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Prep wrestling: UCA duo, Southwestern Randolph’s Flores secure state titles

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GREENSBORO – Senior wrestler Aldo Hernandez became a three-time state champion, including two seasons in a row for Uwharrie Charter Academy, and two underclassmen from Randolph County schools also won state championships.

Hernandez captured the Class 1-A title at 138 pounds with a dominating performance across two days at the Greensboro Coliseum. Freshman teammate Lorenzo Alston won at 145 pounds.

In Class 2-A, it was a three-day meet, capped for Southwestern Randolph 220-pound sophomore Jose Flores with Saturday night’s championship.

UCA had three runners-up, and finished third in the Class 1-A team standings.

Hernandez, who nabbed a state title in 2021 for Montgomery Central, finished his final prep season with a 52-2 record. In the state tournament, he had a pin, a 10-3 decision and then dominated Alleghany’s Cameron Worrick for a second-period technical fall in the final.

Alston’s first season resulted in a 54-2 record. He was efficient in the tournament with a pin and two major decisions, the latter coming by 11-3 against Robbinsville’s Willie Riddle in the championship match.

UCA junior Ethan Hines (106), senior Grayson Roberts (170) and junior Jaden Maness (195) were runners-up.

Hines dropped a 1-0 decision to Avery County’s Cooper Foster in the title bout.

Roberts, the 2022 champion at 160, lost a 1-0 decision to Avery County freshman Cael Dunn after recording a pair of pins in the tournament. Roberts ended his last season with a 50-5 record.

In the 195 final, Avery County’s Seth Blackledge pinned Maness in 1:33.

Third place for the Eagles went to Carson Robinson (160), while teammate Alec Millikan (152) was fourth. Eastern Randolph’s Adrian Lopez (126) placed third.

Class 2-A

Flores capped a 30-2 season by defeating Mt. Pleasant’s Colt Kluttz 3-0. He won three earlier matches by decision, including a 12-11 outcome against Walkertown J’Lynn Sheff in the semifinals.

Trinity’s Spencer May was the runner-up at 120, dropping 7-5 sudden-victory decision in the final to Eden Morehead’s Jared Thomas. May had three pins to reach the final, with two of those coming in first periods.

Providence Grove senior Colton Wood was a repeat place winner, taking third at 285 pounds. His only loss was a one-point loss that went to overtime to Maiden’s DJ Spring, the eventual champion. He was sixth last year.

Trinity had a solid showing with Brayden Hall (113), Joey Smith (220) in fourth place and Levi Dennis (126) in fifth place.

Wheatmore had Trey Swaney (132) and Dominic Hittepole (160) both in fourth place.

Luke White (138) of Southwestern Randolph finished sixth.

Class 3-A

Asheboro senior Diego Gutierrez was the only one of the four Blue Comets entrants to win a bout in the tournament. He placed third at 120 with a 4-1 record to complete the season with a 41-2.

His only loss in the tournament came in a 4-3 decision to East Henderson’s Gunner Marshall in the semifinals. Marshall was the eventual runner-up.

UCA wrestling Carson Robinson v ER Bryce Foland Feb2023

Prep wrestling: UCA sends 10 to state tournament

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Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Carson Robinson, top, works on Eastern Randolph’s Bryce Foland during the 160-pound final in the Class 1-A East Regional. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Five county schools have regional champions

ASHEBORO – Aldo Hernandez and Grayson Roberts will try to repeat as state champions as Uwharrie Charter Academy will send 10 wrestlers to the state tournament.

UCA, as the host school, rolled through Friday and Saturday’s Class 1-A East Regional.

Hernandez at 138 pounds and Roberts at 170 pounds were regional champions, joining 106-pounder Ethan Hines, 145-pounder Lorenzo Alston, 160-pounder Carson Robinson and 195-pounder Jaden Maness with those first-place spots.

The Eagles were overwhelming team champions with 251 points compared to runner-up North East Carolina Prep’s 152. Eastern Randolph was sixth with 115½.

The multi-day state tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum begins Thursday for Class 2-A, Class 3-A and Class 4-A, while Class 1-A starts Friday. Finals are slated for Saturday night.

Hernandez, who won in the 2021 states for Montgomery Central, and Roberts both moved up one weight class since last season.

Robinson won by a first-period injury default against Eastern Randolph’s Bryce Foland in the final.

The top four finishers in each weight class qualify for states.

UCA will also send regional runners-up Brandon Jordan (126), Jack McArthur (132) and Corbin Grissom (182) along with third-place finisher Alec Millikan (152). The Eagles will have entrants in 10 of the 14 weight classes.

Other than Foland, Eastern Randolph’s qualifiers are Jamie Crabtree (third at 106), Adrian Lopez (third at 126), Ian Moore (third at 220) and Carter Self (fourth at 120).

Class 2-A

At Bunn, Spencer May of Trinity, Dominic Hittepole of Wheatmore and Jose Flores of Southwestern Randolph won titles in the Mideast Regional.

May won at 120, Hittepole at 160 and Flores at 220.

Trinity was team runner-up behind Eden Morehead. Southwestern Randolph was fourth.

Trinity’s contingent at the state tournament also will include Brayden Hall (second at 113), Gavin Hardister (second at 182), Levi Dennis (third at 126), Joey Smith (third at 220) and Baron Justice (fourth at 138).

Wheatmore is sending Hittepole, Trey Swaney (second at 132) and Randy Spencer (fourth at 195).

Aside from Flores, Southwestern Randolph’s state qualifiers are Luke White (third at 138), Mason Leonard (third at 145) and Janaksel Perez (fourth at 106).

Providence Grove’s Colton Wood (285) heads back to the states after a runner-up spot in the regional. Teammate Mitchell Freeman was fourth at 152.

Randleman’s Braxton Walker (second at 195) and Kaelob Pearce (fourth at 132) advanced to states.

Class 3-A

At Lexington, Diego Gutierrez of Asheboro won at 120 pounds in the Midwest Regional at North Davidson to lead four Blue Comets into the state tournament.

Gutierrez went 4-0 to improve to 37-1.

Xavier Santos (113), who was a state qualifier last year, Christian Diaz (160) and Eddie Soto (195) also moved on with fourth-place regional finishes.

Athelete-of-the-Week

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Spencer May

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Trinity | wrestling

In this match from last season, Trinity’s Spencer May works over Riley Shaw of West Wilkes in a 113-pound bout. (Randolph Record file photo)

May claimed tournament titles on back-to-back weekends.

He won on his home mats Dec. 10 on his way to winning the Most Outstanding Wrestler award in the Trinity Invitational.

In capturing the 120-pound division, May recorded pins in the quarterfinals and semifinals. In a high-level matchup in the final against Asheboro’s Xavier Santos, May prevailed with a 10-7 decision.

May, a junior, followed that performance by winning the title this past weekend’s Porter Ridge Invitational.

ER Davonte Brooks in hoops Dec2022

Prep Notes: 41-point mark hit twice by area boys; UCA, Trinity wrestlers excel

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Eastern Randolph’s Davonte Brooks goes up for a shot last week against Wheatmore. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

It was a big week for top scorers around Randolph County basketball last week.

Dominic Payne of Trinity and Davonte Brooks of Eastern Randolph were in the same category at times.

Payne poured in 41 points Friday in a 65-64 victory at Uwharrie Charter Academy. On the same night, Brooks posted 41 points in a 99-47 romp at Wheatmore. Teammate Timothy Brower had 28 points.

Wheatmore’s Parker Kines had more than half of his team’s points in that game with 26.

Payne scored 29 points in a 60-48 victory at Wheatmore.

Against Trinity, UCA’s Ashton Troutman racked up 33 points for more than half of his team’s scoring.

Brooks had big effort in a non-conference victory at Burlington Williams with 26 points in the 73-52 result.

Consider those individual totals when also on Friday night the final score of Randleman’s victory at Southwestern Randolph was 34-33.

On the girls’ side, Elizabeth York of Randleman scored 22 points in a 53-40 victory at Eastern Randolph. The Wildcats received 24 points from Kenly Whitaker.

Wrestling

At Asheville, Uwharrie Charter Academy had three individual champions and won the team championship in the Great Smoky Mountain Grapple at the downtown civic center.

Champions for UCA were Ethan Hines (106 pounds), Aldo Hernandez (138) and Lorenzo Alston (145).

Hernandez was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, defeating Enka’s Noah Tocaben 12-6 in the final after a technical fall of Hoke County’s Landen Nelson in the semifinals.

Third place went to Jack McArthur (132), Carson Robinson (160) and Grayson Roberts (170). Roberts, a 2022 Class 1-A state champion, dropped a 14-7 decision to Maryville, Tenn.’s Michael Colligan, the eventual runner-up, in the semifinals.

The tournament included teams from multiple states. UCA scored 189 points to runner-up Newton-Conover’s 186.

  • At Indian Trail, Trinity rode the strength of six titlists to a third-place team finish in the Porter Ridge Invitational.

Trinity’s Brayden Hall (113), Spencer May (120), Levi Dennis (126), Charles Schaefer (138), Gavin Hardister (182) and Joey Smith (220).

Edgr Vasquez Mora (106) placed third for the Bulldogs.

Porter Ridge won the team title with 183 points, followed by South Point with 165½ and Trinity with 162½.