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UCA baseball Jake Hunter pitches spring2023

Prep baseball: Eastern Randolph, UCA slide through first week of state playoffs

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Jake Hunter’s pitching has given Uwharrie Charter Academy a boost. (Randolph Record)

Eastern Randolph and Uwharrie Charter Academy took different paths to the third round of the Class 1-A state playoffs in baseball.

Each team won twice in the first week of the state playoffs.

No. 21 seed Eastern Randolph (6-17) won two road games, beginning with a 9-5 ousting of No. 12 seed Mount Airy.

Then the Wildcats went to No. 5 seed Hayesville, where Friday night’s game was suspended in the fifth inning. Eastern Randolph ended up with a 5-2 victory when the game concluded Saturday.

Eastern Randolph heads to No. 13 seed Highland Tech on Tuesday.

Second-seeded UCA (16-10) had a smoother time, stopping No. 18 seed Bishop McGuinness 10-4 as Jake Hunter threw five shutout innings.

Earlier in the week, UCA topped No. 31 seed Queen’s Grant 12-5 with Ben Medinger hitting a home run and Brett Smith notching the pitching victory.

UCA has a third-round home game vs. No. 10 seed North Stokes on Tuesday.

Class 2-A

In the first round, Trinity, which reached the regional semifinals last year, lost to No. 17 seed East Gaston by 6-4. The No. 16 seeded Bulldogs (15-11) received two hits from Jake Little. Cade Hill was the losing pitcher.

No. 18 seed Providence Grove lost 1-0 at No. 15 seed Forbush, which scored with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Andrew Thomas pitched the complete game for the Patriots (14-11).

No. 29 seed Wheatmore lost 7-0 at No. 4 seed West Stokes. The Warriors ended up with an 8-14 record.

Top-seeded Burns topped No. 32 seed Southwestern Randolph 10-8. Eli Gravely drove in four runs and Adam Cole had three hits and scored two runs for the Cougars (9-15), who nearly rallied from a 9-2 deficit. 

Class 3-A

At Salisbury, Asheboro’s season came to a close with Friday night’s 11-6 loss at No. 10 seed East Rowan.

Tanner Marsh scored twice and knocked in two runs for the No. 26 seed Blue Comets (13-12).

Asheboro began the playoffs by winning 13-7 at seventh-seeded Enka with Cohen Caviness collecting four hits and four runs batted in and Marsh scoring three runs and driving in three runs. Connor Adams was the winning pitcher.

UCA building photo

UCA receives 10-year renewal

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ASHEBORO — Uwharrie Charter Academy has further confirmation that its long-term future appears bright.

Randolph County’s only charter school was notified that the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has voted to recommend a 10-year renewal for the school, which has grades K-12.

“This is our first renewal, and the max you can get is 10 years,” said Sharon Castelli, the school’s superintendent. “Which means we’re going to be around a little longer.”

The final stamp of approval should come from the Charter Schools Advisory Board in the spring, something that’s considered just a formality at this point.

UCA is growing significantly, now at more than 1,800 students. The breakdown is 536 in elementary school (grades K-4), 647 in middle school (grades 5-8), and 661 in high school.

UCA opened in 2013 with 181 students in ninth and 10th. Once the high school was established, lower grades were added.

A new high school building and an adjacent career academy are on target to open in the summer, Castelli said. At that point, the elementary school will move into the current high school, putting all the students on the same campus. Eventually, a separate K-2 wing could be built at the elementary school, Castelli said.

The elementary school is located on Lewallen Road in a former Klaussner Home Furnishings building. That’s about 5 miles from the main campus.

Castelli, who has been in her position since October 2020, said the school had met many of its goals. 

“We’ve been on a good track,” she said. “We’ve been celebrating (the NC Department of Instruction’s decision) all week.”

The renewal process began in September. It involved interviews with parents, staff, and board members, along with an evaluation of the school’s financial status and other data.

UCA has had success in athletics, winning state championships in baseball and wrestling (as recently as this month) on the Class 1-A level. It’s the only high school in the county without a football program.

Ashton Troutman v Trinity in Jan2022

Troutman returns to UCA, passes 1,000 points

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Ashton Troutman of Uwharrie Charter Academy goes up for a shot against Trinity last season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record).

ASHEBORO – Ashton Troutman returned to the Uwharrie Charter Academy boys’ basketball team and pretty much picked up where he left off.

After spending a few months as a transfer at The Burlington School, Troutman decided to finish his high school career where it began.

“It was just a lot (of reasons), nothing basketball related,” Troutman said of coming back to UCA. “I just had a good three years at Uwharrie and I missed what was going on. I was missing my home and my family.”

In his fourth game this season, Troutman reached a milestone. He scored his 1,000th career point Friday night in an 83-64 loss at Richmond County. The milestone basket – a contested layup in traffic – was part of his 34-point outburst.

Troutman, a 6-foot-8 post player, was the centerpiece of UCA’s Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament championship last season. His return could shake up the PAC’s projected pecking order, though he’s the only returning starter for the Eagles.

He transferred to TBS, which is the two-time defending Class 2-A state champion in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association, in an effort to expand his exposure and see a different level of competition. TBS school plays a schedule with national flavor.

Here’s Ashton Troutman dunking during last February’s PAC Tournament championship game against Providence Grove. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Troutman was involved in fall competitions with TBS, but his return to UCA came before official games and thus his eligibility wasn’t affected.

Troutman, already the school-record holder for points, had 15 points in the Eagles’ season-opening 77-33 loss to visiting Chatham Charter. Three days later, he poured in 32 points – all in the first half — in an 85-37 romp past Bethany Community. He racked up 24 points in a 45-33 loss last week at Southern Guilford.

Troutman had planned to commute from his Asheboro home to Burlington, but that became too taxing and he began living with a family of another TBS player.

“I just got tired of living up there,” he said.

On the court at TBS, which sometimes has college coaches and scouts representing recruiting services attend practices, Troutman was part of a low post pairing with highly regarded Ty Outlaw.

“I was in the starting lineup,” Troutman said. “I had gotten a lot better with all the workouts. We just made each other better.”

He has been recruited by a variety of colleges. Some of the exposure might wane, but college coaching staffs will know where to find him.

“I was getting the looks I wanted,” he said of his time in the TBS program. “It’s a risk (coming back to UCA) that I’m willing to take.”

Troutman, who averaged 20.9 points and 10 rebounds per game last season, said his relationship with UCA coach Brad Monroe, who has been with the Eagles throughout the player’s career, remained strong even with the brief transfer. He said the coach has been supportive of each move.

“He has always got the best out of me,” Troutman said.
The Eagles will need plenty from their senior standout, who faces double- and triple-team defensive tactics.

“It’s a lot like last year,” he said. “We’ve got a couple shooters. I know how to get others involved.”

The 1,000-point plateau was a nice marker, something he had considered for several years. He has been UCA’s leading scorer in each of the last three seasons.

“Since my freshman year, when I realized I could put up points like I could, I knew I really would like to do that,” he said of the 1,000 points.

Troutman’s scoring numbers would be higher if not for the COVID-reduced schedule in his sophomore year and missing three games with an injury last season

UCAthelete-of-the-Week

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Carlos Parroquin

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UCA  |  boys’ soccer

 

Parroquin, a senior, has been among the top scorers for the Eagles, who entered the Class 1-A state playoffs this week.

He capped the regular season by scoring three goals in Uwharrie Charter Academy’s 5-4 victory at Southwestern Randolph. That result avenged a four-goal loss from earlier in the season.

UCA was one of seven teams in Randolph County to qualify for the state playoffs in boys’ soccer.

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Dacia Lowery

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Uwharrie Charter Academy  |  volleyball

Lowery played a role as the Eagles won two matches last week to stay in contention for the top spot in the Piedmont Athletic Conference.

Lowery had 16 kills, and five blocks as UCA topped visiting Providence Grove 21-25, 25-15, 25-21, 13-25, 15-9.

That was followed by UCA’s 24-26, 25-18, 25-22, 25-23 victory at Trinity when Lowery provided 11 kills and five blocks.

Entering this month with two weeks in the regular season remaining, UCA held an 11-3 overall record and 6-2 PAC mark.

Ashton Troutman dunks v Wheatmore Feb2022

Troutman transfers out of UCA

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Basketball standout heads to private school for senior season

BURLINGTON — One of the most highly recruited boys’ basketball players in Randolph County in the upcoming senior class will no longer will be playing for a school in the county.

Ashton Troutman is transferring from Uwharrie Charter Academy to The Burlington School.

He said he’s looking for more exposure and a higher level of competition.

“Just being in a basketball environment and for a good team,” Troutman said. “I would have never flirted with the idea of leaving if it wasn’t for basketball.”

Troutman, a 6-foot-7½, 205-pound post player, was the centerpiece of the Eagles’ Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament championship last winter.

For weeks, Troutman has been the recipient of constant praise based on his performances on the summer travel circuit with Raleigh-based Garner Road Basketball Club. He has been lauded for his toughness around the basket and the ability to play through contact.

Despite coming back from a broken fibula that caused him to miss a couple of months since the high school season, Troutman’s stock grew this summer.

“July was huge for him,” said George Marshall, the new coach and athletics director at The Burlington School (previously named The Elon School), which is a private school with a growing basketball reputation. “It’s really a credit to his grit and toughness. He’s in a place where his confidence is sky high.”

Troutman, 18, will commute from his Asheboro home to Burlington. He said he felt some pressure last summer to transfer, considering Greensboro Day School as several private schools reached out to him. But he said he wanted another go-around with UCA, which is a Class 1-A school, as it entered a new conference. 

Now, he’s taking a different approach for his last high school season. He said he expects more challenging academic requirements, but that will be worth it.

“Coach Marshall and a couple of other guys hit me up,” he said. “They’re going to put me in situations to be seen by (more colleges).”

The Burlington School, a member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association, is a four-time state champion in boys’ basketball. The Spartans are the reigning Class 2-A state champions in that organization after securing back-to-back titles. In the regular season, recent teams have played in several high-profile events, though the Spartans are now an independent and no longer in a conference.

Marshall said Troutman should fit in well. NCAA Division I and Division II teams have been in contact with Troutman in recruiting. The player said he has yet to receive scholarship offers.

“He has played really competitive basketball throughout the course of his career,” said Marshall, who spent the previous five seasons at Henderson Collegiate. “We are really excited to have him as a student and a player.”

Troutman’s 20.9 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior came after as a sophomore – in the pandemic-abbreviated season – he led the Eagles with 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 68 percent from the field. He held a team-best 8.9 points per game on 56 percent shooting from the field and 4.8 rebounds per outing as a freshman.

With Troutman, the Eagles’ record went from 10-13 as a freshman to 10-4 as a sophomore and 19-7 last season.

Prior to last season, UCA lost guard Zane Caudle as a transfer to Providence Grove, which won the PAC regular-season title. Caudle was named the PAC Player of the Year.

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Logan Sawyer

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Uwharrie Charter Academy  |  baseball

Sawyer, a senior infielder, wrapped up his final baseball season with Uwharrie Charter Academy in the spring. He landed a spot on the All-Piedmont Athletic Conference team.

The Eagles finished the season with a 10-15 record after winning three games in the Class 1-A state playoffs. Their postseason run came to an end with a loss to eventual state runner-up Cherryville.

During his senior year, Sawyer committed to play baseball at Division III Brevard College. He played this summer for the High Point Hushpuppies in the Old North State League, which is a summer circuit for college players.

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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Joseph Phetmixay

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UCA  |  boys’ tennis

Phetmixay had an undefeated season in dual competition in singles and doubles for Uwharrie Charter Academy.

Phetmixay joined with classmate Drew Auman to finish as the Class 1-A state runners-up in doubles.

Phetmixay played No. 1 singles for the Eagles, who were unbeaten duals in the regular season and finished with a 12-1 overall team record.

Phetmixay received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy and will head to Colorado Springs, Colo. As a junior, he was one of five UCA students to become a professionally licensed drone pilot.

Phetmixay also was a member of the soccer team at UCA. He was credited with five goals as a senior.

UCA_23

Prep basketball: Season comes with highlights for area teams

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Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Alijah Barker shoots the ball against Albemarle’s Walker Wilkins in the first round of the Class 1-A state playoffs Feb. 22 at Uwharrie Charter Academy in Asheboro.

Basketball season came to a close for Randolph County boys’ teams in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association by the end of the second round last week.

On the girls’ side, only Randleman and Uwharrie Charter Academy made it to the weekend’s third round. Randleman’s season was still going this week.

Here are a few notables as the postseason unfolded:

Patriots tripped by familiar foe

Providence Grove’s boys’ season-ending 61-58 loss in the opening round of the Class 2-A state playoffs to Southwestern Randolph came after the Patriots posted nine- and three-point victories against the Cougars during the regular season.

Providence Grove made significant progress this season, winning the Piedmont Athletic Conference regular season and ending up with an 18-9 record. That’s believed to be the most wins in school history for the program.

It marked only the fifth recorded winning record for the Providence Grove boys’ program. And one of those was in the abbreviated 2021 season with an 8-6 record.

The Providence Grove accomplishments included a first outright conference regular-season championship and a first appearance in a league tournament final. The Patriots also played a home playoff game for the first time since 2010.

Blue Comets show progress

Asheboro’s boys seemed to have it rolling at the right time. So it was an abrupt conclusion for the Blue Comets when a seven-game winning streak ended in the first round of the Class 3-A state playoffs with a 68-51 home loss to North Lincoln.

It was the Blue Comets’ fifth-lowest scoring game of the season – and they had won two of the other four when failing to reach 50 points.

Still, coach Brian Nance’s team finished with a 19-8 mark. Part of the success came by winning the Mid-Piedmont Conference Tournament.

That was Asheboro’s most wins since a 22-5 record in 2015-16. That season, the Blue Comets won twice in the state playoffs.

Big moments for UCA

The Uwharrie Charter Academy boys churned out some special memories in the postseason, including winning the PAC Tournament title. They kept the momentum going for a bit in the Class 1-A state playoffs.

Ashton Troutman of UCA finished his junior season with an impressive run in the postseason. He tallied 27 points in the Eagles’ 63-51 first-round victory against Albemarle, then followed that by posting half of UCA’s points in the second round, collecting 22 points in a 67-44 loss to North Rowan.

On the girls’ side, UCA played three home games in the Class 1-A playoffs, starting with a 54-38 defeat of Bradford Prep. That was followed by a 58-56 decision against Swain County as Ashara Spruill totaled 23 points.

Spruill had 12 points in the third round, but it wasn’t enough and the Eagles fell 42-36 to Starmount.

Seeds for thought

In both the PAC and Mid-Piedmont Conference, the No. 2 seeds failed to reach the finals in both the boys’ and girls’ league tournaments. The Nos. 3 seeds in those cases played in the title games.

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Area wrestlers stick with it for solid finishes

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Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Doug Bowles lifts Mount Airy’s Connor Medvar in the air during the 170-pound bout in the Class 1-A finals Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL

GREENSBORO – It was an encouraging start to the state tournament for Randolph County wrestlers Thursday. And not a bad finish either by Saturday.

Aside from state champions David Makupson (138 pounds, Class 2-A) of Trinity and Aldo Hernandez (132, Class 1-A) and Grayson Roberts (160 pounds, Class 2-A), there were solid performances that lasted all the way to their final matches.

Randolph County wrestlers excelled in the first rounds in Class 3-A and Class 2-A. Of the combined 15 entrants in those classes, 12 of them won in the opening round. And the three that lost in the first round won at least one consolation bout.

In Class 1-A, four of UCA’s 13 entrants won in the first round.

By the end, UCA teammates Byan Lackey (138) and Doug Bowles (170) were state runners-up, while several others placed in the top six.

Among those were four wrestlers in third place, including impressive bounce-back efforts from Asheboro’s Logan Lambeth in Class 3-A at 182 and Southwestern Randolph’s Clay Sugg in Class 2-A at 195.

In title bouts, Lackey was pinned in 49 seconds by Avery County senior Ethan Shell, who won his third state title. Lackey received a forfeit and recorded a major decision to reach the final.

Bowles suffered a 10-3 loss to Connor Medvar of Mount Airy in the final. Medvar was the 152-pound state champion in Class 1-A last year.

Bowles notched a 39-second pin of Cherokee’s Darius Saunooke in the quarterfinals and a pin of Avery County’s Seth Blackledge in 2:31 of the semifinal.

Lambeth and Sugg racked up five consecutive wins for their third-place spots.

Lambeth lost by a 4-3 decision to Pisgah’s Alex Almaraz in his opening bout. He responded by posting a 9-0 decision against First Flight’s Gage Tomlin. Then came a 12-4 decision against St. Stephens’ Andre Britt, a 7-2 decision against West Carteret’s Hiroki Cruz, an 8-3 sudden-victory outcome against Union Pines’ Nicholas Mascolino and then a second-period pin of Harnett Central’s Jose Zambrano.

That was an ideal way to cap his high school career.

“Pinning the dude in my third-place match,” Lambeth said of his highlight.

How did he recover from the opening-day disappointment? “Support from my coaches and friends and family,” he said.

Sugg lost via pin in the first round to eventual champion Owen Clark of Newton-Conover before rattling off five wins in a row, beginning with a third-period pin of North Pitt’s Alexis Lar Ramirez in 3:50 in the first consolation round. Next came a 49-second pin of North Carolina School of Science and Math’s William McMahon, an 11-5 decision against Bandys’ Zachory Evans, a 2-1 squeaker against Forbush’s Luke Hurley and a 6-2 decision against East Surry’s Daniel Villasenor.

Providence Grove’s Brooks Freeman (182, Class 2-A) placed third, taking a smoother route early on. Freeman opened with a 9-3 upset of Bartlett Yancey’s Dylan Wall. Freeman then secured a third-period technical fall against West Lincoln’s Braxton Young in the quarterfinals.

Then Freeman was derailed by East Surry’s Eli Becker’s second-period pin. He got back on track with an 8-3 decision against Raydyn Brooks of Bandys before finishing by dominating Oxford Webb’s Nicholas Harris, who didn’t score in Freeman’s technical fall victory in 2:43.

UCA’s Brandon Jordan was third at 113. After a loss in the first round, he won his next three matches, two of those by pins. He stuck Leadership Academy’s Cooper Wingate in 1:35 of the third-place match.

Fourth place went to Asheboro’s Xavier Santos (113, 3-A), Trinity’s Spencer May (113, 2-A), UCA’s Ethan Hines (106, 1-A) and UCA’s Jaden Maness (182, 1-A).

Santos, the Midwest Regional champion, edged East Lincoln’s Devean Huskey 6-5 to start the states. Santos followed that by defeating West Brunswick’s Marquis Shaw 7-2. His title hopes ended in a semifinal loss to eventual champion Charlie Sly of Cramer. Then Santos won by a decision and lost by a pin.

Trinity’s Spencer May pinned Louisburg’s Brandon Nolasco-Rayo to open competition. He lost in the quarterfinals in a 5-3 decision to R-S Central’s Sumter Horton. In the consolation bracket, May posted back-to-back pins and a decision before he was pinned by Mount Pleasant’s Trent Almond in the third-place match.

Hines lost in his first match and then won twice before losing. Maness took a similar path to fourth place, though receiving a forfeit in his first consolation assignment.

Sixth-place spots went to Asheboro’s Luke Lambeth (160, 3-A) and Providence Grove’s Colton Wood (285, 2-A).

Luke Lambeth topped Dixon’s Shawn Disbennett 6-0. Lambeth was on the other end of a shutout in a 3-0 quarterfinal loss to Foard’s Zane Birtchet. He then scored a 32-second pin and won by decision before dropping his last two bouts by decisions.

At 285, Providence Grove’s Colton Wood registered a 16-second pin of Trask’s Javier Corona. Wood had to go the distance in the quarterfinals, losing 5-3 to Brevard’s Jarek Stewart-Karolweics. Wood then notched two pins before he was pinned twice.

Others from the county had encouraging starts before stalling and ending up short of a final place finish.

Diego Gutierrez (126) of Asheboro handled Orange’s Dillon Heffernan 11-4 before losing in a 6-5 decision to Swansboro’s Isaac Gawronski.

Asheboro’s Michael Brady (195) fell in a 4-2 overtime decision to West Carteret’s Joshua Knipe. He bounced back with an 11-4 handling of Scotland County’s Michael Locklear before he was ousted.

Trinity’s Brayden Hall (106) needed overtime to defeat Southwest Onslow’s Carter Duhan 6-5. In the quarterfinals, he fell in a 3-2 decision to Kaden Shoup of Shelby Burns before posting a shutout in his first consolation-bracket match.

Southwestern Randolph’s Luke White (132) flattened Trask’s Christian Still in one minute. White dropped a 9-6 decision to West Craven’s Walker Bell in the second round. White had another pin before he was eliminated in a one-point loss

Casey Hohn (152) of Trinity stuck Burlington Cummings’ Zyneal White in the second period. But Hohn was a first-period pin victim against Newton-Conover’s Jason Brawley in the quarterfinals. Then came a pin for Hohn before he lost an elimination bout by two points.

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