Sports

UCA advances to state wrestling championship

UCA advances to state wrestling championship

Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Jair Ulloa works the arm bar against East Davidson’s Bryson Young in the 145-pound match in November. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL ASHEBORO —Randolph County will be represented in the Class 1-A dual team wrestling state championship meet as Uwharrie Charter Academy is the last remaining of the five county teams that qualified for the postseason. UCA (35-0) will face Avery County for the state championship at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Fieldhouse on the Greensboro Coliseum grounds. UCA defeated Pamlico County 45-40 in the regional semifinal before toppling host Rosewood 44-34 in the East Region final Wednesday.…
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Patriots try to keep hold of PAC’s top spot

Patriots try to keep hold of PAC’s top spot

It safe to say that it’s heating up in Piedmont Athletic Conference boys’ basketball. Teams are chasing Providence Grove with a couple of weeks to play, but it’s clear the Patriots might not be in cruise control. “We’re banged up,” Providence Grove coach Wes Luther said. “Who can survive the longest? Hopefully, we’re going to keep grinding it out.” An example of the challenges that exist came with last week’s 55-52 escape at Southwestern Randolph. The Cougars made it difficult for much of the night on the first-place Patriots, who cranked up their defense at opportune times. “They turned up…
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UCA, Trinity open strong in state duals

UCA, Trinity open strong in state duals

Trinity’s Casey Hohn, top, works against West Wilkes’ Holt Hanchey during the first round of the Class 2-A dual team state tournament Monday at Trinity. Wrestling teams from Uwharrie Charter Academy in Class 1-A and Trinity in Class 2-A advanced through the first two rounds of the dual team state tournament. UCA and Trinity were both home teams for the first and second rounds Monday. These teams moved on to third- and potentially fourth-round meets Wednesday. The winning teams from that advance to the state finals. The goal is to make it to Saturday’s championship meets at the Fieldhouse at…
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Asheboro girls make waves at league meet

Asheboro girls make waves at league meet

KERNERSVILLE – Two Asheboro swimmers notched individual championships in the Mid-Piedmont Conference championships last week at Kernersville Family YMCA. Maci Columbia of Asheboro was the winner in two events on the girls’ side. She topped the field in the 200-yard freestyle and the 500 freestyle. Columbia’s time in the 200 freestyle was 2 minutes, 9.73 seconds as she topped a field that began with 17 entrants. She swam the 500 freestyle in a winning time of 5:41.23. There were 11 entrants in that even. Also for Asheboro, Fiona Wolfe-Roberts was the winner in the 100 backstroke among 15 competitors. Wolfe-Roberts…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Davonte Brooks

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Davonte Brooks

Davonte Brooks  |  Eastern Randolph, boys’ basketball Brooks racked up 25 points as the Wildcats ended a four-game losing streak with Friday’s 68-64 victory at Wheatmore. Brooks, a junior who was coming off a strong football season, has boosted the Wildcats on the basketball court. Eastern Randolph nearly ended its skid earlier last week, but it dropped a 50-46 overtime decision at home to Randleman. Eastern Randolph began the season with five straight wins before some rough patches. The Wildcats entered this week with an 8-9 overall record and 2-6 mark in the Piedmont Athletic Conference.
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UCA gears up for more on mats

UCA gears up for more on mats

ASHEBORO – The Uwharrie Charter Academy wrestling team produced another stellar regular season, but the Eagles will have to wait in their pursuit of a Class 1-A dual team state title. Under coach Chris Waddell, UCA has run up a 31-0 record in duals. That includes a 6-0 mark in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association postponed the first and second rounds of the dual team tournament until Monday. That decision came after multiple weather-related postponements hit pockets of the state, so this will allow teams to complete more of their regular-season schedules and league…
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Hall, Gentry reach big point totals

Hall, Gentry reach big point totals

The 1,000-point milestone is in the works for a couple of area girls’ basketball players. Gracyn Hall of Randleman reached that mark with a couple of strong games last week. Autumn Gentry of Trinity entered this week within range of 1,000. The Bulldogs are slated for a game Friday at Uwharrie Charter Academy and a make-up game Saturday at Southwestern Randolph. Hall and Gentry are juniors, so there could be plenty of time for their point totals to swell. Hall racked up 21 points and 13 rebounds in last week’s 51-34 victory at Trinity. The next night she eclipsed 1,000…
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Dylan Wheatley

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Dylan Wheatley

Dylan Wheatley  |  Randleman, boys’ basketball Wheatley made five 3-point shots in two different games in a pair of victories for the Tigers last week. The senior averaged 20.5 points in those games. In a 67-64 road victory against Trinity, he shot 7-for-10 from the field on the way to 20 points. Two nights later at home, he racked up 21 points in a 57-53 victory against Wheatmore. He was 6-for-10 from the field in that game. The outcomes brought an end to a four-game losing streak and improved Randleman’s record to 5-10. The Tigers won back-to-back games for the…
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Young players highlight first USWNT camp of 2022

Young players highlight first USWNT camp of 2022

The next wave of U.S. soccer talent includes several players who are under 22 The new year has brought new faces to the U.S. women’s national team. The back-to-back World Cup champions opened their January camp in Austin, Texas, with 14 players who have fewer than 12 appearances for the United States. Coach Vlatko Andonovski is taking a look at the team’s next generation as it begins preparations for qualifying this summer for the 2023 tournament. Among them is Ashley Hatch, a 26-year-old forward who plays for the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League and who won the…
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MLB negotiators meet in person for 1st time since Dec. 1

MLB negotiators meet in person for 1st time since Dec. 1

Spring training is scheduled to start Feb. 16, but only if a new deal can be agreed upon NEW YORK — Negotiators for locked-out baseball players and management met in person Monday for the first time since Dec. 1, the day before the start of the sport’s first work stoppage since 1995. Veteran reliever Andrew Miller was the only player to attend the bargaining session. Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort, the chairman of baseball’s labor policy committee, was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem and executives Morgan Sword and Patrick Houlihan. The players’ association planned to make a counteroffer to…
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