Bob Sutton - Randolph Record

20 Feb

Prep basketball: Teams set to embark on state playoffs

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Eastern Randolph athletics, nchsaa, PAC Tournament, piedmont athletic conference, Prep Basketball, Randleman athletics

Sean Adkins of Southwestern Randolph shoots over Wheatmore’s Kamdyn Wood in last week’s PAC Tournament. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) Randleman’s girls and Eastern Randolph’s boys teams are the highest-seeded teams from Randolph County in the basketball state playoffs. The playoffs begin Tuesday night. All of the teams from the county are in the West Region. Second-round games will be Thursday night and third-round games Saturday, all slated on the courts of the higher seeds. Girls In Class 2-A, Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion Randleman (24-1) is the West Region’s No. 1 seed with a home game against No. 32…

18 Feb

Wildcats capture another prize, top Trinity boys in PAC final

Bob SuttonSportsDavonte Brooks, Dominic Payne, Dylan Hodges, Eastern Randolph athletics, PAC Tournament, piedmont athletic conference, Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament, Pierce Leonard, Prep Basketball, Timothy Brower, Trinity athletics

Eastern Randolph’s Timothy Brower goes up for a basket as Trinity’s Jacob Hodges, right, defends. Other Trinity players, left to right, Brandon Campbell, Grayson Earls, Dylan Hodges and Dominic Payne look on. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) RAMSEUR – Timothy Brower was down on the court in pain in the first quarter of the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament’s boys’ basketball championship. The Eastern Randolph guard delivered much of the punishment for the rest of Friday night’s game. Brower’s 28 points helped propel the regular-season champion Wildcats in a 74-64 victory against visiting Trinity that marked their first conference tournament title in seven…

18 Feb

Randleman girls respond, claim PAC Tournament in overtime

Bob SuttonSportsBrandon Varner, Brecken Snotherly, Eastern Randolph athletics, Elizabeth York, Gracyn Hall, Jordan Booker, PAC Tournament, Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament, Prep Basketball, Randleman athletics

Members of the Randleman girls’ basketball team gather with the hardware after defeating host Eastern Randolph in overtime. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) Rally from Eastern Randolph creates drama RAMSEUR – Randleman’s recovery from a few late-game glitches made the Tigers’ championship that much more impressive Friday night in the girls’ basketball final of the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament. One thing the Tigers weren’t lacking was that internal belief that they would find a way to successfully defend their title. “Coach (Brandon) Varner told us ‘You’ve worked so hard for this,’ ” senior center Graycn Hall said. “We’re going to show how…

17 Feb

Asheboro turns to Eastern Randolph alum as volleyball coach

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Eastern Randolph athletics, Kelly Smith, Kim Black, Mid-Piedmont Conference, Prep volleyball

ASHEBORO – Kelly Smith has been hired as the new volleyball coach at Asheboro. Smith will be the team’s third volleyball coach in three years. She replaces Kim Black, whose third stint as head coach of the program lasted just one year. Smith, an Eastern Randolph alum, was coach of her alma mater’s volleyball team in 2017 and 2018 before going to Southern Guilford for three years. She spent time as volleyball and girls’ basketball coach at Southern Guilford, though without a winning season. She has been away from varsity competition during this school year. “I felt like I wanted…

16 Feb

Chick-fil-A’s new cauliflower sandwich comes to Asheboro location

Bob SuttonNewsAsheboro restaurants, Cauliflower sandwich

ASHEBORO – Chick-fil-A’s cauliflower sandwich has made its way to Asheboro. The area is one of the test markets for the chicken restaurant chain’s rollout of the new offering. “We’re testing it to see what the reaction is,” said Sam Ramsey, franchisee of two Chick-fil-A locations in Asheboro. “We’re going to see how a plant-based sandwich will go over.” The Triad has been designated as one of the test markets, so that will stretch from Winston-Salem to Mebane and includes Asheboro, Ramsey said. The sandwich became available Monday. So far, Ramsey likes the attention that has come with it. “We’re…

15 Feb

UCA receives 10-year renewal

Bob SuttonNewscharter school, NC Department of Public Instruction, Randolph County Schools, Schools in Randolph County, UCA, Uwharrie Charter Academy

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…

13 Feb

Prep Boys: Blue Comets hit decades-long high

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Brian Nance, Davonte Brooks, Dominic Payne, Dylan Hodges, Jerquarius Stanback, Mid-Piedmont Conference, piedmont athletic conference, Prep Basketball, sean adkins, Tanner Marsh

Asheboro’s Jerquarius Stanback goes up for a shot last week against Ledford’s Whit Denny. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – There are lots of reasons that have made this a special season for the Asheboro boys’ basketball team. The goal will be to keep it going. The Blue Comets won the Mid-Piedmont Conference’s regular season, going through that portion of conference play without a loss for the first time since 1976. “We knew we would have some success in conference,” veteran coach Brian Nance said. “We had a good first half (of league play) and next thing you know, you’re 6-0,…

11 Feb

Prep Girls: Snotherly achieves history with Eastern Randolph

Bob SuttonSportsBrecken Snotherly, Eastern Randolph, Gracyn Hall, piedmont athletic conference, Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament, Prep Basketball

Brecken Snotherly goes up for a shot earlier this season at Trinity. (Randolph Record) CLIMAX – It’s already an historic season for Eastern Randolph’s girls’ basketball team. Much of that is coming from senior guard Brecken Snotherly, who racked up a school-record 51 points in Tuesday night’s regular-season home finale against Trinity. “I was kind of surprised to have that many,” she said. “I would say 25 points was a lot for a game.” She hit six 3-point shots. That might have been the difference from some of her other games. “My shot, when you have games that you’re on,”…

10 Feb

Eastern Randolph boys find way to outright PAC title

Bob SuttonSportsChase Whitaker, Connor Carter, Davonte Brooks, Eastern Randolph athletics, Johnny Thomas, piedmont athletic conference, Pierce Leonard, Prep Basketball, Providence Grove athletics

Eastern Randolph’s Davonte Brooks ties the game with a dunk late in the third quarter at Providence Grove. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) Wildcats withstand Providence Grove for rare basketball prize CLIMAX – Eastern Randolph had to make changes to figure out how to topple Providence Grove in Thursday night’s unexpected down-to-the-end tussle in boys’ basketball. Just mark it up as another accomplishment for this group of Wildcats. They’re outright Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season champions, collecting the school’s first league title of any sort in boys’ basketball in seven years and only second regular-season title in 29 years. “We wanted to bring…

08 Feb

Tillman built big influence on state level

Bob SuttonNews, ObitJerry Tillman, NCGA, north carolina general assembly, obituary, state senator

ARCHDALE — Jerry Tillman’s influence on state politics had a long-lasting impact that’s bound to extend well past his death. “He had a huge impact on our area,” state Sen. Dave Craven said. “He was a champion for our community.” Tillman, a longtime state senator from Randolph County, died Saturday at age 82. Tillman, a retired teacher, administrator, and coach in public schools, was first elected to the state Senate in 2002. He resigned from the chamber in 2020. He served a total of nine terms and became one of two majority whips in the Senate. Craven, while in high…