Here’s Ellen Griffin with stock-car driving legend Richard Petty, who was at the Randleman farm to pick up a child after a golf lesson. (Courtesy photo)
Former instructor created foundation for teaching, playing careers
RANDLEMAN – From what was farmland in Randleman to much bigger stages, Ellen Griffin helped grow the game of golf.
While that was decades ago, her legacy lives on.
“It’s unbelievable people still remember her,” said Charlie Griffin, her nephew.
Last week, Griffin was inducted posthumously into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame at Raleigh Convention Center.
She was a golf instructor and helped form many initiatives involving women’s golf.
So many of the stories associated with Griffin revolve around her teaching venue with a Randleman address.
It was far from what would be considered a conventional set-up.
“It was pretty fascinating,” said Dot Germain, who became a golfer on the LPGA Tour. “She was turning this old farm into a golf facility. You would hit balls into the side of the barn.”
Former college golf coach Mary Beth McGirr also said the setting was different. But there was an appeal, largely because of Griffin.
“I would teach there in the summers,” McGirr said. “I kept coming back to the farm.”
Germain recalled that along with the golf clubs there were peacocks, turkeys, ducks, guinea hens and cows.
“Animals would follow her around,” Germain said.
Ellen Griffin enjoys time at her farm and golf instructional center in 1977. (Courtesy photo)
Griffin typically donned painter pants, a flannel shirt and a bucket hat.
“She was not a self-promoter,” Germain said. “She was one-of-a-kind.”
Charlie Griffin, now 72 and living in Washington, D.C, spent time on the farm during his teenage years. He saw what was happening with golf among the farm animals.
“She raised me in those very important years of high school,” he said.
He recalled what Ellen Griffin did on about 8 acres of land near N.C. 62. There were three holes and a sand trap.
“That’s where she set up her shop,” Charlie Griffin said.
She created an indoor hitting area and putting green.
Yet her influence was extensive, particularly on women’s golf.
McGirr credits Griffin with boosting her career, which included time as an award-winning coach at UNC Greensboro and an Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year at Wake Forest.
“She was really my teaching mentor,” McGirr said. “She was wonderful. She had a way of weaving life lessons into golf. She had a gift. She was particularly gifted with the kids. She wanted to have a positive influence in their lives and she did.”
Part of what impressed McGirr was how Griffin was so steadfast in her teaching methods. And it didn’t matter if the student was from Randleman or a country club in Greensboro.
Much of Griffin’s background stemmed from her role as a physical education instructor at the Woman’s College of UNC (that became UNCG), where she spent nearly three decades. She had a fondness for golf.
“She was so forward-looking,” Germain said. “It was golf that she wanted to teach. I would say she was an expert on the basics.”
Germain first heard Griffin speak during a tournament at Duke. She later met with the instructor in Greensboro.
“She really liked to teach,” Germain said. “She taught the basics and I could watch her teach. She was fun and she was an expert. She was a teacher’s teacher.”
This golf lesson by Ellen Griffin, left, had a duck sitting nearby. (Courtesy photo)
Griffin’s influence came at a time when there was room for women’s golf to grow.
“That’s back when women didn’t have any status in the profession at all,” Charlie Griffin said.
She helped found the Women’s Professional Golf Association, the forerunner of the LPGA. Among many honors, she was named the 1962 LPGA Teacher of the Year.
Her instructional manuals were geared toward golf teachers. She spent time as educational director of the National Golf Association.
Page Marsh, the current women’s golf coach at North Carolina State, was one of Griffin’s former students. She pushed to have Griffin enshrined in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
Griffin died in 1986 at age 67. She’s buried in Snow Camp on the grounds of Cane Creek Friends Meeting.
After Griffin’s passing, McGirr oversaw what became known as “The Farm” for several years to keep it as an instructional place for golf.
Griffin has been recognized for many achievements. She entered the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. This latest induction seemed like another level.
“It came out of nowhere for me,” Charlie Griffin said. “For it to happen again now in 2023, it’s pretty amazing.”
RANDLEMAN – Hundreds of residents and fans gathered Saturday afternoon in Randleman to see the unveiling of a statue of the “King of NASCAR” himself, Richard Petty, at the new Richard Petty Tribute Park.
The event was the culmination of five years of planning and fundraising by the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority, which raised the funds for the statue and park, along with a donation from NASCAR.
The public ceremony took place on Hilliary Street, behind the police station and next to the library.
The opening ceremony drew a crowd estimated of more than 200 people, consisting of the extended Petty family, Randleman mayor Gary B. Betts Sr., Asheboro mayor David Smith, Brian Biggs (R-NC House-70), county commissioners, North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey, residents, and fans of the Pettys.
At the ceremony, Betts and the Board of Alderman announced a special proclamation declaring April 3 of each year as Richard Petty Day in Randleman.
The statue of Richard and Lynda Petty was cast by Carolina Bronze Sculpture Inc in Seagrove and was sculpted by owner Ed Walker. He worked with the Pettys, including spending time with the late Lynda Petty’s hairstylist.
The City of Randleman dedicated the park to the Petty Family “in honor of their service to community organizations, philanthropy through the Petty Family Foundation, leadership on the school and tourism boards and more,” according to a statement.
“We are proud to have Richard Petty as a friend of our tourism industry in Randolph County,” said Amber Scarlett, executive director of The Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau. “He may not realize the true impact of his continued presence in Randleman. Thousands of visitors from all over the world travel to the Petty Museum and Garage and Victory Junction each year. Richard Petty made a conscious decision to stay in his hometown and make an impact here in Randleman, in Randolph County. We love having him as our hometown hero that promotes our area every day.”
In a news conference prior to the unveiling, Petty spoke briefly about calling Randolph County home.
“Racing has given me the opportunity to go to Europe, Asia, Australia, all over the world, and I’ve never been anywhere where I didn’t like something, but I’ve never been anywhere where I like as much as I do Randolph County,” he said. “… It’s just home. I grew up here. I know the people here.”
The Petty family has been involved in the community for decades beyond Petty Fest and NASCAR Day. According to its website, The Petty Family Foundation has supported Randolph Community College, Operation North State, Disaster and Hardship Relief, Hospice of Randolph County, Local Youth Athletic Programs and Veteran Organizations, and nationally several charities supporting children and veterans.
Probably the most far-reaching, the Victory Junction camp was founded in honor of Adam Petty who was tragically killed in a practice session for a Busch Series race in 2000. Now a part of the Serious Fun Children’s Network, the camp “enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions by providing life-changing camp experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering; all in a medically-safe environment at no cost to the camper or their family,” according to its website.
Since opening in 2004, it has provided more than 115,000 experiences to children across the country. Kyle Petty’s annual charity ride helps to raise money for the camp.
Emergency crews responded to the scene of a small plane crash on U.S. 421 last week at the Monnett Road bridge. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record)
JULIAN – A small plane crashed last week in the vicinity of U.S. 421 southbound near the Guilford County-Randolph County line, killing one person.
The single-engine Vans RV-12 went down on an embankment late in the morning April 11 south of Greensboro Executive Airport. It impacted traffic on U.S. 421 near Monnett Road.
Kurtis Williams, 52, of Kernersville died at the scene of the crash. He was the pilot.
A passenger was James Foecking, 39, of Randleman. He survived, though he was transported to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill with what were described as serious injuries. He was in stable condition by April 12 based on an update from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.
Foecking was pulled from the wreckage shortly after the crash, according to a report from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. It was a fiery scene after the plane struck an overpass, according to witnesses.
The crash occurred within a few miles of Greensboro Executive Airport, where the plane had departed.
Guilford County Emergency Services’ Hazmat, Southeast (Guilford) Volunteer Fire Department, Pleasant Garden Fire Department, North Carolina Department of Transportation, State Highway Patrol and Guilford County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene.
An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing. Those agencies are handling the case.
Several alums from Randolph County schools have produced notable opening stretches in their collegiate baseball careers.
Providence Grove alum Luke Thomas was the winning pitcher in his collegiate debut, throwing 1 2/3 shutout innings when UNC Greensboro defeated Northeastern on Feb. 18 in the second game of the season. The Spartans scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The next day, Thomas took the loss when giving up four late-inning runs to Northeastern.
In the season’s second week, Thomas had two outings against Notre Dame, throwing one hitless inning in the second game of the series and, the next day, three shutout innings with five strikeouts in the series finale.
He added his first collegiate save March 1 with two shutout innings in a 4-1 home victory against Elon.
Then this past weekend, Thomas was the winning pitcher when the Spartans began a three-game sweep of visiting Rutgers. Thomas threw two shutout innings in the 3-2 outcome.
In the series finale against Rutgers, Randleman alum Matt Kemp, a junior, improved to 2-0 this season with a shutout inning in the Spartans’ 10-9, 10-inning victory.
White has mixed outings
Randleman alum Ryan White pitched in the season opener for Western Carolina, making his collegiate debut vs. Akron. His stint came to begin the ninth inning, striking out his first batter.
But an error and a pair of walks preceded Ian Pennington’s game-tying grand slam. The Zips went on to win 14-12.
Last week, White posted 1 2/3 hitless innings at Gardner-Webb and then he logged a shutout inning in a 10-3 victory against visiting Eastern Kentucky.
Gardner honored twice
Former Eastern Randolph baseball player Brody Gardner has had a strong start to his collegiate career with Greensboro College. The freshman outfielder was a two-time USA South Conference Rookie of the Week in February.
Brody Gardner at Greensboro College.
He received the conference’s first rookie honor of the season as a result of a .350 batting average and driving in two runs when the Pride won two of three games against Lynchburg.
The next week, Gardner batted .316 with three doubles, two runs batted in and scored three runs when the Pride went 2-2. He has been in the lead-off spot in the batting order.
On Saturday, Gardner was 3-for-5 with two runs scored in a 7-5 victory at Berry (Ga.) College.
Brooks Brannon had a record-setting high school season with some incredible power-hitting numbers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Randleman catcher awaits draft after season filled with thrills
RANDLEMAN — For all the noise Brooks Brannon can bring to a ballpark, it might be a level of calmness that helped him – and his teammates – most.
Yet there could be more commotion connected to his baseball career this weekend
when baseball’s amateur draft begins, and the Randleman catcher is bound to be among those selected.
Whether he goes from high school to the pros – or chooses a route playing college baseball for North Carolina – his high school career might be unmatched.
Reaching this next opportunity unfolded, in part, because of an approach that extended beyond allowing raw talent and energy to define him.
“The biggest thing I’ve done (last) offseason is trying to quiet my mind and just calm everything down a little bit, and it has been working this year, and I hope to keep doing it,” Brannon said. “It was hard because I’m 100 percent go all the time. It’s pretty hard to rein the horse back, if you know what I mean.
“So doing that was difficult, but I feel I’m getting a better grasp of it, and so that’s important. It’s not something anybody else can do for me; you have to do it yourself and learn it yourself.”
Those lessons translated into team and personal success. As Randleman was on its way to a second consecutive Class 2-A state championship, Brannon set single-season state records for hits (70) and runs batted in (91) and tied the mark for home runs (20) in 34 games.
Batting in the No. 3 spot in a lineup jammed with college prospects, Brannon became the focal point. In the field, he was behind the plate for a pitching staff that routinely dealt shutouts.
That was an ideal composition for coach Jake Smith.
“He’s a great leader. He’s an even-keeled guy,” Smith said. “He’s a mentally tough kid. He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He understands the game well as far as knowing that failure is going to come. He understands that you can’t do anything about it. Just move on to the next at-bat.”
Brannon said he found the right mix.
“I guess I know when to ramp it up and when to draw it back a little bit,” he said. “Learning that was important. I try to be a leader for the guys and a leader for the team and hope I’m doing a good job. I think I’m doing a good job.”
In what became his final prep game, he went to the plate in Randleman’s 12-5 victory against Whiteville in the top of the seventh inning last month. He drove a ball to deep right-center field for a flyout at Burlington Athletic Stadium.
Then he trotted back to the dugout following his last high school at-bat, though he said he didn’t comprehend what was happening with the ensuing ovation, which seemed to be an acknowledgment of his record-setting season and stellar career.
A night earlier in Game 1 of the state finals, Brannon ripped a second-inning single to set the single-season state record for hits. Smith retrieved the ball.
“He deserves it,” the coach said. “It’s something special.”
With each accomplishment, his teammates seemed to take increasing joy.
“He’s the most humble guy I know,” second baseman Kaden Ethier said.
For pitcher Drake Purvis, who just finished his sophomore season and is committed to North Carolina State, Brannon provided a reassuring presence and ideal example.
“Brooks has always been like that,” Purvis said. “He wants to be the best. He’ll calm everything down.”
Brannon enrolled for summer classes last month at North Carolina as he awaits the draft. His prospects range somewhere within the first five rounds. So Smith’s message was to cherish those final months of the high school season.
“He needs to relax and enjoy it because probably after this, it’s a little different,” Smith said. “It turns into his job. I think he’ll get drafted high enough where he’s going to have to make a decision.”
They’re watching
By last October, in a showcase event in Jupiter, Fla., it was clear that Brannon had caught the attention of just about every major-league organization.
That resulted in a steady stream of scouts showing up at Randleman games this season.
“It’s a lot of pressure every time you go out there; there’s all of that,” said Paul Brannon, his father.
The younger Brannon knew the scouts had eyes fixed on him. He deflected that on game nights.
“It hasn’t affected me playing,” he said. “It hasn’t affected me mentally – and it shouldn’t. I’m just here to have fun. Here to have fun and play with my brothers one last time.”
Pro prospect Brooks Brannon was a mainstay behind the plate as Randleman’s catcher. (PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD)
His teammates appreciated how he’s unfazed.
“He doesn’t feel the pressure,” senior pitcher Ryan White said. “He’s calm, cool, collected. He does his job. He’s just out there to do what he can do to help the team win.”
Scouts usually gathered behind the backstop, often ending up down the first-base line for a vantage point on the right-handed batter. They’ve gone through this drill before, perhaps a few decades ago at Kings Mountain.
“A lot of scouts who scouted me in high school are scouting him,” Paul Brannon said.
Brooks Brannon kept doing his thing, no matter who was watching.
“To me, that’s the most impressive thing — you’ve got numerous scouts out here every night just watching him. He’s a 17-year-old kid out there,” Smith said earlier this spring. “That’s a lot of pressure. He doesn’t let it get to him. He enjoys it. I think he understands; he’s not playing for them. They’re here to watch him.”
At a certain point, amid the lineup of big-bashing Tigers, this all seemed normal to Brannon.
“Just trying to see it and hit it right now. Nothing too crazy,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay unconscious and keep hitting. I’m not really thinking about anything. I’m just seeing the ball and hitting the ball.”
There already was a Brannon in the state record books — Paul Brannon. He held the North Carolina single-season record for home runs with 20 in 1989 for Kings Mountain.
The specifics of the record pursuit weren’t discussed much.
“I call it chasing the ghost,” Paul Brannon said, “and I was the ghost.”
When the record-tying homer sailed over the fence in the opening game of the Class 2-A regional finals against visiting Community School of Davidson, it came with quite a response.
“(People) were talking about when it happened, he jumped out of his seat with both hands, and he ran down the steps,” the catcher said of his father. “I haven’t ever seen him run. Seeing him happy, it just made my night.”
While the home run standard is certainly a topic that’s connected to family, the RBI mark has a special place.
“The RBI record is a team record,” Brannon said. “So I think my guys who scored should have their name up there just as (much) as mine. Driving in runs is the name of the game. More runs equals more wins, so I think that record means more than the home run record.”
Power production
Brannon has a 220-pound frame, seemingly made for a catcher.
Regardless of hitting home runs at a rapid rate, Brannon refuses to make it complicated.
“I’m hitting it where they’re pitching it, I guess. I don’t know how else to describe it,” he said. “I’ve always had power. I was always really, really strong for my age. Just the refined approach, I don’t have to muscle up to hit the ball. If I just stay smooth and I stick to my approach, I’ll hit it. I figured that when I stay loose, I’ll hit it a lot farther than when I try to hit it far.”
So, where does this power stem from?
“My butt, my legs,” he said. “I feel like I’m a pretty big kid, and most of my weight is down there, and that’s where I generate most of my power. Hip rotation.”
Third baseman Hunter Atkins batted a spot in front of Brannon in Randleman’s order. He often was on base with the slugger at the plate.
“You’ve just got to be ready for it,” Atkins said. “You’ve got to keep your feet going because he hits the ball so hard. You’ve got to read the ball as hard as he hits it. Line shots, that’s what he does best. The way the ball jumps off the bat.”
Atkins also benefited from taking a slower pace around the bases after Brannon deposited balls over fences. He marvels at the source of the power.
“His legs, for sure. His legs and his hips,” Atkins said. “A big factor in baseball is your legs. If I’d have them legs, I’d love it. Definitely his legs, and his hands.”
When reference was made to an outdated roster listing him at 190 pounds, Brannon smiled.
“Maybe like freshman year,” he said. “Not now; I’m a little bit heavier now.”
Probably wiser, too.
It was no secret that Brannon had developed talents to put him on major-college scouting radars and eventually on pro scouts’ must-see lists. Then other parts fell into place.
“He has always had the skill set as far as physical ability, but he has learned a lot,” said Trey Cooper, a former Randleman teammate and now a Division I pitcher. “You can tell; now he has the IQ behind the plate.”
It was clear through the 2022 season that Brannon’s preferred topic was the Tigers and not individual accolades coming from all directions.
“It’s just a great way to cap off senior year,” he said. “I’m just happy that we won a state championship. I’m OK with the fact that I did what I needed to do to help my team win. Records or not, I did what I needed to do to help us win.”
That might be an understatement.
“He’s just special. He’s a special kid,” Smith said. “He deserves everything he gets because he works so hard, and he does the right things. I’m happy for him, excited for his future.”
Asheboro’s Arianna Lovingood-Smith’s makes an attempt in the high jump during the Class 3-A state championships last month at North Carolina A&T. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
There was plenty to digest for spring prep sports involving Randolph County teams in addition to Wheatmore’s girls’ soccer team and Randleman’s baseball team winning Class 2-A state championships.
Those accomplishments were certainly among the highlights, but other developments deserve certain attention as well.
Blue Comets jump ahead
Asheboro’s girls’ track and field team won the program’s first conference championship by capturing the Mid-Piedmont Conference title.
“We’ve had some good talent come through, but not spread out enough,” said coach Blake Brewer. “We never had a team this well-rounded.”
The Blue Comets churned out this championship in the Class 3-A league with only 17 participants.
Brewer said the elite runners and jumpers on the team were able to gobble up enough points to make up for shortcomings in some other areas.
That was led by senior Arianna Lovingood-Smith, who was named the Most Valuable Performer in field events in the league. She’ll take her talents to college at Charlotte, where she’s expected to be a member of the cheerleading squad.
Back for more
Multi-sport athletes are aplenty within the county, but a few of those turned in accomplishments that might have been a bit under the radar this spring because of their achievements in other sports in previous seasons.
Let’s take a look:
• Dominic Payne of Trinity is on the all-PAC teams for boys’ tennis and track and field this spring. That adds to his place on the all-conference teams in football and basketball earlier in the school year.
• Randleman’s Kylie Vaughan also doubled up with all-conference honors this spring, landing on the All-PAC lists for girls’ soccer and track and field.
• Providence Grove senior Zane Caudle placed fifth in the PAC Tournament for boys’ golf. He was the Player of the Year for boys’ basketball in the conference.
• Trinity’s David Makupson was the PAC champion in the 400 meters barely two months after becoming the Class 2-A state champion at 138 pounds in wrestling.
• Southwestern Randolph football and baseball standout Adam Cole made a venture to the track for late-season competitions and ended up the PAC and Midwest Region champion in the boys’ 100 meters.
• Asheboro golfer Salem Lee, who was fifth in the state last fall in Class 3-A, was the lone Blue Comet on the Mid-Piedmont Conference all-conference team for softball.
• Trinity’s Autumn Gentry, a junior who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in her career for girls’ basketball, was an All-PAC selection in girls’ soccer.
• Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jazmin Palma, who was a state runner-up in girls’ wrestling at 113 pounds, was picked to the All-PAC team for girls’ soccer. This came after last fall’s selection as Runner of the Year for PAC girls’ cross country.
• Providence Grove’s Luke Thomas (baseball) and Chase Whitaker (boys’ tennis) were on All-PAC teams this spring after they were the major award winners in football as the PAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. They were both on the PAC regular-season champion boys’ basketball team, with Whitaker an all-league pick.
• Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly placed third in the 1,600 meters and seventh in the 3,000 in the Class 1-A state meet. She was the school’s lone representative on the All-PAC girls’ basketball team.
• Southwestern Randolph’s Josie Allred placed second in the high jump in Class 2-A track and field after being an all-league pick for the Cougars’ Class 2-A state champion volleyball team in the fall.
• Randleman’s Chris Gentry was a state qualifier in boys’ track and field after landing on the All-PAC team for football.
Powerhouse teams Randleman and Whiteville will meet in the best-of-3 state finals for Class 2-A at Burlington Athletic Stadium. (Bob Sutton/Randolph Record)
This Randleman-Whiteville championship matchup, beginning at 8 p.m. Friday at Burlington Athletic Stadium, is ripe with historical overtones.
Randleman is in the finals for the sixth time in a 11-season span in which the postseason was conducted. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out most of the 2020 season, including the playoffs.
The Tigers won the 2011 title and then lost in the 2012 finals to Whiteville, were beaten by South Granville in 2015 and fell to North Lincoln in 2019 before claiming last year’s championship against Rutherfordton-Spindale Central.
Whiteville is a regular on the final weekend of the states as well. Since that 2012 meeting with Randleman, the Wolfpack won the 2014, 2015 and 2017 championships in Class 1-A and was the runner-up in 2016. Whiteville returned to Class 2-A to capture the 2018 title.
Whiteville swept Randleman in the 1985 and 2012 finals. Whiteville also won the 2018 state title, beating Ledford.
In 2019, Randleman won at Whiteville in a third-round game when both schools were in the East Region.
There hasn’t been a repeat champion in Class 2-A since North Lenoir in 2005 and 2006.
Randleman fans know their way to Burlington Athletic Stadium, going there last June.
“It’s just a great environment,” coach Jake Smith said. “Our fans, we know how loyal and committed they are.”
Also in Burlington, the Class 4-A series between Charlotte Providence and Pinecrest will be contested beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and again at 11 a.m. Saturday (and maybe Game 3 at 5 p.m. Saturday).
Last year, Class 4-A teams from Reagan and Fuquay-Varina also competed in Burlington. Among the four teams at the site, Randleman fans represented the largest turnout.
Randleman’s Hunter Atkins drills the ball during a game against Southwestern Randolph in Piedmont Athletic Conference action last month at Randleman.
CLIMAX — Randleman’s baseball team was close to perfect in a couple of ways during a pair of Piedmont Athletic Conference shutouts last week.
Those results allowed the Tigers to clinch at least a share of the PAC regular-season championship.
“We’ve been swinging it really well,” outfielder Braylen Hayes said. “Pitching is amazing.”
Indeed, in Wednesday’s 10-0 victory at Providence Grove, Ryan White retired the first 17 batters he faced. So he had a perfect game until Brady Collins drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the sixth.
“Just pound the strike zone,” White said. “Doing my job.”
The left-hander’s no-hit bid was gone when Logan Fox led off the bottom of the seventh with a single up the middle. One out later, Tyler Foust singled.
White ended up going 6 2/3 innings before Hunter Atkins finished for the last out.
“I thought Ryan was in control the entire game,” Randleman coach Jake Smith said.
It was a relevant outing for White.
“This is where my brother played high school,” he said, referring to Gage White. “I wanted to pitch against them really bad.”
One of White’s 12 strikeouts to end an inning drew a loud reaction from catcher Brooks Brannon.
“He came inside on a hitter and froze him, and I got excited,” Brannon said.
Not to be outdone, two nights later in the rematch at Randleman, Drake Purvis and Trey Way combined for a one-hitter with 16 strikeouts in a 5-0 victory. Purvis gave up a single to Fox and one walk while striking out 13 in 5 2/3 innings.
Brannon, who had three hits, and Atkins homered in the home game for the Tigers.
In the game at Providence Grove, Hayes put Randleman on the board with a two-run triple as part of a four-run fourth inning. He drove in a seventh-inning run with a double.
Those results gave the Tigers a 10-0 PAC record and a cushion on second-place Trinity. In order for Trinity to catch Randleman, it would have to beat the Tigers twice next week and then close the regular season by sweeping a pair of games from Eastern Randolph.
“I would say that every time we play is a new start,” Brannon said. “It doesn’t matter who we play, we treat it like a championship. I think that’s what makes us successful.”
The Tigers took an undefeated record to this week’s tournament in Charleston, S.C., where they opened play with Monday’s 17-3 victory against Hilton Head. That was sparked by an 11-run first inning. Atkins had five RBI and Brannon and Gus Shelton homered.
Coach Brandon Varner of the Randleman girls’ basketball team was selected as Coach of the Year for girls’ basketball in District 8 by the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association.
Varner led Randleman to an undefeated regular season and into the Class 2-A regional semifinals of the state tournament. The Tigers finished with a 25-1 record.
Players chose for the All-District girls’ teams include teammates Gracyn Hall (first team) and Elizabeth York (third team) of Randleman, Alexis Maness (third team) of Southwestern Randolph and Autumn Gentry (third team) of Trinity.
On the boys’ side, the All-District team has Zane Caudle of Providence Grove and Ashton Troutman of Uwharrie Charter Academy on the first team, Dominic Payne of Trinity on the second team and Tramir Martin of Asheboro on the third team.
Last week, the NCBCA named all-state teams. Senior Indya Nivar of Apex Friendship was the Player of the Year for girls and senior Chase Lowe of Weddington received that distinction for the girls.
For statewide Coach of the Year, Kerri Snipes of Northwood was picked for the girls’ honor and Gary Ellington of Weddington was tabbed for the boys’ honor.
Dunn picks college
Senior Dawson Dunn of the Uwharrie Charter Academy boys’ basketball team announced last week that he’ll play in college for Pfeiffer, a Division III school in Misenheimer, Dunn is a guard.
Randleman’s Audra Petty shoots a 3-pointer against Shelby during the Class 1-A West Regional semifinals March 1 at Randleman.
RANDLEMAN – Another deep run into the state playoffs for the Randleman girls’ basketball team might just be incentive to take it another round or two next time.
“We’ll be back,” coach Brandon Varner said. “We’re close. We’ve just got to keep getting after it, building toward next year. We’ll be back.”
The Tigers finished the season with a 25-1 record, with the only loss coming in the Class 2-A regional semifinals.
When defending state champion Shelby knocked off host Randleman 51-41 last week, it concluded a season full of championships for the Tigers. They won a holiday tournament, the Piedmont Athletic Conference regular season and PAC Tournament.
Even in their final game, there were encouraging moments.
“It was our kind of game … low-scoring, tight game,” Varner said. “Girls played hard. I can’t ask for anymore.”
Randleman had balanced scoring in its last game. Gracyn Hall posted 12 points, Hannah Hinshaw notched 10 points, Elizabeth York had nine points and Audra Petty added eight points.
Shelby went on to lose 45-44 in double overtime to Salisbury in Saturday’s regional final in Greensboro.
As for the Tigers, there could be more good days ahead when next season arrives.
“We’re going to get back in the gym and keep working,” Varner said.
