiasm that built throughout last season.
“The games ought to be exciting with people flying all over the place,” Kennedy said.
Basketball standout heads to private school for senior season
BURLINGTON — One of the most highly recruited boys’ basketball players in Randolph County in the upcoming senior class will no longer will be playing for a school in the county.
Ashton Troutman is transferring from Uwharrie Charter Academy to The Burlington School.
He said he’s looking for more exposure and a higher level of competition.
“Just being in a basketball environment and for a good team,” Troutman said. “I would have never flirted with the idea of leaving if it wasn’t for basketball.”
Troutman, a 6-foot-7½, 205-pound post player, was the centerpiece of the Eagles’ Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament championship last winter.
For weeks, Troutman has been the recipient of constant praise based on his performances on the summer travel circuit with Raleigh-based Garner Road Basketball Club. He has been lauded for his toughness around the basket and the ability to play through contact.
Despite coming back from a broken fibula that caused him to miss a couple of months since the high school season, Troutman’s stock grew this summer.
“July was huge for him,” said George Marshall, the new coach and athletics director at The Burlington School (previously named The Elon School), which is a private school with a growing basketball reputation. “It’s really a credit to his grit and toughness. He’s in a place where his confidence is sky high.”
Troutman, 18, will commute from his Asheboro home to Burlington. He said he felt some pressure last summer to transfer, considering Greensboro Day School as several private schools reached out to him. But he said he wanted another go-around with UCA, which is a Class 1-A school, as it entered a new conference.
Now, he’s taking a different approach for his last high school season. He said he expects more challenging academic requirements, but that will be worth it.
“Coach Marshall and a couple of other guys hit me up,” he said. “They’re going to put me in situations to be seen by (more colleges).”
The Burlington School, a member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association, is a four-time state champion in boys’ basketball. The Spartans are the reigning Class 2-A state champions in that organization after securing back-to-back titles. In the regular season, recent teams have played in several high-profile events, though the Spartans are now an independent and no longer in a conference.
Marshall said Troutman should fit in well. NCAA Division I and Division II teams have been in contact with Troutman in recruiting. The player said he has yet to receive scholarship offers.
“He has played really competitive basketball throughout the course of his career,” said Marshall, who spent the previous five seasons at Henderson Collegiate. “We are really excited to have him as a student and a player.”
Troutman’s 20.9 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior came after as a sophomore – in the pandemic-abbreviated season – he led the Eagles with 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 68 percent from the field. He held a team-best 8.9 points per game on 56 percent shooting from the field and 4.8 rebounds per outing as a freshman.
With Troutman, the Eagles’ record went from 10-13 as a freshman to 10-4 as a sophomore and 19-7 last season.
Prior to last season, UCA lost guard Zane Caudle as a transfer to Providence Grove, which won the PAC regular-season title. Caudle was named the PAC Player of the Year.
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.
Vickers was productive in his senior season for the Bulldogs, who he helped to the Piedmont Athletic Conference title.
In the PAC championships, he was part of three point-producing events for Trinity.
He placed second in the 400 meters in 58.63 seconds and took third in the triple jump at 35 feet, 1½ inches. While he didn’t place in the long jump, he posted a mark of 16-5 for 10th place.
Vickers was part of the winning 1,600 relay, which had a time of 4:00.97. He was joined by teammates Ayden Harlow, Mason Lewis, and Jonathan Hill.
Above, members of the Randleman boys’ soccer team move the goal at the first practice of the season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Here’s a glimpse of some of the opening practices in Randolph County on Monday, when teams could officially begin practices for the upcoming fall season.
Eddie Soto of the Asheboro football team goes through a tackling drill on the first day of practice Monday. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)Coach Seth Baxter addresses his Southwestern Randolph football team on the first day of practice Monday. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)Asheboro’s volleyball team goes through practice under the direction of Kim Black, who has returned to the program as the coach. The session was held at North Asheboro Middle School because of ongoing renovations at the high school. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
David Makupson of Trinity reacts to winning the Class 2-A state title at 138 pounds during the past season in a match vs. Will Nix of Bandys. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Trinity’s state champion built powerful prep career
TRINITY — In order for Trinity’s David Makupson to become a high school state champion in wrestling, he took a path of nonstop pursuit of that goal.
He thought he worked hard to attain that. Now, he’s aiming even higher.
“I just know I have to work that much harder if I want to be on the D-I level,” Makupson said. “I got a good feel on how that next level is going to be.”
Makupson is heading to Queens University of Charlotte after a stellar high school career that was capped with a 138-pound title in Class 2-A.
“He kind of set the standard for what we’re looking for,” Trinity coach Brandon Coggins said. “He’s leaving his mark.”
A 178-21 career record left him short of the school-record 200 wins set by 2017 graduate Tyler Johnson. Makupson likely would have eclipsed the mark had the 2020-21 season not been shortened because of the reconfigured North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s sports calendar during the pandemic.
Makupson, who turned 18 years old in June, did this while lettering in five sports at Trinity. He said he knew wrestling was the sport that allowed him to flourish the most.
But he received all-conference recognition as a football player, playing as a running back, slot receiver, and outside linebacker. At 5-foot-6, he took a fearless approach to the football field.
“Really not being scared to hit somebody,” he said, noting that his quickness also was an asset.
When the pandemic caused an adjusted sports schedule during his junior year, he added cross country and swimming (though the track and field season conflicted with wrestling). His spot on the swimming team in the 50-yard freestyle might have caught some people off guard.
“My dad (David Makupson Jr.) kind of forced me to do it,” he said.
The workload and variety of sports might have made an impression on others, but it didn’t faze Makupson.
“I don’t really see it,” he said. “I just went out there and did it.”
This spring, he became the Piedmont Athletic Conference champion in the 800 meters and took part in Trinity’s league-winning 3,200 relay.
Grappling greatness
The running success came a couple of months after securing that coveted wrestling title. He had the confidence to go with it.
“Go out there and dominate because nobody can keep up with me,” he said. “I had one mission, to go out there and win it all, and that’s what I did. I’ve been preparing since I first got started since I was 5. It was my dream to win one. Just so happened I got it my senior year. It had been a long time coming.”
Trinity’s David Makupson has a grip on Will Nix of Bandys. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Makupson dominated Will Nix of Bandys with a 10-0 decision in the final after two other major decisions sandwiched around a second-period pin to reach the title bout in February at the Greensboro Coliseum.
All along, the key for Makupson was “being physical in neutral positions and being heavy on the hips” when on top,” he said.
“It really comes down to mental toughness and conditioning,” Makupson said. “I think what won me most of the matches was just wearing guys down.”
His only loss as a senior came in a season-opening tournament by a 7-4 decision to Rolesville’s Frank Bianco in the finals of the Wolverine Challenge.
“It was really a down-to-earth moment,” Makupson said of the defeat. “To this day, I still think about that one loss.”
By February, Makupson held a 54-1 record.
“Just getting my mind right and going through all the preparation,” he said. “There was going to be pressure being ranked No. 1 (in the weight division) before the season started.”
He placed fourth in the two previous state tournaments. That included defeating Nix in the opening round of the 2021 version.
“I needed to work harder,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to get fourth again.”
Coggins said he’s glad that Makupson is going to have the chance to compete at the Division I level. Queens made the move to Division I this summer.
Makupson chose Queens ahead of Division II Belmont Abbey.
The wrestler said he’ll likely redshirt during the 2022-23 season. Then Makupson said he’ll attempt to take a spot in the Queens lineup at 133 pounds.
“He fills out pretty good,” Coggins said.
There figures to be no challenge too large for him.
“The main thing I’m really focused on is getting adjusted to the college level,” Makupson said.
