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Greenwood set for concert in Liberty

Greenwood set for concert in Liberty

LIBERTY – With Lee Greenwood’s appearance on the schedule for this weekend, Liberty Showcase Theater has drawn some attention. Yet in many ways, that’s nothing new for the entertainment venue. “We have a lot of country artists from the ‘70s to the ‘90s,” said Spring Gates, general manager of Brown Entertainment. “We also do have some of the top bluegrass artists.” Brown Entertainment is the company that manages the theater. Greenwood is a country music singer and songwriter, and a Grammy Award winner. For the Liberty Showcase Theater, Greenwood’s appearance shapes up as a good one, but it’s not atypical,…
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Area wrestlers stick with it for solid finishes

Area wrestlers stick with it for solid finishes

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…
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Winning it all motivates state champs Makupson, Roberts, Hernandez

Winning it all motivates state champs Makupson, Roberts, Hernandez

Trinity’s David Makupson, top, controls Will Nix of Bandys in the Class 2-A 138-pound final Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum. GREENSBORO – Contending for state championships in years past was part of the motivation for Trinity’s David Makupson and Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Grayson Roberts. Experiencing the winning feeling again was part of the quest for UCA’s Aldo Hernandez. All three wrestlers ended up as titlists Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum. Makupson, a senior, put together a dominating four-match run through the 138-pound division in Class 2-A, winning the states after fourth-place finishes in each of the past two years. “Fourth…
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School board advances pay increases, will remove bus masks

School board advances pay increases, will remove bus masks

ASHEBORO — Students may be able to ride buses without masks if federal rules change, and teachers will likely receive additional pay in May following votes at this week’s county board of education meeting. The Randolph County school board also adopted a 2023-2024 school calendar Monday night.  Before the school board’s business session, chairman Gary Cook made a lengthy statement regarding the pandemic and the government’s response to it. “I feel like we were held hostage,” said Cook. “The governor held all the power.” Cook also called out federal and state leaders for the impacts of pandemic policies on students…
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Blue Comets capture boys’ league title

Blue Comets capture boys’ league title

Asheboro’s Hakeeme Butler goes up in the lane against Central Davidson during the semifinals of the Mid-Piedmont Tournament last week at Oak Grove. WINSTON-SALEM – Asheboro’s boys’ basketball team made it happen when it mattered most in the Mid-Piedmont Conference. The Blue Comets took down top-seeded Ledford 60-52 in Friday night’s final at Oak Grove. It was a balanced effort offensively for Asheboro, which received 14 points from Jerquarius Stanback, 13 points from Tramir Martin, 12 points from Hakeeme Butler and eight points from Tanner Marsh. It was the third meeting this month between Asheboro and Ledford, with the road…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Tramir Martin

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Tramir Martin

Tramir Martin |  Asheboro, boys’ basketball Martin, a senior guard, had a strong three-game run in the Mid-Piedmont Conference Tournament as the Blue Comets pulled out a championship. He scored a total of 41 points in the three games, giving the Blue Comets a lift with his backcourt play. His defensive work boosted Asheboro to some key rallies, particularly in the semifinal. Martin notched 11 points in a rout of Montgomery Central in the quarterfinals before leading the charge with 17 points in a semifinal victory against Central Davidson. He added 13 points in Friday night’s 60-52 win over top-seeded…
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SWR pulls upset; UCA, Trinity also advance in boys’ basketball state playoffs

SWR pulls upset; UCA, Trinity also advance in boys’ basketball state playoffs

ASHEBORO — Southwestern Randolph knocked off Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season champion Providence Grove on the opening night of the state playoffs in boys' basketball Tuesday night. Uwharrie Charter Academy and Trinity will continue their boys' seasons. Asheboro, Randleman and Eastern Randolph bowed out along with Providence Grove. In Class 2-A, Southwestern Randolph, which holds the No. 25 seed in the West Region, won 61-58 a rare in-county road playoff game against No. 8 seed Providence Grove. No. 12 seed Trinity beat the No. 21 seed Lexington 55-46. No. 30 seed Randleman traveled to Shelby, losing 52-47. In Class 3-A, No.…
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UCA, Randleman, SWR, Wheatmore advance in girls’ basketball playoffs

UCA, Randleman, SWR, Wheatmore advance in girls’ basketball playoffs

ASHEBORO — Four Randolph County girls' basketball teams advanced to the second round of the state playoffs with wins Tuesday night, while two others saw their seasons end. Uwharrie Charter Academy, Randleman, Southwestern Randolph and Wheatmore cruised in their first-round playoff games. UCA, a No. 3 seed in Class 1-A in the West Region, topped No. 30 seed Bradford Prep 54-38. Also in Class 1-A, Eastern Randolph fell short in a 65-62 loss to Cherokee. Randleman, the top seed in the Class 2-A, dominated No. 32 seed Shelby Burns with a 64-17 victory. No. 11 seed Southwestern Randolph was a…
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PAC Boys: UCA emerges with league title

PAC Boys: UCA emerges with league title

Ashton Troutman of UCA lets out a big yell prior to the buzzer going off in a victory against top-seeded Providence Grove. RANDLEMAN – Uwharrie Charter Academy put together a solid boys’ basketball campaign in the Piedmont Athletic Conference, and the Eagles might have saved their best for late in the season. They capped this part of the surge by winning the PAC Tournament with Friday night’s 66-52 toppling of regular-season champion Providence Grove. Coach Brad Monroe’s team won three of its last four regular-season games before last week’s three-game sweep in the conference tournament while holding the No. 3…
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PAC Girls: Tigers girls keep title wave going

PAC Girls: Tigers girls keep title wave going

Randleman’s Gracyn Hall shoots the ball against Uwharrie Charter Academy during the PAC Tournament girls’ championship game Friday night at Randleman. RANDLEMAN – Randleman’s girls’ basketball team made it through Piedmont Athletic Conference play unscathed, capped by the league tournament championship. The Tigers headed off to the state playoffs with a 22-0 record. Last week turned out to be rewarding for Randleman, which won twice on its homecourt in the tournament to back up its regular-season championship. “The bull’s-eye has been on our back all year,” Randleman coach Brandon Varner said. “The pressure has been building.” First there was a…
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