Bob Sutton - Randolph Record

07 Feb

Trinity’s Kelly selected for NCHSAA Hall of Fame

Bob SuttonSportsnchsaa, prep athletics, Prep Basketball, Tim Kelly, Trinity Bulldogs

Former Trinity boys’ basketball coach Tim Kelly has been selected for induction into the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame for the Class of 2025. Kelly, who directed Trinity to a state championship in 2004, retired last summer. The school’s gym is named in his honor. He began coaching in 1981 and started coaching basketball at Trinity in 1989, winning 11 conference titles, four sectional championships and two regional championships. He also coached football and cross country for different stretches. Kelly coached in the North Carolina East-West All Star Game in 2005. Others selected for the Class…

07 Feb

UCA wrestlers aim for team title repeat; Reign ends for Trinity

Bob SuttonSportsBrandon Jordan, Brennan Worrell, Caden Bond, Dual team state finals, Hayden Waddell, Jaden Allred, Joseph Trahan, Lawson Coltrane, Lorenzo Alston, prep wrestling, Trinity Bulldogs, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles

UCA’s Rick Riccardella wraps up Union Academy’s Matthew Walsh during last weekend’s match during the second round of the Class 1A dual team state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Uwharrie Charter Academy wrestlers have displayed more dominance and the Eagles hope to take it to a familiar level in Saturday afternoon’s Class 1A dual team state championship. UCA (38-1) tangles with Mt. Airy at noon at the coliseum fieldhouse in Greensboro, seeking a third consecutive state title. “We won rings the last two years and we plan to go back and do it again,” 144-pounder Brandon Jordan…

04 Feb

A moment to savor on the mat: Trinity’s Coltrane would relish team repeat

Bob SuttonSportsBrandon Coggins, Dual team state finals, Lawson Coltrane, nchsaa, prep wrestling, Trinity Bulldogs

Lawson Coltrane (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) TRINITY — Lawson Coltrane had one of those moments that will be etched in memories forever in Trinity wrestling circles. Too bad he didn’t even know it was coming. In last year’s Class 2A dual team state final, it was Coltrane’s pin in the 165-pound class that clinched the championship for the Bulldogs. “Whenever I went out there, I didn’t even know it was to clinch it,” Coltrane said recently. “I just went out there. In my head, ‘I’m going to pin this kid, get this done for the team.’ Whatever it is,…

03 Feb

Reigning champs UCA, Trinity start strong in state duals

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, class 1-A, Class 2-A, David Lambright, Dominic Hittepole, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Jaden Allred, Joseph Trahan, Lawson Coltrane, Lorenzo Alston, nchsaa, prep wrestling, Trinity Bulldogs, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles, Wheatmore Warriors

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Brennan Worrell prepares to pin Union Academy’s Nehemiah Parker during a Class 1A second-round meet Saturday. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) Uwharrie Charter Academy and Trinity wrestling teams began their quests to repeat as dual team state champions with two home victories apiece Saturday. UCA, the top seed in Class 1A East Region and the Piedmont Athletic Conference champion, and Trinity, the No. 1 seed for Class 2-A in the West Region, cruised in the opening rounds. If they win regional semifinals and finals Wednesday night, they’ll be headed to state finals Saturday at the coliseum fieldhouse…

01 Feb

RCSS seeks to hire more bus drivers

Bob SuttonNewsbus drivers, Education, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey

ASHEBORO — The need for bus drivers is ongoing within the Randolph County School System. Superintendent Stephen Gainey said the latest push to attract more drivers isn’t an alarm as much as a reminder that the topic remains on the minds of school administrators. “Our No. 1 job is taking care of children,” Gainey said. “We have to get them to school.” As of last week, there were 26 positions open that include responsibilities as bus drivers. That’s a reduction from a few years ago when the problem became heightened. “It has been a pretty steady need since the pandemic…

31 Jan

Bradley departs Trinity football coaching position

Bob SuttonSportsBear Bradley, Noah Bradley, piedmont athletic conference, prep football, Trinity Bulldogs

TRINITY — Bear Bradley is done after two seasons as Trinity’s football coach, sensing a different type of opportunity as an assistant coach at a larger school. Bradley resigned to take a position at Greensboro Grimsley, which is the reigning Class 4A state champion. “It was basically for me,” Bradley said Friday. “Better for more career, going into one of the highest levels (of high school). For me, to be a part of that group is pretty special. … It’s a good time for me to reflect and learn.” The Bulldogs went 8-13 under Bradley, including a 3-7 record during…

31 Jan

UCA, Trinity hold top seeds for state duals; Eastern Randolph, Wheatmore, Asheboro also qualify

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, class 1-A, Class 2-A, Class 3-A, Cliff Thompson, Dominic Hittepole, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, nchsaa, prep wrestling, Trinity Bulldogs, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles, Wheatmore Warriors

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Brennan Worrell, top, works against Avery County’s King Orvosh in a 120-pound match last year in the Class 1A dual team state finals. (Randolph Record) Uwharrie Charter Academy and Trinity wrestling teams will begin their quests to repeat as dual team state champions with home meets Saturday. UCA, the top seed in Class 1A East Region and the Piedmont Athletic Conference champion, is home against Lakewood. The winner meets either Union Academy or Albemarle in the second round. Trinity begins Class 2A competition as the top seed in the West Region, facing Brevard and then, if it…

30 Jan

Trinity wrestlers eye another team title

Bob SuttonSportsAiden Burkholder, Brandon Coggins, Class 2-A, Dual team state finals, Jaden Allred, Joseph Trahan, Lawson Coltrane, nchsaa, prep wrestling, Trinity Bulldogs

Trinity wrestling coach Brandon Coggins reacts during a key moment in last year’s dual team state final against Seaforth. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) TRINITY — Trinity’s wrestling team has a hard act to follow after what the Bulldogs did last winter. But they say they’re up for the challenge as they’ll try to repeat as Class 2A dual team state champions. “It was a surreal moment,” junior heavyweight Joseph Trahan said of last year’s title. “It definitely will be a lot of pressure. We have the ability to do it again.” That’s the mindset for the Bulldogs when the…

29 Jan

Randleman boys come through in clutch, top Eastern Randolph in PAC showdown

Bob SuttonSportsChase Farlow, Connor Cassidy, Daniel Mitchell, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Johnny Thomas, Julian Brooks, piedmont athletic conference, Prep Basketball, Randleman Tigers, Timothy Brower, Tyshaun Goldston, Will Stalker

Randleman’s Tyshaun Goldston drives against Eastern Randolph’s Will Stalker. (Jann Ortiz / For Randolph Record) RANDLEMAN — That big-game feel worked out for Randleman’s boys’ basketball team Tuesday night. The Tigers tangled with visiting Eastern Randolph in the Piedmont Athletic Conference’s must-see game, winning 80-72 by producing in clutch situations. “We wanted to come out and prove that we are the team in the conference,” said Randleman senior forward Chase Farlow, who scored a career-high 25 points. Tyshaun Goldston poured in 21 points, while Connor Cassidy (12 points), Jireh Price (11 points) and Pacey Wagner (10 points) also were big…

28 Jan

Controlled burn means progress for Randolph CC, training for firefighters in Liberty

Bob SuttonFeatures, NewsLiberty, Randolph Community College, Scott Kidd, Shah Ardalan

Firefighters pose in front of the house in Liberty at Saturday’s controlled burn on Randolph Community College’s new property. (Liberty Fire Department) LIBERTY — A controlled burn of a building on Randolph Community College’s Liberty campus served multiple purposes Saturday. The event marked a step in the plan to further develop RCC’s Liberty property. Shah Ardalan, president of RCC, called the event part of the process in moving toward the college’s mission. “This controlled burn is more than a training exercise,” Ardalan said. “It is a tangible representation of our commitment to Access and Success for Randolph County and beyond.…