Bob Sutton - Randolph Record

08 Oct

Providence Grove tabs Cheek as girls’ basketball coach

Bob SuttonSportspiedmont athletic conference, Prep Basketball, Providence Grove Patriots, Steven Cheek

Steven Cheek (Courtesy photo) CLIMAX – Steven Cheek has returned to a coaching role at Providence Grove, this time as the girls’ basketball coach. Cheek will be the third head coach of the Patriots program in three seasons. “I always knew I wanted to coach,” he said. Cheek, 29, spent four seasons on the boys’ basketball coaching staff at the Providence Grove before going to Southern Guilford last season as an assistant coach. He said that gave him a different experience and he hopes that additional background will be valuable. Cheek said this assignment, which is his first as a…

03 Oct

Former Randleman catcher Brooks Brannon picked for coveted fall league

Bob SuttonSportsArizona Fall League, Boston Red Sox, Brooks Brannon, Randleman baseball

Brooks Brannon signs an autograph for a young fan this summer while with the Salem Red Sox. (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) Former Randleman standout Brooks Brannon will be one of the youngest players in the Arizona Fall League, which is a circuit for some of the baseball’s top prospects. “I was ecstatic,” Brannon said of the selection. “I knew it was very prestigious. It was a really good feeling.” Brannon, a catcher in the Boston Red Sox organization, has played parts of three seasons as a professional since he was drafted in 2022 in the ninth round following his…

03 Oct

NASCAR Day Festival might attract more vendors this weekend

Bob SuttonEntertainment, Events, Newsfestivals, NASCAR Day Festival, Randleman, Richard Petty

RANDLEMAN – The 36th edition of the NASCAR Day Festival in downtown Randleman is scheduled for 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. The event honors the Petty family and their impact on NASCAR and in the community. The activities extend well beyond tributes to stock car racing. “It’s a lot of other things,” said Jeff Freeman, director of the Randleman Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a promotional tool to keep Randleman on the map.” Main Street and Commerce Square will have food, crafts, art, home products, racing memorabilia, youth activities and a stilt walker. There’s also three stages for entertainment. Freeman said vendors…

02 Oct

Asheboro schools will fill vacancy on board of education

Bob SuttonNews, Politicsasheboro city school board, Asheboro City Schools, Education, Gustavo Agudelo

Gustavo Agudelo (Courtesy photo) ASHEBORO – Ten residents have applied for a vacancy on the Board of Education for Asheboro City Schools. There’s a vacant seat due to the resignation of Gustavo Agudelo, who has moved out of state for work. The eligible applicants are: Jennyfer Bucardo of 2491 Whirlwind Lane; Mikayla Cassidy of 725 South Main St., 2B; Hilda DeCortez of 1591 E. Allred St.; Maria Delgado of 915 Worth St.; Todd Dulaney of 147 S. Randolph Ave.; Kevin Garcia of 512 Kelly Circle; David Lambert of 1214 Canterbury Trail; Samara Martinez Arredondo of 897 Breeze Hill Road; Joel…

01 Oct

Providence Grove Patriots eager to pounce on PAC play

Bob SuttonSportsBrady Collins, Jackson Rhyne, Mark Heilig, piedmont athletic conference, prep football, Providence Grove Patriots

Providence Grove linebacker Brady Collins has been a top tackler in the state so far this season. (Courtesy photo) CLIMAX – The Providence Grove football team began the season coming off an awkward preseason, so the Patriots hope they can benefit from a reset going into Piedmont Athletic Conference play. With an early August coaching change, the Patriots were making adjustments as the season launched. “It has been a lot of change,” said Jackson Rhyne, a senior running back and safety. “Nobody was really expecting that (coaching change) at all. It was very sudden. I think we handled it really…

29 Sep

Randolph County recovers from damage spawned from Hurricane Helene

Bob SuttonNewsAsheboro, Hurricane, Hurricane Helene, randolph county, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation

Duke Energy crews work on downed power lines Friday along Balfour Road in Asheboro after the remnants of Hurricane Helene caused damage across the state. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Power outages and other damages coming from storms and rains connected to the leftovers of Hurricane Helene were documented in Randolph County, with most of them coming Friday. Randolph Electric Membership Corporation reported nearly 1,200 power outages in Randolph County before 9 a.m. That number dwindled rapidly even with a tornado watch issued for the area. By 5 p.m., the REMC announced that there was one remaining outage…

26 Sep

RCSS graduation rates show slight uptick

Bob SuttonNewsAsheboro City Schools, commencement, Education, graduation rates, Randolph County School System

Commencement dates have been set for the Class of 2025 at county schools ASHEBORO – The Randolph County School System reported a four-year graduation rate of 88.6% for the Class of 2024. That was a slight increase from the 88.1 percent for the Class of 2023. At 90.2%, Asheboro City Schools saw a rather large bump up in its graduation rate. That was an increase from 84.3%, marking the largest increase for any district in the Triad. The statewide average was listed at 86.9% (up from 86.5% from the previous year). The four-year graduation rates are based on the students…

17 Sep

Wheatmore player makes comeback to playing field

Bob SuttonSportsJacob Sheffield, Prep Basketball, prep football, Riley Strickland, Wheatmore Warriors

Riley Strickland (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) TRINITY – Riley Strickland says he’s excited to participate in high school sports again about nine months after a scary incident in a basketball game. The Wheatmore senior, who was the starting quarterback a year ago, returned to action with the football team in Friday night’s loss to Bishop McGuinness. “It feels good to be back,” Strickland said. “Hopefully, we can get the win next week.” Strickland decided in the spring that he wouldn’t play football as a senior. “I thought I was done,” he said. “After the first game, I had to…

17 Sep

Trinity’s Tillery selected for RCSS teaching honor

Bob SuttonNewsEducation, Elizabeth Tillery, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Teacher of the Year, Trinity High School

Here’s English teacher Elizabeth Tillery in a Trinity classroom earlier this month. (Courtesy of Caiden Brown / Trinity student) TRINITY – Elizabeth Tillery wasn’t all that familiar with Trinity High School when she took her first job out of college. But she was quite certain that teaching was going to be her passion. That hasn’t changed. “I love being a teacher,” she said. “I think it’s very important for teachers to like the job.” Tillery, an English teacher at Trinity, has been named Randolph County School System’s Teach of the Year. She’s in the early stages of her 14th school…

16 Sep

Cougars, Blue Comets hit early soccer strides, but won’t meet this year

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Cam Letterlough, prep soccer, Southwestern Randolph Cougars

Asheboro boys’ soccer players react following a goal by Win Smith (No. 6) earlier this year at Randleman. Other Blue Comets are, left to right, Diego Bustamante, Ozmar Martinez, Gerarrdo Medina Chi and Cam Letterlough. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – The boys’ soccer teams from Southwestern Randolph and Asheboro have excelled across the first month of the season. They’re hoping for even better fortunes ahead. Southwestern Randolph won its first eight games of the season. Asheboro has been off to a 7-2 start. “You got to have a lot of moving parts to be healthy and ready for…