Bob Sutton - Randolph Record

22 Jul

ZooKeepers deal with curves late in season

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, McCrary Park

Asheboro ZooKeepers outfielder Carter French reaches for second base on a slide earlier this season. French plays for North Carolina during the college season. (PJ. Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Highs and lows, comings and goings. That sums up what the Asheboro ZooKeepers have been going through lately. In the past week’s games, they’ve gone 2-2. Saturday night’s 12-1 whipping of the Holly Springs Salamanders at McCrary Park came with numerous highlights, including the first home run for Lleyton Lackey. The game was reduced to seven innings by the mercy rule, with Win Scott firing a four-hitter. Yet it’s generally hard…

20 Jul

NC East-West All-Star Games: Asheboro players make unique marks in soccer showcase

Bob SuttonSportsBrecken Snotherly, Calvin Smith, Cristian Ortiz, Gracyn Hall, North Carolina East-West All-Star Game

Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph heads up the court with the ball during Monday night’s North Carolina East-West All-Star Game for girls’ basketball at the Greensboro Coliseum. Snotherly played for the West team. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) BROWNS SUMMIT – Asheboro’s Calvin Smith and Cristian Ortiz each did something no other players in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game could claim. They were issued the only yellow cards during the boys’ soccer game Tuesday night at MacPherson Stadium. “They were both kind of tactical,” Smith said of the infractions. “They weren’t cynical.” Those moments aside, the duo from Asheboro embraced the…

18 Jul

ZooKeepers send three to CPL showcase

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, Jacob Dienes, Tyler McPeak, Win Scott

Win Scott delivers a pitch for the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – The Asheboro ZooKeepers had three players selected for this week’s Coastal Plain League All-Star Game. First baseman Tyler McPeak and pitchers Jacob Dienes and Win Scott were set to participate in two days of activities at Lexington, S.C. The Lexington County Blowfish were the host team for the All-Star events. McPeak, a graduate student at Lenoir-Rhyne, has been one of the league’s top power hitters. Dienes and Scott are both rising juniors at North Carolina State. The Asheboro trio will be on the West Division team.…

16 Jul

Soccer duo embraces Asheboro’s rise

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Calvin Smith, Cristian Ortiz, North Carolina East-West All-Star Game, prep soccer

Cristian Ortiz of Asheboro reacts to scoring a game during the Class 3-A state playoffs last fall against West Iredell. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) Blue Comets have two players in NC East-West All-Star Game ASHEBORO – Calvin Smith and Cristian Ortiz helped take Asheboro’s boys’ soccer program to new heights. They’re being rewarded with spots in next Tuesday night’s North Carolina East-West All-Star Game at MacPherson Stadium in Browns Summit. With two players in the summer showcase, it’s an indication of the growth of Asheboro soccer. Last year’s 23-2-2 record for the Blue Comets was part of a season that ended…

15 Jul

The Taco Loco reopens after 3½ months of misery

Bob SuttonBusinessAsheboro business, Asheboro restaurants, downtown asheboro, The Taco Loco

ASHEBORO – The Taco Loco is back serving customers after the popular Mexican restaurant in downtown Asheboro was closed in various fashions for more than three months following a busted pipe. The Taco Logo should be operating with a complete menu Monday. “We’re excited to be opened back up,” restaurant manager Jackie Munoz said Saturday. The re-opening began late-afternoon Friday with the sale of tacos only. “We were slammed,” Munoz said. For the weekend, a limited menu is in place. The restaurant at 138 Sunset Ave. announced April 4 that the dining area would be closed until further notice. The…

15 Jul

Hall makes family connection for NC East-West All-Star Game

Bob SuttonSportsGracyn Hall, North Carolina East-West All-Star Game, piedmont athletic conference, Randleman athletics

Gracyn Hall of Randleman takes a shot during her senior season. (Randolph Record file photo) Randleman basketball player’s father competed in football showcase RANDLEMAN – Gracyn Hall will represent Randleman one more time in girls’ basketball. It’s appropriate on many levels including a family connection to the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game. Hall and Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly are among the players for the West team in Monday night’s game at the Greensboro Coliseum. “Playing in this game is a very big thing,” Hall said. “Just to be nominated was an honor and then to be chosen for this is…

13 Jul

Trinity forms Athletics Hall of Fame

Bob SuttonSportsHall of Fame, Robert Mitchell, Trinity athletics, Trinity High School

TRINITY – Details are coming together for the first Trinity High School Athletics Hall of Fame, with the first induction class likely coming later this year. “Trinity has an extremely rich heritage,” athletics director Robert Mitchell said. “We’ve got years and years of great athletes and championships. We’ve got decades and decades of special accomplishments.” Mitchell said the goal is to recognize achievements of coaches, student-athletes and contributors. The school has been around in some form for more than 125 years. “We have a wide variety (of potential Hall of Famers) from different generations,” Michell said. “It won’t be a…

09 Jul

Ten file on first day for fall elections

Bob SuttonNewsAsheboro City Council, Asheboro City Schools, Randleman city council, randolph county, Randolph County Board of Elections, Town of Liberty

ASHEBORO – Ten Randolph County residents filed to run for office during the first five hours of filing. Three of those are seeking to retain spots on the City of Asheboro’s city council. Filing opened at noon Friday and continues through noon July 21. Incumbents Eddie Burks, Jane Hughes Redding and Charles Swiers signed up for the candidate list for Asheboro’s city council. Gidget Kidd and Ryan Patton are bidding to keep their seats on the Asheboro City Schools board of education. For Randleman’s city council, first-day filers were Mike Dawkins (at-large), Steve Grooms Jr. (Ward 1) and Lee Hinson…

06 Jul

Trinity’s Mowery picks Western Carolina – and might head there early

Bob SuttonSportsAmerican Legion baseball, Landon Mowery, Prep baseball, Trinity athletics, Western Carolina Catamounts

Baseball player Landon Mowery of Trinity has made a college choice. (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) THOMASVILLE – Landon Mowery has had an eye on becoming a Division I college baseball player for quite some time. From his perspective, there might be no sense in putting that off. Mowery, a Trinity standout, is considering reclassifying and heading to college a year early to join the Western Carolina program. Last week, he committed to play for the Catamounts and by the end of the week things had accelerated. “A big decision to be made,” Lowery said. “They want me to come…

04 Jul

College Notes: Area athletes produce notable numbers

Bob SuttonSportsEdi Austin, Luke Thomas, Ryan White, Trevor Marsh

Junior outfielder Trevor Marsh of UNC Wilmington was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first team in baseball. The Seahawks (34-23) won the league’s regular-season and tournament titles. Marsh, who played in high school for Asheboro, batted .319 with 12 home runs and 48 runs batted in. He also smacked 13 doubles and one triple and stole three bases. One of his home runs came in the NCAA regional opener against Duke last month at Conway, S.C. Thomas, White pick up freshman honors UNC Greensboro pitcher Luke Thomas and Western Carolina pitcher Matt White were named to the Southern Conference…