Andrew Canter throws a pass for Providence Grove, which is in the state playoffs again.
Eastern Randolph’s football team is the top seed in Class 1-A’s West Region for the second year in a row.
Randleman and Providence Grove are in the states in Class 2-A West Region.
Eastern Randolph (9-1), the Piedmont Athletic Conference champion, receives a first-round bye and will play Nov. 11 at home against the winner of this Friday night’s game between South Stokes (4-6) and Mountain Heritage (4-6).
In Class 2-A, Randleman (7-3) is the No. 10 seed with a home date Friday night against No. 23 seed Lincolnton (5-5). The winner faces either No. 7 seed Monroe or No. 26 seed North Stanly, which edged Randleman 40-34 in the regular season.
Providence Grove (7-3) is the No. 17 seed, so it has a game at No. 16 seed McMichael (7-3). If the Patriots win, they could be heading to Rockingham County for the second week in a row to face top-seeded Reidsville, which takes on No. 32 seed Madison in the first round.
RANDLEMAN – Randleman served up a three-set sweep of Southwestern Randolph last week to hand the Cougars their first loss in Piedmont Athletic Conference volleyball.
The Tigers used 17 digs and six kills from Haley Hinshaw, 23 assists and 14 digs from Kenzie Roach and 13 digs and 11 kills from Chloe Dixon. Karli Kennington supplied 29 digs.
It was the first PAC loss of the season for the Cougars.
Kenzie Roach of Randleman sets the ball as teammate Mollie Hall looks on during last week’s match against Southwestern Randolph. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record)
That result came as part of a challenging week for Southwestern Randolph, which is the reigning Class 2-A state champion. It began with a non-league loss at McMichael in a rematch of a 2021 match in the state playoffs. The Cougars recovered the next night to beat visiting Trinity in a PAC match before the rare league loss that came in their third match in as many nights.
The outcome gave Randleman a six-match winning streak and avenged a four-set loss on the road in early September. The Tigers moved within one match of first-place Southwestern Randolph in the PAC.
Earlier in the week, Randleman topped Wheatmore 27-29, 26-24, 25-11, 25-18 with Roach logging 24 assists and 19 digs and Camryn Vickery providing 17 assists to go with Camden Scott’s 12 kills and Dixon’s 11 kills and 23 digs.
Boys’ soccer
Asheboro started strong in Mid-Piedmont Conference play by defeating Oak Grove 4-0 and Central Davidson 5-1.
Cristian Ortiz scored three goals in the Central Davidson game after posting two goals in the Oak Grove game.
The Blue Comets entered this week with a 12-1 record. They’ve been rated as the top-ranked Class 3-A team in the state.
Randleman’s Thomas Dobias won’t be on the field at the start of the season after knee surgery. (Bob Sutton/Randolph Record)
Surgery means Tigers linebacker / running back will miss at least a month
RANDLEMAN – Randleman junior Thomas Dobias, considered one of the top football players in Randolph County, underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus Thursday.
He’s expected to play this season for the Tigers after missing four to six weeks.
“I should be back for the start of conference play,” said Dobias, who plays linebacker and running back.
Randleman, which opens the season Friday night at Asheboro, is scheduled for five non-conference games before a week off. The Tigers’ Piedmont Athletic Conference opener comes Sept. 30 vs. visiting Wheatmore.
The surgery took place at the Surgical Center of Greensboro. That’s where he underwent surgery last September for a broken arm.
The injury to his right knee occurred in practice earlier this month.
“First day of full contact, I just came down on it wrong,” he said, hoping it was just a twist.
As a result, Dobias missed last week’s scrimmages, when the Tigers generally performed well. Coach Shane Timmons said he was encouraged by how Randleman handled those situations against multiple opponents.
Dobias, 16, said his knee was feeling better daily, but further testing detected the tear.
Dobias received various all-county recognitions for his play as a linebacker in each of his first two seasons in high school.
He made 13.3 tackles per game last season before a broken arm suffered in a victory against Wheatmore cut short his sophomore season and he had subsequent surgery. Also last year, he was second on the team with 210 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
“We couldn’t afford anyone to get hurt, not to mention our best player,” Timmons said, referring to the 2021 season.
The Tigers went 1-4 in games following Dobias’ injury.
His absence could have the biggest impact on defense at the beginning of this season.
“We’ve got a lot of depth at running back,” Dobias said.
Either way, he became a key player right away for the Tigers as a freshman on a team that was undefeated in the regular season. His influence has grown since then.
“Thomas is a big leader for our team,” senior quarterback Christian Long said.
Quarterback Christian Long is hoping for a smoother season in his second year as Randleman’s starter. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Randleman reaches for rapid rebuild after rough season
RANDLEMAN – The quest to return to the top is in the works for the Randleman football team.
“We’re not who we want to be yet, but we’re getting pretty close,” senior quarterback Christian Long said. “I think the mentality going into this year is different. I don’t think we’re all the way there yet.”
A sudden dip has given the Tigers a sense of urgency entering the season, which begins Friday night at Asheboro.
Randleman’s motto under third-year coach Shane Timmons is GSD – Get Stuff Done.
So there’s an emphasis on across-the-board improvements after last season’s 4-7 record. That mark followed a three-season stretch when the Tigers were a combined 32-3 without a regular-season defeat.
“Things come in cycles,” Timmons said. “Culture starts with me.”
No doubt, part of that will be embracing a physical approach. The Tigers want to hammer on foes.
With that, four senior offensive linemen create what might be the strength of the team. Randleman wants to be in control along the line of scrimmage.
Long said he has improved his ability to improvise with the ball and he senses there are strong pieces in place around him. There were uneven outings in his first season as a starter.
“He had his growing pains,” Timmons said. “He took his lumps and he learned from his lumps.”
The Tigers lost last season’s leading rusher Ervodd Cassady because of his transfer to Eastern Randolph. And they’ll begin this season without battering running back Thomas Dobias.
Dobias, a standout junior linebacker, will miss the opening few weeks with a knee injury. Timmons said depth has been developed in some areas to help compensate.
“It’s so nice to have other guys,” he said.
Still, the defense is going to have a youthful element.
“When you look at the driver’s ed class and half your defense is in it, you’re pretty young,” Timmons said.
Sophomore Tyshaun Goldston, a transfer from Asheboro, could help at receiver and safety.
The Tigers were encouraged by solid outings in last week’s scrimmages.
Last August, there was a stunning defeat to open the season, so there’s a reminder about the importance of reversing that. A “Beat Asheboro” countdown clock is in the team’s weight room.
The goal is for a quick rebuild to re-establish those winning ways.
“We’ve got a lot better energy this year,” Dobias said.
Whether the Tigers are up to the task remains to be determined, they seem encouraged by the attitude. Long said that’s already on display.
“We’ve got guys willing to play anywhere,” he said.
Brooks Brannon, shown here with Randleman during the Class 2-A state playoffs in May, has had a strong start to his professional career. (File photo)
Ex-Randleman star then triples twice in second game
Former Randleman catcher Brooks Brannon’s second professional plate appearance resulted in a two-run single Saturday in the Florida Complex League at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla.
“It was amazing,” Brannon said of the feeling in a text to Randolph Record.
Brannon, who was a ninth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox last month, went 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in his debut for the Red Sox rookie club in a 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Twins minor-league club. He struck out on three pitches in his first at-bat against Ryan Horstman, a 30-year-old on a rehabilitation assignment with a pro career that began in 2013.
On Monday in his second game, Brannon was 3-for-4 with a two-run triple, another triple and scored three runs in a 14-2 victory against the Baltimore Orioles rookie club. That game was shortened to six innings because of wet grounds.
Brannon was part of back-to-back state championship teams for Randleman, concluding his high school career in June. He was a North Carolina signee, but opted to turn pro after the draft.
RANDLEMAN – The route for Randleman catcher Brooks Brannon in professional baseball is taking form after he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox last week.
Brannon said Monday, while he was traveling to Florida, that he plans to sign with the Red Sox this week in Fort Myers, Fla., where the organization has a training facility.
Two days after he was selected in the draft’s ninth round last week, Brannon was headed to Boston. He reportedly was in line to receive a signing bonus that was more in line with a second- or third-round draft selection.
“He’s going to be compensated nicely,” Randleman coach Jake Smith said. “They had to do some shuffling around and it all worked out. Both parties are happy.”
So with a professional career unfolding, Brannon won’t play collegiately for North Carolina. He was a signee with the Tar Heels.
Brannon turned 18 years old in May amid his record-setting senior season with Randleman. He was one of several core players on the Tigers’ back-to-back Class 2-A state championship teams.
Throughout the spring and leading up to the draft, the most active professional clubs in scouting Brannon appeared to be the Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins, Smith said. Most organizations had scouts stop by as well.
In many cases, it was more than regional scouts attending games, but other team officials finding their ways to Randleman. Many gathered behind the backstop, while others viewed from a distance atop the hill that circles Joe Brookshire Field.
“They spent some money coming to watch him,” the coach said.
Smith said Randleman’s appearance in a tournament in the Charleston, S.C., area during spring break also brought additional attention for the catcher, who had a good string of games that week.
Brannon was the only catcher drafted by the Red Sox among the team’s 21 picks in this month’s draft. Boston picked seven players out of high school.
The next step for Brannon will come in Fort Myers, where the Red Sox hold spring training and conduct rookie training. There’s the Florida Complex League (formerly Gulf Coast League) for young players, and that figures to be where Brannon will make his professional debut.
Games in the Florida Complex League are scheduled through Aug. 23.
“He’ll get his feet wet and be around a lot of people in the organization,” Smith said.
Boston’s minor-league affiliates are located in Salem, Va.; Greenville, S.C.; Portland, Maine; and Worcester, Mass.
“He’s going to have every opportunity to be successful,” Smith said. “He’s got a long road and a fun road ahead of him.”
Trey Cooper has excelled with his college summer team and has selected a new college. (Bob Sutton/Randolph Record)
Transfer has been stellar for summer team in Burlington
BURLINGTON – Trey Cooper found a good summer gig and a new college home.
The left-handed pitcher from Randleman is transferring to Liberty after two seasons in the North Carolina State program.
“At the end of the day, I said I wanted to go somewhere I could play a lot,” Cooper said. “They wanted me to be a starter (at Liberty). Everything felt right.”
Cooper has been a standout in the Appalachian League with the Burlington Sock Puppets, who are in their second season as a college summer league team geared toward prospects and overseen by Major League Baseball with input from USA Baseball.
After only two appearances covering two-thirds of an inning for N.C. State this year, Cooper entered the transfer portal.
“That was a question I think everyone on the team was trying to figure out,” he said of the limited chances with the Wolfpack.
Still, he said he considered staying with N.C. State until deciding in early July to accept Liberty’s offer.
Much of this stemmed from his success with the Sock Puppets.
“To be able to come in and do my thing,” he said. “I took a couple of steps to kind of figure out I wanted to be a starter. That helped me out a lot. I wanted to come out here and get to work.”
Cooper, whose fastball clocks up to 95 mph, was the Appalachian League’s Pitcher of the Month for June without allowing a run in 20 innings.
He tossed five no-hit innings June 23 vs. Johnson City. A week later, he threw the first five innings of Burlington’s combined no-hitter against Pulaski. He’s the only pitcher in the league with multiple double-figure strikeout outings.
“I love catching him,” said Sock Puppets catcher Ryan McCrystal, who plays for East Carolina. “His stuff is so good.”
Cooper holds a 2-1 record with a 3.96 earned run average. In 25 innings, he has allowed 12 hits, 23 walks and racked up a league-leading 45 strikeouts.
“When someone beats him, it’s so rare,” McCrystal said. “And then he beats (that batter) the next time.”
Cooper has drawn praise regarding his pitch command and demeanor.
“One of the things I like about Trey is when an umpire makes a bad call, he’s able to handle it,” second-year Sock Puppets pitching coach Anthony Essien said. “He doesn’t have bad body language.”
In the Appalachian League, the catcher calls pitches for at least the first six innings. Essien said that requires good coordination between the pitcher and catcher. Giving instruction to Cooper has been a smooth process.
“Probably the biggest thing is he’s moving more efficiently,” Essien said of the left-hander’s mechanics. “He showed up a little out of sync.”
After a stint as a reliever, it was time to use him as a starter.
“He wanted to be a starter and he has run with it,” Essien said.
Cooper’s senior high school season with Randleman was shut down because of the pandemic. Later that summer, he suffered a ligament injury that called for Tommy John surgery. He sat out as a redshirt in 2021 at N.C. State and then played briefly last summer for the High Point-Thomasville HiToms in the Coastal Plain League. He attended the 2021 state finals when Randleman won the Class 2-A crown at Burlington Athletic Stadium, which is his home field this summer. He missed this year’s title run by the Tigers because the Sock Puppets were on a road trip.
There’s almost two weeks left in East Division-leading Burlington’s season. Cooper, 20, reports to Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., in mid-August.
Update: Cooper has been selected for the Appalachian League All-Star Game, which will be played at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, in Burlington.
Brooks Brannon had an award-winning high school career with Randleman. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
RANDLEMAN – Catcher Brooks Brannon of Randleman was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the ninth round of baseball’s amateur draft Monday.
“It felt like a dream come true,” Brannon said Monday night. “Excited isn’t even the word. It was ecstasy.”
Brannon, 18, is enrolled at North Carolina, where he’ll play for the Tar Heels if he decides to pass on this pro opportunity.
Brannon was selected with the 279th pick overall during the second day of the three-day draft that concludes Tuesday. In that spot, the projected signing bonus is about $158,000, but he could be in line to sign for over slot because draft projections had him going in earlier rounds.
Brannon said he expects a decision about his next steps to be revealed this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday.
Pro scouts were regulars at Randleman games this season to watch Brannon. The Tigers posted a 33-1 record, winning the Class 2-A state championship for the second year in a row.
Brannon was the 20th catcher picked in the draft, and the first taken by the Red Sox. Only one other high school catcher was selected ahead of Brannon, with Lamar King Jr. out of Calvert Hall College High School in Maryland going in the fourth round to the San Diego Padres. King, a Georgia Tech signee, is a native of Canada.
Red Sox scout Spencer Brown had a good attendance rate at Randleman games.
“He was at so many games,” Brannon said. “Some of the scouts joked that he was there so much that he was going to get a locker (in the field house).”
Brannon watched the draft unfold on television from his Randleman home.
“There were definitely some anxious moments, for sure,” Brannon said. “God rewards people’s patience.”
Brannon’s draft status had been a curiosity for many of his now-former Randleman teammates.
“I feel like he’s going to get out there and do his thing and he’s going to work his butt to the majors,” said center fielder Braylen Hayes, a classmate. “That’s what I want to see.”
Randleman coach Jake Smith said Brannon did so much through his high school days that he’s in position to pick between two good choices.
“He has the hard part out of the way because he has a great opportunity at Carolina to go in and make an impact right away,” Smith said. “He’s in a win-win situation the way I look at it.”
Since Randleman won the state title in early June, Brannon stayed away from playing.
“Summer school at Carolina and then whatever happens after that,” he said following the championship series. “I’m just excited to get to Carolina.”
Brannon said his five weeks in Chapel Hill were worthwhile. He was limited to individual workouts, but he said he got better through those.
Brannon had gained scouts’ attention well before the record-setting 2022 season. His 20 home runs were the most in the nation among high school players this year, tying the single-season North Carolina record set by his father, Paul Brannon. He also set state records for a season with 91 runs batted in and 70 hits.
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.”
Khyland Hadley-Lindsay of Asheboro intends to play basketball in college. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
Here’s where some members of the Class of 2022 intend on playing on college:
From Asheboro: Khyland Hadley-Lindsay and Tramir Martin are set to play basketball for Pfeiffer. Hadley-Lindsay was Asheboro’s starting quarterback for the football team.
Charles Perry IV decided to play football for Averett. Alexander Spruill is heading to Methodist to play football.
Boys’ soccer players Alex Cruz and Irving Velazquez-Luna will go to Carolina University in Winston-Salem.
From Eastern Randolph: Softball player Charlise Phillips selected Guilford College.
From Providence Grove: Edi Austin, a standout in softball, is going to Louisburg College, a two-year school.
Zane Caudle, who was the Player of the Year for the Piedmont Athletic Conference in boys’ basketball, is going to Brevard.
From Randleman: Lineman Jann Ortiz is going to Guilford College for football.
From Southwestern Randolph: Payton Shiflet of the Class 2-A state championship volleyball team is going to Greensboro College. She was a conference Player of the Year or co-Player of the Year each of the past two season.
From Trinity: Michael Connelly announced that he would go to High Point to participate in track and field. He was the PAC champion in the 110-meter hurdles this year.
From Wheatmore: Baseball player Rylan Smith picked Guilford College.
Bryson Coltrane, also a wrestler and track and field participant, is slated to join the Catawba College football team. He’s a lineman.
