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Seth Baxter

Asheboro boys v North Davidson Jan2023

Prep Roundup: Eastern Randolph boys keep rolling; Baxter hits milestone win with SWR

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Asheboro’s Elijah Woodley locks in defensively on North Davidson’s Payton Eccles during last week’s game at the Asheboro Recreation Center. In the background, Asheboro’s Jerquarius Stanback keeps tabs on Caiden Bean. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record).

 

With three players scoring 20 or more points, Eastern Randolph came away with a 95-77 road victory against Trinity in boys’ basketball last week.

Pierce Leonard led the Wildcats with 29 points, Nicah Taylor scored 27 and Davonte Brooks had 20.

Those offset Dominic Payne’s 37 points for Trinity. Teammate Dylan Hodges had 22.

The Wildcats followed that by pounding visiting Providence Grove 93-60 to push their record to 15-1 by the end of last week.

** Southwestern Randolph’s Sean Adkins hit the go-ahead basket in 57-56 victory at Uwharrie Charter Academy.

** The duo of Camden Walker (22 points) and Jerquaris Stanback (20) propelled Asheboro in a 74-63 victory at Central Davidson. Walker had 20 points in a 74-37 home romp past North Davidson.

** Tyshaun Goldson of Randleman tallied 28 points as the Tigers won a non-conference game against visiting Ledford by 70-52.

** Trinity was back on the winning path when Hodges posted 23 points in a 67-55 victory at Randleman. The Tigers received 25 points from Goldston.

** UCA road Ashton Troutman’s 38 points in a 58-48 triumph at Wheatmore.

Girls’ basketball

Seth Baxter’s six-season record as girls’ basketball coach at Southwestern Randolph reached 100-34 with last week’s 47-45 victory at UCA.

** Brecken Snotherly’s 28 points and 12 rebounds along with Ziera Watson’s 20 points were enough to help Eastern Randolph past host Trinity 71-55. Trinity received 24 points from Kennedy Jackson.

Snotherly racked up 39 points and 10 rebounds in a 75-26 crushing of Providence Grove.

Asheboro’s Sion Murrain checks out the situation as North Davidson’s Lettie Michael, left, and Kyndall Moore set the defense during last week’s game at Asheboro Recreation center. North Davidson won 64-36. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record)

** Sion Murrian’s 24 points lifted Asheboro past host Central Davidson by 69-47.

** Providence Grove’s Jada Nixon had 24 points in a 65-64 overtime loss to visiting Burlington Williams.

Wrestling

At Eden, Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jack McArthur (132 pounds), Aldo Hernandez (138), Lorenzo Alston (145) Alek Millikan (160), Grayson Roberts (170) and Corbin Grissom (182) were individual champions Saturday in the Sarah Wilkes Invitational at Eden Morehead.

Teammates Spencer May (120) and Joey Smith (220) of Trinity were also champions.

In finals, Hernandez, Millikan and Alston won by first-period pins, Grissom prevailed with a second-period pin and Roberts registered a technical fall in the second period. McArthur defeated Trinity’s Gavin McCall 8-2 in the title bout.

Roberts had three earlier pins.

Ethan Hines (106) of UCA and Levi Dennis (126) of Trinity were runners-up.

UCA was team champion.

SWR Easton Clapp vs ER in 2021

Southwestern Randolph Cougars find more roles for Clapp

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Even in a new position, Easton Clapp should have ample chances to carry the ball for Southwestern Randolph. (File photo)

After record season, Southwestern Randolph seeks to keep it going

ASHEBORO – Trying to follow the best season in school history, Southwestern Randolph has moved one of its best players to another position.

Makes good sense to the Cougars.

They enter this season with Easton Clapp, the hard-running ball carrier, taking snaps at quarterback.

Don’t worry, his mentality hasn’t changed.

“I knew I was going to have to play quarterback this year,” said Clapp, who had been a running back. “I like it. But I also like running the ball, too. Running over people, I like that.”

Most of all, Southwestern Randolph liked many of the results a year ago. The Cougars produced an 8-3 mark, setting a school record for wins and playing a home game in the state playoffs for the first time.

“I think we just need to keep practicing hard, keep our heads focused,” tight end and backup defensive end Eli Gravely said. “Our confidence is very high this year.”

Part of that comes because despite quarterback Keaton Reed gone via graduation, there’s plenty to be excited about.

Record-setting slot back Adam Cole figures to be a huge part of the offense and defensive secondary.

Easton Clapp will handle quarterback duties this season for Southwestern Randolph. (Bob Sutton/Randolph Record)

Clapp, who’s up 20 pounds from a year ago to 185, will have the ball in his hands regularly as the quarterback. He has played that position since middle school.

“Easton had done that before,” coach Seth Baxter said. “In our scheme, our quarterback runs the ball anyway.”

His teammates endorse the move.

“He can make things happen,” Gravely said of Clapp.

“He’s got a cannon,” Cole said. “Almost as shifty as Keaton.”

Clapp likes to emphasize the rushing part.

“I’m going to be running the rock,” he said. “Adam will be running the rock. We’re going to have a strong running game.”

Along with Cole, there’s Colton Law as a receiver or slotback and a couple of newcomers at the skill spots with basketball players Sean Adkins and Marcus Robertson joining the team.

“Skill-wise, as a collective group, it’s the best we’ve had,” Baxter said.

The Cougars might look thinner along the line of scrimmage. Two-way lineman Jake Gallimore and sophomore Jose Flores could make those units sturdier.

For seniors such as Cole and Clapp who helped the program take steps toward prominence, now is no time to backtrack.

“We’ve also gained a lot of key guys,” Cole said. “They’re really stepping it up. We’ve got talent. Everybody thinks we lost everything and underestimates us, but we’re going to have a good season this year. We’re going to be a tough matchup for everybody. I don’t think anybody really knows what we have this year.”

Clapp also will be in a role as a linebacker by the time PAC games arrive on the schedule.

With 70 players in the program, Baxter said there’s a good trend with the Cougars.

“Success brings confidence and confidence brings success,” he said. “They expect to be successful. They understand now people know who they are.”

SWR_keatonReed

A result worth remembering for Cougars

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Unbeaten Southwestern Randolph makes history with first win at Asheboro

ASHEBORO — Keaton Reed was walking off the Lee J. Stone Stadium field Friday night and he shared a thought with a teammate.

“Every time we drive by here, we can say we won here,” the Southwestern Randolph quarterback said. “Somebody is eventually going to do it. Why not us?”

Indeed, this edition of the Cougars did it — winning a football game for the first time at Asheboro High School.

It was a struggle at times, but Easton Clapp scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to help Southwestern Randolph pull out a 17-7 victory in the non-conference finale for both teams.

On top of that, the Cougars (5-0) have won consecutive football games against Asheboro for the first time.

Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter reacts after his team dumped water on him following a 17-7 victory against host Asheboro. Players Lane Dalke, left, and Grayson Teague, right, are among those rejoicing. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Coach Seth Baxter called the outcome huge for the school and the program after the team’s raucous on-field celebration – something the Cougars had never done at this venue.

It took time for the Cougars to make much noise in the game. They relied on defense until finally able to convert.

“We had the best game we had all year,” linebacker Lane Dalke said of the defense. “Everybody was on the same page about it.”

But when Asheboro (1-4) converted a fourth-and-12 for a 17-yard touchdown pass from Khyland Hadley-Lindsay to Hakemme Butler with 5:08 to play in the third quarter, Southwestern Randolph faced a 7-3 deficit.

Then the Blue Comets recovered a fumble, but Adam Cole’s interception gave Southwestern Randolph a boost. Reed connected with Clapp for a 5-yard touchdown play with 9:06 remaining.

“We got some momentum and we kept going,” Clapp said. “We had some adversity but we needed this because we go into conference now.”

Dalke recovered an Asheboro fumble, setting up Clapp’s 8-yard touchdown run at the 5:34 mark.

The Cougars marched up and down the field at times, but were bogged down by penalties. Three times in the first half, touchdown plays were called back because of flags.

“They were aggressive plays,” Baxter said. “You have to realize where you’re at. Just except it and go get it. … I think our offensive line controlled the game late in the third quarter, all the fourth quarter.”

Clapp finished with 84 rushing yards and Reed was 10-for-13 in the air.

Southwestern Randolph had a 3-0 lead courtesy of Francisco Calderon’s 27-yard field goal. The Cougars produced their second drive of more than 90 yards, but they ran out of time in the first half after reaching the Asheboro 5-yard line.

Asheboro coach Blake Brewer said the Blue Comets were fortunate that the first-half clock expired. Then it was going well for Asheboro for a stretch in the third quarter.

“Momentum was on our side there,” Brewer said. “It was like the wind went out of sails. They went down and scored, took the lead. We just never could get the ball rolling again.”

Asheboro’s Khyland Hadley-Lindsay tries to avoid Southwestern Randolph’s Adam Cole during a game Sept. 24, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

The Blue Comets, who were led on the ground by Hadley-Lindsay’s 56 yards and Michael Brady’s 55 yards, haven’t won since the opener at Randleman.

“I’m preaching that we’ve got a fresh start next week,” Brewer said. “We have not played well enough to win.”

Southwestern Randolph has been playing football since 1972. The Cougars haven’t met Asheboro every season, so the winless road stretch came sporadically during the series. Overall, it marked just the football program’s third triumph against the Blue Comets.

Now, those drives along busy Dixie Drive in the county seat will come with special memories for many of the Cougars.

“There’s just a great feeling having your part of something like this,” Reed said. “You only get so many of them.”

Eastern Randolph 33, West Stanly 3: At Ramseur, Nahiem Lilly scored on a pair of second-half touchdown runs as the Wildcats pulled away for the home victory. Lilly, who earlier had a two-point conversion run, scored from 3 yards and 25 yards out.

Eastern Randolph’s first two touchdowns came on runs of 1 yard and 6 yards from Davonte Brooks.

The Wildcats (4-0) sealed the outcome with a 19-point fourth quarter after neither team scored in the third quarter. Stratton Barwick threw a 6-yard scoring pass to D.J. Thomas to cap the scoring.

West Stanly (2-2) scored on Caden Edwards’ 25-yard field goal in the second quarter. It was the Colts’ second game in a row without a touchdown.

Randleman 20, Montgomery Central 14, OT: At Troy, Thomas Dobias’ 3-yard touchdown run in overtime gave the visiting Tigers the non-league victory.

Randleman (2-3), which won its second game in a row, scored the game’s last 20 points, holding Montgomery Central (0-4) without a point after halftime.

Trailing 14-0, Dobias put Randleman on the board with a 4-yard run in the third quarter. The Tigers pulled even in the fourth quarter on Christian Long’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Derry followed by a two-point conversion run by Dobias.

Dobias finished with 102 rushing yards on 24 carries.