Asheboro Blue Comets - Randolph Record

19 Nov

Prep soccer: Blue Comets, Cougars make deep runs in state playoffs

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Class 2-A, Class 3-A, nchsaa, prep soccer, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, state playoffs, Trinity Bulldogs

Asheboro’s Cristian Raygadas, right, makes a move in front of Pisgah’s Fernando Gamez during the third round of the Class 3A state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Boys’ soccer teams from Asheboro and Southwestern Randolph made it to the final week of the season. They hope to make all the way to state championships. Asheboro is in Class 3A and Southwestern Randolph is in Class 2A. Both teams hold No. 1 seeds in the West Region, meaning they would be assigned home games all the way through regional play. The teams play in West Region finals Tuesday…

13 Nov

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Diego Bustamante

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, athlete of the week, Class 3-A, Diego Bustamante, prep soccer, state playoffs

Asheboro, boys’ soccer Bustamante regularly contributes to the Blue Comets’ big offensive numbers. He’s a senior for the top-seeded team in the West Region for the Class 3A state playoffs. At the beginning of this week, Bustamante ranked second on the Asheboro team in goals with 29 and in assists with 28. He had two in each of those categories when the state playoffs began Saturday and the Blue Comets trounced visiting West Charlotte 9-0. In 2023, he was the Mid-Piedmont Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. ***** Photo: Diego Bustamante has been a stellar player for Asheboro’s boys’ soccer…

11 Nov

Prep football: E. Randolph, Randleman to start at home in states; Asheboro returns to postseason

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, class 1-A, Class 2-A, Class 3-A, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, nchsaa, prep football, Randleman Tigers, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, state playoffs

Eastern Randolph and Randleman will play home football games to begin the state playoffs Friday night, while Asheboro makes a long-awaited return to the postseason. Eastern Randolph (10-0), the Piedmont Athletic Conference champion for a fourth year a row, is the No. 4 seed in the Class 1A West Region with a game against No. 29 seed Swain County (1-9). In Class 2A, fourth-seeded Randleman (8-2), which has lost its last two games, is home against No. 29 seed East Gaston (4-6). No. 27 seed Southwestern Randolph (6-4) visits sixth-seeded East Surry (8-2), which holds a seven-game winning streak and…

10 Nov

Prep soccer: Top area seeds show power as states begin

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, nchsaa, prep soccer, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, state playoffs

Win Smith of Asheboro makes a move around a West Charlotte player during Saturday’s Class 3A game in the boys’ soccer state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) Asheboro and Southwestern Randolph hold No. 1 seeds for the West Region in the boys’ soccer state playoffs, which began during the weekend. Both teams will play every game at home through the regional final if they advance. It was a strong first-round showing for teams from Randolph County, though one team tumbled in an upset loss. Second-round games were set for Tuesday, with winners playing in the third round Thursday night…

07 Nov

Prep soccer: Asheboro, Southwestern Randolph hold top seeds going into state playoffs

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, class 1-A, Class 2-A, Class 3-A, nchsaa, prep soccer, Randleman Tigers, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, state playoffs

Asheboro and Southwestern Randolph hold No. 1 seeds for the West Region in the boys’ soccer state playoffs, which begin this weekend. Asheboro is atop the bracket in Class 3A. Southwestern Randolph is in the same spot for Class 2A. Both teams will play every game at home through the regional final if they advance. First-round games will be held Saturday, with the second round Tuesday. West Charlotte is the opening opponent for Asheboro (22-2), which won the Mid-Piedmont Conference. No. 12 seed Ledford (12-7-4) and No. 21 seed Montgomery Central (9-9) are the only other teams from the league…

04 Nov

Prep soccer: Three area teams set standard with state playoffs approaching

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Cam Letterlough, Mid-Piedmont Conference, nchsaa, piedmont athletic conference, prep soccer, Randleman Tigers, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, state playoffs

A few boys’ soccer teams from Randolph County could be in good positions to make some noise in the postseason. Championship efforts from Asheboro in the Mid-Piedmont Conference and co-champions Randleman and Southwestern Randolph in the Piedmont Athletic Conference came with some dominating performances. Because of Hurricane Helene’s impact on the western part of the state, the beginning of the state playoffs has been delayed as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association adjusted the postseason calendar for the sport. The pairings and seeds will be announced Thursday. First-round games will be contested Saturday, and for teams advancing there will…

02 Nov

Prep football: Wildcats notch another perfect PAC record, top Randleman by one

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Mid-Piedmont Conference, piedmont athletic conference, prep football, Providence Grove Patriots, Randleman Tigers, Southwestern Randolph Cougars

Eastern Randolph’s Rayden West looks to make a move against Randleman’s Jay Richards during Friday night’s game. (Thadd Sanders / For Randolph Record) RAMSEUR – Eastern Randolph barely preserved its undefeated mark but the Wildcats did enough to capture another championship. Eastern Randolph held on to defeat visiting Randleman in Friday night’s Piedmont Athletic Conference showdown, winning 27-26. Eastern Randolph is undefeated in PAC play for four consecutive seasons with a 20-0 record across that span. The Wildcats (10-0 overall, 5-0 PAC) should be among the highest seeds in the Class 1A West Region for the state playoffs when those…

28 Oct

Prep Roundup: Asheboro claims soccer league title; Runners qualify for state meet

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Audrey Frazier, Cam Letterlough, Laurel Bernhardt, prep cross country, prep soccer, Prep tennis, Providence Grove Patriots, Randleman Tigers, Southwestern Randolph Cougars

Cross country runners from county secure spots for state meet Asheboro’s Cam Letterlough had another big week as the Blue Comets clinched the Mid-Piedmont Conference championship in boys’ soccer. Letterlough tallied three times when the host Blue Comets topped second-place Ledford 4-2 to wrap up the title with one game remaining on the league slate. Both of Ledford’s losses in conference play have come to Asheboro. Earlier, Letterlough registered three goals in Asheboro’s 3-0 victory at North Davidson. ** Southwestern Randolph notched a couple of shutouts in the Piedmont Athletic Conference, blanking Eastern Randolph and Wheatmore by 9-0 scores. Aaron…

26 Oct

PAC showdown on tap despite Trinity’s upset win

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Mid-Piedmont Conference, piedmont athletic conference, prep football, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, Trinity Bulldogs

Eastern Randolph and Randleman will play with the championship at stake There’s still a showdown to determine the Piedmont Athletic Conference football championship this week, but getting there took a strange twist. Last-place Trinity stunned previously undefeated Randleman 21-19 on Friday night. Yet the Tigers can still gain a share of the conference crown if they defeat host Eastern Randolph in this Friday night’s regular-season finale. The teams met with unblemished league records last year, with Eastern Randolph winning 22-21. Here’s a look at last week’s results: Trinity 21, Randleman 19: At Randleman, Zorn Williams and Daniel Rogers ran for…

21 Oct

Prep soccer: Randleman makes title bid in PAC; Asheboro tallies more victories

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Cam Letterlough, Fernando Hernandez, prep soccer, Randleman Tigers

Randleman stayed in the hunt for the Piedmont Athletic Conference championship in boys’ soccer, while Asheboro continued to roll in the Mid-Piedmont Conference last week. Randleman knocked off visiting Southwestern Randolph 2-0 to hand the Cougars their first league loss of the season. Owen Leonard and Ivan Collazo scored goals for the Tigers, while Dilan Chavero had nine saves. Leonard also had an assist. That result left both teams with 8-1 PAC records in the 12-game league schedule. Fernando Hernandez and Jonathan Lopez Degollado both produced two goals in Southwestern Randolph’s 5-2 home victory against Trinity. ** Asheboro’s Cam Letterlough…