Randleman’s Hannah Hinshaw spikes the ball against SWRduring the first set in a PAC-7 volleyball match in Randleman, NC on September 7, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
The senior middle blocker led the team in multiple categories as the Tigers won twice. Randleman swept Montgomery Central and then topped Wheatmore in four sets to improve its record to 7-2.
In the Montgomery Central match, Hinshaw collected 16 kills and 21 digs, both the top numbers for the team. Against Wheatmore, she chipped in with 16 kills to go with a team-best six blocks.
ASHEBORO — Labor Day Weekend is a big weekend for outdoor enthusiasts. The weekend marks a traditional to the summer boating and beach season but kicks off the hunting season with Dove hunting.
Saturday is the first day of dove season. The season opens September 4 and runs through October 2. The bag limit for dove hunters is 15 and shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to sunset. According to a release from the N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission, no migratory game birds may be taken with the use and aid of bait.
The long-weekend will also see Wildlife Resources officers performing sobriety checkpoints on the water as part of the “On the Road, On the Water, Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign. This is the 11th year of the campaign which is centered on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.
There were 188 boating incidents investigated in 2020 in North Carolina with 29 fatalities. Twenty-four of the incidents were alcohol related, including 8 fatalities. Not wearing a life vest was a contributing factor. Of the 29 fatalities, only 11 were wearing personal flotation devices.
The State Highway Patrol, local police and local sheriff’s offices are also part of the Labor Day enforcement and education campaign.
RALEIGH — Sports gambling would be authorized across N.C., with up to a dozen entities licensed to offer online and in-person betting, in legislation approved last week by the state Senate. The bipartisan measure advances to the House though a majority of Senate Republicans, who control the chamber, voted against the bill.
Nine Republicans joined most Democrats attending Thursday’s floor session in approving the measure 26-19. Four GOP senators, including Randolph County’s Sen. Dave Craven, had excused absences and did not vote on the measure.
SILER CITY — The Southwestern Randolph Ladies Golf team defeated Chatham Central in varsity golf today with a nine-stroke team win. The match, played over nine holes at the Siler City Country Club, was paced by low-scorer and SWR top seed Lexi Auman who shot a 54. SWR’s 2-seed Lindsey Auman shot 56, 3-seed Caiden McDuffie shot 65, and 4-seed Taylor Edwards shot 65.
SWR Athletics also announced three changes to the ladies gold schedule on Tuesday:
Thursday, August 26 will now be at Asheboro Muncipal vs. Asheboro and Union Pines
Wednesday, September 8 will now be at Tot Hill vs. Asheboro, Providence Grove, and Southern Alamance
Tuesday, September 14 will now be a quad at Tot Hill with Union Pines being added to NW Guilford and Gray Stone
RANDLEMAN — Asheboro’s football team won for the first time in more than 600 days to open the season.
Now the Blue Comets will have their sights set on more conquests.
Asheboro players and coaches give head coach Blake Brewer an ice bath after they beat Randleman 20-7 and giving him his first win as a head coach Aug. 20 at Randleman. PJ WARD-BROWN/RANDOLPH RECORD
After a winless record in seven games when the 2020 season was shifted to this past spring, Asheboro might have been largely dismissed as a factor entering the new campaign.
That was far from the case in Friday night’s season-opening 20-7 conquering of Randleman.
“We proved that we got the talent,” linebacker / running back Qamelo Butler said.
Asheboro plays its home opener Friday night against Eastern Randolph, another highly regarded team.
“We proved we could step it up and fix our mistakes,” Blue Comets defensive end Charles Perry said.
Randleman cheerleaders hold a sign up prior to the season-opening game against Asheboro. PJ WARD-BROWN/RANDOLPH RECORD
The first-week result was jarring in many respects, particularly given that Randleman hadn’t lost a regular-season game since 2017. The Tigers roughed up Asheboro 43-7 slightly more than four months ago in Asheboro.
“All they’ve heard about is how good Randleman is, how good ER is,” Asheboro coach Blake Brewer said. “They have a lot to prove.”
It turns out that the Blue Comets entered the season with a certain fatigue – though not of the physical variety.
“We’ve got a lot of kids who are tired,” Brewer said, referring to players he described as fed up with losing. “They’ve had enough.”
Now, they want more of this winning.
“Just hard work and dedication,” Perry said. “No lollygagging.”
Butler began the scoring on a 9-yard run right after a successful fake punt late in the first quarter.
Asheboro’s Hakemme Butler makes a jumping catch for the touchdown over Randleman’s Nick Connor in the second quarter during the first game of the season. PJ WARD-BROWN/RANDOLPH RECORD
“I got the first touchdown of the season,” Butler said, noting it was the first time he ever scored against Randleman.
A 65-minute lightning-related delay followed, but it didn’t distract the Blue Comets.
They scored in the second quarter on Markell Graham’s 60-yard pass reception on a toss from Khyland Hadley-Lindsay on the first play following the Blue Comets’ fourth-down defensive stand. Asheboro went up 20-0 with 1:53 left in the first half on Hakemme Butler’s 28-yard catch from Hadley-Lindsay.
By game’s end, Hadley-Lindsay threw for 98 yards and rushed for 80.
There was a relentless nature to Asheboro’s defense.
“We were able to finish no matter how tired we were,” Perry said. “We had to keep pushing.”
For Randleman coach Shane Timmons, he figured a new season would bring certain challenges.
“Did I see it coming to this level? No,” he said.
Part of the issue was that the Blue Comets didn’t budge along the line of scrimmage.
“They were strong where we were weak,” Timmons said.
Randleman quarterback Christian Long throws on the run against Asheboro in the first quarter. PJ WARD-BROWN/RANDOLPH RECORD
Still, the Tigers reached the Asheboro 14-yard line in the final minute of the first half. They were stopped on downs after moving inside the Asheboro 20 early in the third quarter before finally scoring on Errvod Cassady’s 11-yard run with 5:07 to play in the quarter.
Then Randleman threatened again later in the quarter, but Quamelo Butler intercepted Christian Long’s fourth-down desperation pass.
“Our defense, they were so confident,” Brewer said.
The Tigers have turned to Long at quarterback. The sophomore has switched positions after lining up as a receiver last season.
Timmons said he liked the determination that Long showed. He said the quarterback kept a positive outlook that a turnaround would come despite possessions that fizzled. His 12-for-33 passing for 102 yards with one interception is something to focus on improving.
“There’s going to be growing pains.” Timmons said.
There were just 93 rushing yards for the Tigers, who were 0-for-6 on fourth-down conversions.
“Failure is never fatal,” Timmons said. “But it better get your attention. … There’s going to be a different atmosphere in practice. We haven’t tasted this in a while.”
Getting the offenses going could be the main mission for Randolph County football teams as the season begins this week.
The scheduled openers come Friday night.
The 2020 season was wiped out in its traditional manner because of the pandemic. Teams played that season during the spring semester of 2021, so the offseason was shortened.
Area teams will hope that was enough to figure out how to crank up the offenses.
RANDLEMAN
Randleman was an exception to the sluggish offenses for area teams. The Tigers had nine players score at least one touchdown a year ago.
Randleman is 32-3 across the past three seasons.
The Tigers went 7-1 in the spring in the first season under coach Shane Timmons, who had been an assistant on the staff. However, the season ended with shortcomings on offense in a 35-9 setback to St. Pauls in the first round of the Class 2-AA state playoffs.
Still, Randleman eclipsed the 35-point mark in five of its games.
Yet the Tigers will have to find production to replace Harrison Moffitt, who racked up 15 touchdowns (all on rushing plays). He also passed for six touchdowns as a senior, ending up as the PAC-7 Offensive Player of the Year. On defense, he was third on the team with 10 tackles for loss.
Randleman has been undefeated in the past three regular seasons.
Asheboro’s Michael Brady cuts up field during the first day of football practice for the 2021 season on Aug. 2. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
ASHEBORO
Asheboro was winless in the 2021 spring edition, scoreless in four of those seven losses and reaching a double-digit point total only once.
The Blue Comets, in their spring finale, dropped an April 9 decision by 43-7 at home to Randleman. So for Asheboro, Friday night’s game will mark back-to-back games against the same opponent – albeit several months apart.
EASTERN RANDOLPH
Eastern Randolph made it to the state playoffs in the spring in Class 2-A – though it has dropped down in the new alignment – and finished with a 5-2 record.
Both losses (17-0 to Randleman and 41-0 to Northeastern) came via shutouts.
Yet the Wildcats reached or exceeded the 30-point mark in four of their games.
Providence Grove kicker Tucker Batten boots an extra point after a touchdown against West Davidson in a scrimmage Aug. 13. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
PROVIDENCE GROVE
Providence Grove was 4-3 in the spring, scoring more than 40 points in each of its victories.
The Patriots won four of their last five, the exception a 14-7 loss at High Point Andrews in a game with their lowest point total of the season.
Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter points to where the play is going during the team’s first day of practice for the 2021 season. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
SOUTHWESTERN RANDOLPH
Southwestern Randolph posted nine points per game in its three spring losses.
Of Southwestern Randolph’s last eight defeats dating to the 2019 season, only one of those teams (a loss to Asheboro in a 2019 game) is on this year’s docket.
WHEATMORE
Wheatmore went 2-3 in the spring, though it didn’t record a double-figure point total in any of its defeats.
TRINITY
Trinity scored only 27 points total across five games in the spring season, winning 19-12 against Jordan-Matthews. That’s the team’s lone victory since 2019.
The Bulldogs were shut out in three games last season.
In Trinity’s past 23 games, its two triumphs came against Jordan-Matthews.
ASHEBORO — Tyler Parks says he has lots of things he needs to do regarding baseball across his final two years of high school with Southwestern Randolph.
Selecting a college destination isn’t one of them.
Southwestern Randolph’s Tyler Parks makes the throw to first base against Asheboro on May 31, 2021. Tyler Parks committed to UNC to play baseball. (PJ WARD-BROWN/RANDOLPH RECORD)
Parks made a verbal commitment to play for North Carolina, a choice that was solidified Friday.
“When they offered, I took it the next day,” Parks said of his goal to play for the Tar Heels. “It has been a dream of mine ever since middle school. I grew up watching Carolina play.”
Parks, a member of the Class of 2023, is primarily an infielder. He plays shortstop for Southwestern Randolph, but his high school coach, Ethan Marsh, said he envisions Parks playing as a second baseman in college.
Parks has been a starter for the Cougars since he was a freshman, though that 2020 season was abbreviated because of the pandemic.
“I still think (the interest) in him really started as a freshman,” Marsh said. “This past fall I think it really picked up with his travel ball.”
Parks, who turns 17 in September, plays travel ball for the Burlington-based Dirtbags. That has given him widespread exposure, playing in two tournaments in Florida and two in Georgia this year along with some more regional events.
He’s mostly a utility player on that team, logging time as a second baseman, third baseman and left fielder.
Parks said he likes having the recruiting part wrapped up.
“I definitely got it out of the way early and I don’t have to worry about that,” he said. “I want to focus on getting faster and stronger to be able play at the D-I level. It’s not easy to play at Carolina.”
He said improving defensively is among his goals.
North Carolina finished its first season under coach Scott Forbes in 2021 after last summer’s retirement of longtime coach Mike Fox. Parks said that coaching change didn’t impact his decision, with much of the staff remaining in place and Forbes promoted from within.
Southwestern Randolph’s Tyler Parks hits a long fly ball against Asheboro during an 11-2 loss at McCrary park on June 4, 2021. (PJ WARD-BROWN/North State Journal)
Parks also considered offers from Campbell, East Carolina and Wake Forest.
Parks batted .333 during the past high school season, which was reduced in length as most North Carolina High School Athletic Association sports were crammed into a few months in 2021. Almost half (7) of his 15 hits were doubles.
Marsh said Parks should grow into a key leadership role going into his junior season.
“He’s going to be special for us his last two years,” Marsh said. “I wish I had 15 of them (like Parks).”
ASHEBORO — Randleman third baseman Hunter Atkins was selected as the PAC-7 Player of the Year in baseball.
Atkins’s teammate Andrew Cox was picked as Pitcher of the Year in the league for the eventual Class 2-A state champions. The league’s Coach of the Year is Glen Hunt of Providence Grove.
Asheboro head coach Brett Hoogkamp pats Tatum Marsh on the head after a triple against Southwestern Randolph on june 4, 2021. Hoogkamp won the Mid-Piedmont Coach of the year award for the 2021 season. He lead the Blue Comets to a 13-3 record and to the third round of the 3a state playoffs. (PJ WARD-BROWN/North State Journal)
In the Mid-Piedmont Conference, Southwestern Randolph’s Bryson Hogan was picked as Player of the Year. Asheboro’s Brett Hoogkamp of the regular-season co-championship team was named Coach of the Year for the league.
