Sports - Randolph Record

11 Apr

Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates to be enshrined in hometown

Bob SuttonSportsBurton Cates, Eastern Randolph athletics, Graham, Hall of Fame, prep football

Another honor is coming for Eastern Randolph football coach Burton Cates. (Randolph Record file photo) GRAHAM – Eastern Randolph’s Burton Cates, the winningest active high school football coach in North Carolina, is receiving hometown recognition. He’ll be inducted into the Graham Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night. “Being from Graham all my life, it’s very special recognition,” Cates said. “What I’ve accomplished isn’t about me by any stretch. It’s about the people around me.” Cates, 71, has more than 360 career coaching victories. Eastern Randolph won the Class 3-AA title in 2006. Even when Cates left the Wildcats for…

10 Apr

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Walker Wilkins

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week

Uwharrie Charter Academy, baseball Wilkins provided a bunch of offense during the Asheboro ZooKeepers Classic as the Eagles won all three games in which they played. UCA won games by 12-1 vs. Southern Alamance, by 15-3 vs. Jordan-Matthews and by 9-0 vs. Montgomery Central. In those three games, Wilkins batted .500 (7-for-14) with four triples, 10 runs batted in and seven rusn scored. Wilkins, a senior outfielder, had a triple with three runs batted in against Southern Alamance and rapped four hits, including two triples, in the Jordan-Matthews game. The Eagles carried their second three-game winning streak of the into…

09 Apr

College baseball: In-state teams rate high halfway through season

Randolph RecordSports

College baseball teams in North Carolina remain prominent in the national rankings as the season’s regular-season midway point has passed. Duke pulled off an Atlantic Coast Conference sweep of visiting Miami to move to No. 7, according to this week’s rankings from D1 Baseball. That’s the first time the Blue Devils have ever swept Miami, winning 11-10 on Wallace Clark’s 11th-inning single Sunday at Combs Field in Durham to complete a comeback from a 7-1, eighth-inning deficit. Duke won the second game of the series by 5-4. Ben Miller’s ninth-inning, run-scoring single gave the Blue Devils a 4-3 victory to…

08 Apr

Prep baseball: UCA blasts three foes in Asheboro event; Randleman adds to win total during spring break

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Jake Hunter, McCrary Park, Parker Kines, Prep baseball, Randleman Tigers, Seth Way, UCA Eagles, Walker Wilkins, Wheatmore Warriors

Southwestern Randolph’s Grant Kirk slides into the plate to score a run against Westchester Country Day School last week at McCrary Park in Asheboro. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Uwharrie Charter Academy’s baseball team won three times in the Asheboro ZooKeepers Classic last week at McCrary Park. The Eagles socked Southern Alamance 12-1, trounced Jordan-Matthews 15-5 and topped Montgomery Central 9-0. Wheatmore had a winning record in the classic, while Southwestern Randolph and Asheboro both finished with 1-2 records in the multi-day competition. UCA’s Jake Hunter pitched in the first game of the event. Walker Wilkins had four hits, including…

05 Apr

College league to bring baseball finals to Asheboro

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro, College baseball, McCrary Park, South Atlantic Conference

ASHEBORO – The South Atlantic Conference is moving its baseball tournament’s championship series to Asheboro’s McCrary Park next month. The NCAA Division II league was in a pinch to find a new venue and chose Asheboro, with the Asheboro ZooKeepers acting as hosts. “We reached out to them,” SAC commissioner Patrick Britz said. “We were able to work something out. … We’re only a month out. We had to move pretty quickly.” The best-of-3 finals are set for May 10 and 11 (and May 12, if necessary). The SAC Tournament finals had been held in recent years at Smokies Stadium…

04 Apr

Son finishes ahead of father at Caraway

Randolph RecordSportsCaraway speedway, Dean Ward, Dylan Ward, Jimmy Crigger, Stock car racing

SOPHIA – Dylan Ward claimed the 60-lap race in Late Models, one spot ahead of his father, Dean Ward, on Saturday night at Caraway Speedway. Dylan Ward borrowed a care from his brother Trevor Ward, so it was a full family affair. Dylan Ward took the lead by passing fast qualifier Jamie York early in the race and led the rest of the way. Camden Thomas placed third and Colby Fogleman was fourth. York had engine trouble and didn’t finish. ** In Modifieds, it was a dad who drove ahead of his son. That was Dean Lowder winning the race,…

03 Apr

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Macy Allred

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Macy Allred, prep soccer, Southwestern Randolph Cougars

Southwestern Randolph, girls’ soccer ‌Allred is on pace to lead the Cougars in goals again as she has provided some strong outputs this season. She has been among the team’s top goal scorers since her freshman season. The Cougars racked up their second-highest goal total of the season in last week’s 7-5 victory against visiting Eastern Randolph. Allred had five goals and one assist in that game in what became Southwestern Randolph’s first victory against another Randolph County team in five tries this season. The Cougars are off this week because of spring break. They hold a 5-5-1 overall record…

02 Apr

College notes: Coleman leads ACC in softball batting; Oakley wins two bouts in NCAAs

Bob SuttonSportsAlex Coleman, Appalachian State, College softball, College wrestling, Ethan Oakley, North Carolina Tar Heels

Alex Coleman (Courtesy photo) Southwestern Randolph alum Alex Coleman, an outfielder for North Carolina’s softball team, is the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading batter more than halfway through the season. Coleman checked at .495 entering this week. Her numbers reflect a conference-leading 53 hits in 107 official at-bats with three doubles. The Tar Heels leadoff batter also has drawn 14 walks with only eight strikeouts. Behind Coleman in batting average is Florida State’s Jaysoni Beachum at .470. Coleman’s 37 runs scored rate second in the ACC. She’s also 20-for-21 on stolen-base attempts to rank tied for second…

01 Apr

Prep roundup: Randleman edges UCA in tight baseball tilts

Randolph RecordSportsPrep baseball, prep soccer, Prep softball, Randleman athletics, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, UCA athletics, Wheatmore Warriors

Wheatmore’s Payton Mooney makes contact during the Warriors’ 4-3 baseball victory at West Davidson last week. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) There was a reduced number of competitions last week in high school sports around Randolph County, largely because of weather-related postponements or cancelations. This week, schedules are limited in many cases because of spring break at many schools. Here are some the highlights from last week’s events: Baseball Randleman swept a Piedmont Athletic Conference doubleheader from Uwharrie Charter Academy, winning 1-0 and then 3-1 in nine innings in a matchup of recent state champions. Jake Riddle pitched the first game for…

31 Mar

Wheatmore’s Garrison sets state record with special goal

Bob SuttonSportsEllie Garrison, nchsaa, prep soccer, Ricky Maness, state record, Wheatmore athletics

Wheatmore’s Ellie Garrison takes a shot between two Pine Lake Prep players during last year’s state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) TRINITY – There are lots of ways to score a goal in soccer, and Ellie Garrison’s state-record tally ranked up there as quite unique. The Wheatmore senior became North Carolina’s girls’ record holder for goals by scoring against Bishop McGuinness last week. The record came shortly after the Warriors gave up a goal. Garrison wanted to receive the first pass when play resumed. “She noticed the goalie was way off the line,’ Wheatmore coach Rick Maness said. “She struck it,…