athlete of the week - Randolph Record

18 Dec

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Braeden Lamb

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Braeden Lamb, Prep Basketball, Uwharrie Charter Academy Eagles

Uwharrie Charter Academy, boys’ basketball Lamb is a senior forward for the Eagles, who’ve started the season by winning 10 of their first 11 games. They’ve matched last season’s win total. When UCA began its Piedmont Athletic Conference schedule last week, Lamb tallied 24 points in a 59-47 victory against Providence Grove. That outcome pushed the team’s winning streak to three games. Last season, Lamb was UCA’s lone selection to the All-PAC team. ***** Photo: Braeden Lamb of Uwharrie Charter Academy goes up for a shot against Bethany Community earlier this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

11 Dec

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jaden Allred

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Jaden Allred, prep wrestling, Trinity Bulldogs

Trinity, wrestling Allred won the 150-pound championship in the weekend’s Eye of the Tiger Invitational at Mt. Pleasant. He was one of the Bulldogs’ eight top-four finishers in the event, but the lone champion. Allred defeated Avery County’s Mason Bentley 10-1 in the championship bout. Earlier in the tournament, Allred had a technical fall against Rhett White of West Cabarrus, pinned East Rowan’s Jaiden Archie and North Gaston’s William Long in the first period and registered a pin of Cox Mills’ Stephen Buie in 2:21. Trinity placed second behind Hickory Ridge in the 22-team event. Allred also won three matches…

06 Dec

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Maddie Strider

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week

Southwestern Randolph, girls’ basketball Strider tallied a team-high 23 points when the Cougars opened their season by defeating visiting Asheboro 64-23 in a nonconference game last week. Strider is a junior guard and also a member of the school’s softball team. The Cougars were slated for three more nonleague games this week. The Piedmont Athletic Conference opener comes Dec. 12 at Trinity.

27 Nov

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Lucas Smith

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, class 1-A, Eastern Randolph Wildcats, Lucas Smith, nchsaa, prep football, state playoffs

Eastern Randolph, football Eastern Randolph’s high-powered team has had various sources of production in maintaining an undefeated record. One of the main contributors to the offense has been Smith, a senior running back. He has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark regularly and ended up as a frequent visitor to the end zone. Smith has been an All-Piedmont Athletic Conference selection in each of the past two seasons. The Wildcats have cruised to victories in the Class 1A state playoffs. They’ll have an other home postseason game Friday night in a matchup of unbeatens when Corvian Community visits for a third-round…

20 Nov

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Fernando Hernandez

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Class 2-A, Fernando Hernandez, nchsaa, prep soccer, Southwestern Randolph Cougars

Southwestern Randolph, boys’ soccer Hernandez has been the leading scorer for the Cougars, who'll play in the Class 2A state final. Southwestern Randolph meets Clinton for the state championship Friday night at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews. Hernandez, a junior forward, had racked up 48 goals through the early rounds of the state playoffs. He also rated second among Southwestern Randolph players with 24 assists. He’s on a similar pace as last season, when he had 49 goals. In 2023, he was named the Offensive Player of the year in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. Photo: Fernando Hernandez of Southwestern Randolph…

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…

07 Nov

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Riley Foster

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, prep soccer, Riley Foster, Trinity Bulldogs

Trinity, boys’ soccer Foster, a senior midfielder, has been a key force for the Bulldogs, who finished in third place in the Piedmont Athletic Conference. Trinity has been solid defensively throughout much of the season. They entered this week with a 14-5-3 record as they await their assignment for the Class 2-A state playoffs. Foster, a captain, had an impact at both ends of the field. He has been a scoring threat, improving his production since playing most of the team’s games two years ago as a sophomore. Trinity owns a winning record for the fifth consecutive season. Photo: Riley…

30 Oct

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Laurel Bernhardt

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Class 2-A, Laurel Bernhardt, nchsaa, prep cross country, Providence Grove athletics, State meet

Providence Grove, cross country She’ll be in the Class 2A state meet for the second year in a row after a strong showing in last week’s Midwest Regional. Bernhardt, a sophomore, had a strong month, winning the Piedmont Athletic Conference championship and then placing seventh in the Midwest Regional. Last year, she placed 27th in the state meet among 132 entrants. Bernhardt was a standout last spring in track and field and a member of the All-PAC team.

24 Oct

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Freddie Mercado

Randolph RecordSportsathlete of the week, Freddie Mercado, piedmont athletic conference, prep cross country, Randleman athletics, Randleman Tigers

Randleman, cross country Mercado was the winner of the boys’ race in the Piedmont Athletic Conference championships last week at Wheatmore’s 3.1-mile course. Mercado, a senior, finished in 18 minutes, 48 seconds for a 10-second edge on teammate Jedidiah Dake. Providence Grove won the team title by one point on Randleman. Earlier in the month, Mercado was 61st out of 182 runners in the Hagan-Stone Cross Country Classic in Pleasant Garden. The PAC girls’ race was won by Providence Grove junior Laurel Bernhardt in 21:51. The runner-up was Wheatmore’s Scarlett Hildreth (22:55). Wheatmore was first in the team standings with…

16 Oct

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Anna Grace LeRoy

Randolph RecordSportsAnna Grace LeRoy, Asheboro Blue Comets, athlete of the week, Mid-Piedmont Conference, Prep volleyball

Asheboro, volleyball LeRoy is a key part of the Blue Comets’ offense as the team had a strong regular season in the Mid-Piedmont Conference. LeRoy, a senior setter, is the team leader in assists. When Asheboro swept Ledford and Montgomery Central last week, LeRoy led the team in assists in both matches. She also racked up a total of seven aces in those two outings. Asheboro took a five-match winning streak into this week’s conference tournament. This weekend, the Blue Comets will learn of their seed and place on the Class 3A bracket for the state playoffs. First-round matches will…